“Building the Public School/Private School Bridge” (Slides from #PSPP15)

Posted on March 15, 2015 by @ChrisThinnes

#PubPriBridge cofounders Peter Gow, Laura Robertson, and Chris Thinnes were grateful to be joined by SCDS Head of School Dr. Brad Weaver to facilitate a #PubPriBridge-inspired session at the Private Schools with Public Purpose conference in San Francisco.

More information about the #PSPP15 session is available here; slides outlining the framework of our presentation, and our provocations for dialogue with participants, are embedded below (or at http://bit.ly/PSPP-Pres).

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#PubPriBridge Goes Live at 2015 NAIS Annual and PSPP Conferences!

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Peter Gow

We’re excited to announce that #PubPriBridge founders Chris Thinnes, Laura Robertson, and Peter Gow will be taking the PubPriBridge message live on stage at the National Association of Independent Schools 2015 Annual Conference in Boston and at the Private Schools with Public Purpose Conference (PSPP) in San Francisco.

The NAIS session, on Friday, February 27 at 1:30, brings the founders together with Albemarle County (VA) Public Schools superintendent Pam Moran, Washington (DC) Latin Public Charter School principal Diana Smith, and Academy 21 (HI) chief academic officer Karen Aka for an intense, idea-packed hour moderated by NAIS president and longtime education researcher, author, and advocate Dr. John Chubb. The session title is “Sharing Visions: Bring Public and Independent School Educators Together,” and it aspires to fulfill this description:

Independent school educators join public school colleagues in a roundtable on shared practices, common goals, and misconceptions that inhibit our capacity to collaborate. Join us in the spirit of #PubPriBridge, a twitter chat fostering intersector dialogue, to explore the shared voices of independent schools and public schools in the national dialogue about educations.

Register here for the NAIS Conference, which runs from Wednesday, February 25 through Screen Shot 2015-01-18 at 2.12.44 PMFebruary 27 and is followed by EdCampIS on Saturday, February 28 at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School.

At PSPP at 10:30am on Saturday, March 14, the crew further explores “Building the Public School-Private School Bridge,” based on this session proposal:

  For independent schools to fully achieve their public purpose, partnerships between public and private schools must become more reciprocal, educators from each sector must come together professionally and personally, and dialogue must be fostered to shape the future of schooling for all of our children. The founders of #PubPriBridge, a Twitter chat supporting such connections, will share their perspectives and facilitate dialogue about how to move such partnerships forward — so we can learn from each other’s experiences, connect with a view to future collaborations, and build from a model that sometimes confuses ‘partnership’ with philanthropy. The panelists are experienced independent school educators, with two currently serving in executive roles with organizations committed to cross-sector educational discourse. All share a dedication to the idea that independent schools have an obligation to reconsider their roles and goals in a more equitable and democratic society.

Register here for the PSScreen Shot 2015-01-18 at 2.13.20 PMPP Conference, which starts on Thursday, March 12 and runs through March 14 at various venues in San Francisco; the #PPB session will be held at San Francisco Friends School.

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About #PubPriBridge: What It Is and What We Hope For

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Peter Gow

#PubPriBridge supports a Twitter chat bringing together a community of educators interested in building authentic connections between public and independent school teachers and leaders.

The #PubPriBridge chat occurs on alternate Monday afternoons/evenings at 5:30pm PT, 6:30pm MT, 7:30pm CT, and 8:30pm ET.

The originators of #PubPriBridge are Peter Gow, Laura Robertson, and Chris Thinnes. We are independent school educators united here by a belief that strong public schools are the backbone of a durable democratic society and that our independent school community ought to be a strong voice in support of excellent education for all children in all schools.

#PubPriBridge is the product of many conversations among independent school friends about how we, as independent school educators, might join other educators from the public school world in conversations on education. It emerges from an aspiration to build bridges of significance between educators across sectors.

The originators have some profound hopes for #PubPriBridge:

  1. That we might begin to talk about what we all know to be true about education and how best to serve students.
  2. That such conversations might inspire independent school teachers to become more connected to one another, to public school peers, and to the broader national and even global conversation about education
  3. That such conversations might inspire public school teachers to become more connected to one another, to public school peers, and to the broader national and even global conversation about education
  4. That these conversations might help set a direction for a new kind of inter-sector partnership of educators toward the goal, as expressed by former National Association of Independent Schools president Pat Bassett, of fortifying a mutual commitment “to make the waves that raise all boats”
  5. That we might direct these waves toward helping all students in all schools rise higher, think more deeply, and become more engaged and active citizens
  6. That in participating in these conversations we shall enact our civic duty to connect, to speak out, and to honor our shared calling as educators
  7. That we not mire ourselves down in endless critique of what isn’t working in our society’s efforts at changing the nature of education and of schools, and that we focus instead on what can work

We hope to see you join us at #PubPriBridge this coming Monday!

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