GREEN SCHOOLS NATIONAL NETWORK INC
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
District and School Support
Green Schools National Network (GSNN) leads a growing network of school districts at the forefront of sustainability in education. We provide direct support for schools and districts to create Sustainability Action Plans that set and monitor ambitious sustainability targets in facilities & operations, leadership, curriculum & instruction, and culture & climate as outlined in our nationally recognized GreenPrint. The adoption of those plans drive impacts such as the adoption of policies and practices in Operations, the engagement of faculty, staff, and students in sustainability education and initiatives; increases in sustainability mindsets among students and staff; and decreases in energy, waste, and water.
Catalyst Network
Green Schools Catalyst Network districts and schools participate in on-going professional development through in person and virtual events and an online platform to share best practices and resources. Professional development includes site summit, leaders and teachers academies, and our annual conference for the broader field.
Catalyst Quarterly
In 2016 GSNN launched a quarterly publication for the green schools movement that provides case studies of green, healthy, and sustainable schools and school districts and how this work impacts social, emotional, and academic student achievement and physical health and well-being. This resource along with books and other publications of peer reviewed resources provides the broader field with evidence-based resources that include practical tools, news, and commentary for the sustainable schools community.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of organization members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Catalyst Network
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Annual increase in # of partner schools and districts.
Number of convenings hosted by the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Catalyst Network
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We are increasing the collaborative and professional development opportunities for our partners and the field.
Number of conference attendees
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We have resumed our conference in person following the pandemic for the broader field of sustainability in education with our partner, Center for Green Schools, USGBC.
Number of training workshops
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
District and School Support
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We have increased our partners and services offered them each year.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our mission is to grow a movement of healthy, equitable, and sustainable schools by advancing green district practices related to leadership, culture and climate, curriculum and instruction, and facilities and operations. There are three significant gaps in the movement that GSNN will address as we our strategic plan:
1. Development of holistic transformation coaching and support for districts and networks to adopt healthy, equitable, and sustainable practices.
2. Development of a formal network with professional development opportunities for Green/Sustainable Districts
3. Development of a quarterly comprehensive Green Schools Publication
Without a systemic effort at the district level and whole school level, the green, healthy sustainable schools movement will not become a part of the larger education reform agenda. Through the creation of a formal network of district and school leaders, we have a greater chance of engaging the stakeholders influencing policy and practice in our nation's schools.
When we visit highly effective green, healthy, sustainable schools and school districts, they are distinctly different from traditional models. Unique characteristics of collaborative leadership, a shared vision of sustainability that influences all decisions, and experiential and proficiency based curriculum that integrates developmentally appropriate sustainability and environmental themes at each grade level. These districts and schools believe that the purpose of education is not only to educate students effectively but to prepare students who are ready and able to create a future that is healthy for both humans and the more than human world.
The time has come to identify these significant differences and make the case for how green schools and school districts have a lasting impact on students and why healthy, sustainable schools should be an integral part of rewriting the landscape of learning, instruction, and assessment in the US.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The green schools movement needs a critical mass of schools and school districts implementing common practices that demonstrate how green, healthy, sustainable schools close the achievement gap, graduate students who are college and career ready, AND who have the knowledge and skills needed to be mindful citizens to create a green, healthy and sustainable world.
Building on the current GreenPrint for healthy, equitable, and sustainable Schools the Green Schools National Network, Inc., will:
1. Promote the GreenPrint 2.0 for School Districts that define the core practices that result in sustainable school operations and a teaching and learning model that results in students who are college and career ready and have the knowledge and skills to become global and ecological citizens and innovators for a sustainable future.
2. Maintain a quarterly publication for the green schools movement that provides case studies of green, healthy, and sustainable schools and school districts and how this work impacts social, emotional, and academic student achievement and physical health and well-being.
3. Support a network of Catalyst School Districts" who participate in on-going collaborative and professional development opportunities in person and virtually over the course of the year; and through sharing documents through crowd sourcing the Virtual Resource Center.
4. Provide ongoing coaching and technical assistance to districts to enable them to create, manage, and monitor five year sustainability plans at the policy and practice levels across their portfolio of schools.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our Management Structure
We will use a Teamwork Primacy Management Model consisting of a web of a management team and web of coaches, with clearly defined roles.
The Management Team (MT) will be facilitated by the Operations Office and will include the Executive Director; Managing Director; Strategic Partnerships and Development Director; Operations Manager; and Coaching. This team will be responsible for securing all resources and creating structures to support the network through a web of coaches and strategic partners.
The web of support will serve as on-site and virtual coaches to our Catalyst School and School Districts. In the beginning, members will be consultants. As the network grows, these roles will be filled by full-time employees. Each team will include a Curriculum and Instruction Coach; Operations Coach; and a Leadership and Culture & Climate Coach.
The Catalyst Network (CT) will be comprised of school and district stake holders who have real and role authority to implement change. These two teams will work hand in hand to implement the GreenPrint through an annual work plan. These work plans will leverage the core practices defined by GreenPrint 2.0 to improve the operations of the school/school district; the health and well-being of students and staff; and the social, emotional and academic development of all students.
The Editorial and Resource Team (ERT) will be co-chaired by the Communications Officer and the IT Officer. Members of this Team will be comprised of volunteers from higher education; Catalyst Schools and School Districts; and other stakeholders in the green school movement.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have deepened our partnership with the United Stated Green Building Council and the Center for Green Schools so they are now managing the production of the Green Schools Conference and Expo and GSNN is co-chairing the Program Committee for the Conference. This effort has allowed GSNN to re-focus our attention on the original purpose of our organization: to create a network of exemplary healthy, equitable, and sustainable schools that can be used as cairns for other schools and school districts to follow.
We have re-defined the content and launched the reformatted the Catalyst Quarterly.
We have launched a national network of district and school partners with an increase in partners of 25% annually.
We have expanded our coaching team to include five contractors highly skilled in school design and district reform.
We have launched an annual calendar of in person and virtual events for the network.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
GREEN SCHOOLS NATIONAL NETWORK INC
Board of directorsas of 03/14/2024
Geoff Deigan
Prairie Crossing Charter School
Jennifer Seydel
Green Schools National Network
Alison Suffet-Diaz
Environmental Charter School
Bridgitte Alomes
Natural Pod
Luseni Pieh
Chewie Labs
Diana Cournoyer
National Indian Education Association
Danielle Allen
Building Impact
Billy Almond
WPL
Tim Baird
Encinitas Union School District
Adam Bienenstock
Bienenstock Playgrounds
Caroline Hill
228 Accelerator
Kate Mraw
LPA Design Studios
Jennifer Tabola
Mangrove Breakthrough
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/04/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.