Caldwell will have another charter school by 2020

CALDWELL – The Idaho Public Charter School Commission approved a new charter school in Caldwell, set to open in August of 2020.

Mosaics Public School will focus on STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). Students will have the opportunity to learn coding, robotics, and applied science, the school said in a news release.

The school’s leader, Anthony Haskett, worked as intermediate principal at Nampa’s Idaho Arts Charter School. He is also an Idaho New School Fellow through the charter incubator Bluum.

While the school’s focus is on STEAM education, Mosaics will also promote community stewardship with its students and require community service projects.

“Our goal is for students, even kindergartners, to understand they have agency to impact the world around them for the better,” said Haskett.

Idaho go-on initiatives gain national recognition

The Education Commission of the States recently recognized Idaho’s efforts to help more students continue their education.

The ECS, which partners with education policy leaders around the nation, named Idaho the 2019 recipient of the Frank Newman Award for State Innovation.

The award pointed to four Idaho initiatives aimed at helping the go-on rate: Idaho’s Direct Admissions program, Apply Idaho, Next Steps, and the State Board’s partnership with Complete College America and the Lumina Foundation.

The Direct Admissions program automatically admits all graduating high school seniors to either six or eight of Idaho’s higher education institutions. Apply Idaho is a single, free application to all Idaho colleges and universities, and Next Steps is a website that provides resources for students and families about college and career opportunities.

“Our colleges and universities implemented several of the initiatives and continue to support the effort to increase student access and success,” State Board of Education President Debbie Critchfield said. “It’s nice to see these initiatives recognized but what is most important is that they are making it easier for Idahoans to attend college or a career technical program and to succeed.”

Idaho’s leaders share “lightbulb moments” about their higher ed. experiences

IDeal, an Idaho college savings program, asked some of Idaho’s community and business leaders to participate in a conversation about the reasons why they chose to pursue higher education.

These “lightbulb moments” help show the diverse reasons why people pursue higher education including trade schools, certificate programs, as well as 2- and 4-year programs.

In the month of June, IDeal is also encouraging Idaho parents and grandparents to share their own lightbulb moments about when they realized they should begin saving for a child’s postsecondary education. Families who share will be entered to win one in three $529 contributions to start their education savings account.

Idahoans can share their stories here and follow IDeal’s Facebook and Twitter accounts for updates.

Some IDeal Lightbulb Moments:

• State Controller Brandon Woolf
• State Senator Mark Nye
• Christie Stoll Herwy, IDeal Executive Director
• Mayor Dave Bieter, Boise
• Kip Spittle, Boise State University
• Anne Spittle, West Ada School District
• Tammy Tawney Peterson, Kuna High School Staff
• Bob Flannery, Boise Hawks General Manager

Registration open for Idaho Family & Community Engagement Conference

This year, the Idaho State Department of Education will host the 4^th Annual Family & Community Engagement Conference in Meridian.

Registration is now open for the conference, which will be held on October 7^th and October 8^th at the Galaxy Center at Wahooz Family Fun Zone.

Parent and family engagement are important for student success. This conference aims to help school staff personnel learn strategies for practical, effective, and sustainable community involvement.

Elizabeth Smart will be the keynote speaker. Smart was abducted in 2002 at age 14 and held prisoner for 9 months. In the time since she has become an advocate for child safety, helping promote the AMBER alert and other causes.

Learn more about the conference and register on the Family and Community Engagement website.