John Dewey Academy of Learning

The John Dewey Academy of Learning (JDAL) is a charter school of the Green Bay Area Public School District. It is the Green Bay Area Public School District's first and only charter school. The school's street address is 1420 Harvey Street, Green Bay, WI 54302.

Formation

John Dewey was formed by contract with the Green Bay Area Public School District. It operates on a five-year contract, the maximum term allowed by Wisconsin state law, and The Green Bay Area Public School District is currently evaluating the school to decide whether or not they will resign the contract during the 2015-16 school year.

Leadership

Unlike most schools, JDAL (John Dewey Academy of Learning) operates largely without a principal, relying mainly on the lead adviser Molly O'Neill (who is also the Green Bay Area Public School's Director of Charter Schools) and the Governance Council for leadership.

Education

JDAL utilizes Project Based Learning, ALEKS (for mathematics), Empower3000 (for Language Arts), and a series of seminars put on by the advisors. Instead of the general setup of an American high school, John Dewey employs a standard classroom approach similar to what is seen in grade schools. As of August, 2015 there are four "advisories" (or classrooms), each employing something different by having advisers trained in separate subjects. Advisories are now loosely divided by grade. It is not yet clear whether there will be a mix of students from all grades in all advisories.

In the utilization of Project Based Learning John Dewey uses a system in which students propose a project, do research, and then present it to their peers and adviser(s). The Presentations vary widely from PowerPoints to student created films.

Community outreach

JDAL has several service learning campaigns throughout the school year. These events are to give students the ability to help out the community and to gain community service hours, and recently started The Dewey Dragons Club, a group that provides further service learning opportunities and raises funds for the school.

Teens for Jeans campaign

Aaron Lee, a student at JDAL, spearheaded a project thru Dosomething.org, collecting jeans for homeless teens at the school, at the Downtown YWCA in Green Bay, and at the Kavarna Coffee House. The program will collect jeans until February 16, 2015.

Garlic Mustard Pull

The students and staff at the John Dewey Academy of Learning have worked for the past few years with the Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay to remove the invasive species garlic mustard from the grounds.

Event Night

JDAL hosts a bi- or tri-yearly "Event Night" where students show one of there favorite projects from that year to the community. Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt regularly attends these events.

External links

• John Dewey Academy of Learning
• JDAL's Teens For Jeans Campaign