Author: Matt Underwood

A few times each year, when gathered together as a full faculty and staff, some of our ANCS educators are asked to share why they teach.  These speeches provide insights into the lives of colleagues with whom we work and inspiration for the deeply personal work of teaching.  For example, earlier this year I shared…

As a part of each day, I try to make a point to visit at least one classroom, often two or three if I can.  In my role as Executive Director, it could be very easy to let my schedule be dominated by meetings, working on grant applications, and the like.  While those are all…

Walk down the halls of either of our campuses in the coming weeks and you’ll notice large bins, beginning to be filled with canned goods and other non-perishable food items.  We are once again collecting these items to donate to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, a drive we’ve organized at ANCS for many years now.…

The post below by ANCS Chef and Nutrition Director David Bradley was originally featured on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Education Matters” blog over the Thanksgiving break.  You can see that post here along with a video of Chef Bradley and ANCS students in the kitchen. For many families today, home-cooked meals are relics of a bygone…

There is often confusion about what a “charter school” is, something I’ve written about in this blog in the past.  One element of this confusion, I think, is related to the use of the word “autonomous” or “independent” to describe how charter schools operate as compared to a district-managed public school.  It’s true that, in…

On our fall survey of ANCS students in grades 3-8, 83% of them responded “always” or “most of the time” to the prompt: “I know strategies to calm myself when I feel frustrated or upset.”  While I’m sure these students have acquired and honed some strategies in part through their parents and caregivers at home,…

The mission of ANCS is grounded in the principles of an organization known as the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES).  Though CES closed as a formal entity about a year ago, these principles continue to guide the thinking about what teaching and learning look like at ANCS and many other schools who were a part…

Yesterday marked the start of early voting in Fulton County for the 2017 general municipal elections, culminating with Election Day on Tuesday, November 7.  It’s always important to exercise the right to vote, but especially so in elections like this one when so many positions that impact local government (including public schools) are on the…

This past weekend the ANCS Governing Board held its annual training and planning retreat. The 13 people who sit on the ANCS board devote a great deal of time and offer their professional skills and insights in service to our school, yet many people in the school community might not actually know what it is…

A few times each year, when gathered together as a full faculty and staff, a few educators are asked to share why they teach.  These speeches provide insights into the lives of colleagues with whom we work and inspiration for the deeply personal work of teaching.   During this year’s teacher/staff retreat in July, elementary…