I was honored to present my first ever “global webnote” address July 11 from my home in Minneapolis to the 1800 employees of the worldwide education organization, Mosaica Education. Mosaica manages 27 charter schools in the U.S. as part of over 100 education programs worldwide, including programs and services in the United Kingdom, India, and the United Arab Emirates. This year the Mosaica team opted to convert its annual leadership gathering into a “virtual” Senior Leadership Retreat—a new experience for everyone!
Founded in 1997, Mosaica developed a unique learning model based on its award-winning curriculum called Paragon™. What I most appreciate about this organization is their strong commitment to transformational change, entrepreneurism, and integrity. As CEO Mike Connelly said in his opening remarks, “If you are not in this for transformational change, this is not the place for you.” Transformation, he says, occurs through Leadership, Community Engagement, Professional Development, and Positive Climate. “We are making a world of difference for each student every day.” Creativity is encouraged, as is teamwork, as “the whole is greater than the parts.” The first objective of Mosaica is superior student achievement, and they have a strong track record both in creating new schools and in being a “Turn-Around Partner” for low-performing schools in conjunction with school districts.
My keynote/webnote address, “Four Ways the Pioneering Charter School Story Can Transform Your Future” focused on how the origins of chartering can support the Transformation of school leaders as Messenger, Advocate, Innovator and Leader. I was grateful that Mosaica generously provided two copies of Zero Chance of Passage: The Pioneering Charter School Story to each of their U.S. charter schools. Perhaps the most ironic feedback came from school leaders in Great Britain, who declared that the same rocky journey to chartering “is happening in our country right now!”
I was honored when Mike Connelly and Mosaica Co-Founders Gene and Dr. Dawn Eidelman (President and Chief Education Officer) presented me with the Pillar “Hero Award” following my presentation. There is no doubt we share commitment to Transformation and Possibility. But the real heroes are the thousands of educators within Mosaica and throughout the charter sector who have taken an extraordinary stand for change—and created real breakthroughs for all of us.
