GOA School Profile 2012-2013

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Online learning is strengthening schools around the globe. By teaching our students 21st-century learning skills we can prepare them to be global citizens who can communicate with people who have backgrounds different from their own; who can collaborate effectively with peers in other states or even on different continents; who can advocate for their own learning; who can publish their work and ideas in a format that will preserve their work in perpetuity; and who know how to be creative, flexible, proactive learners. Being successful in college and beyond will require each of these skills, but teaching them in a traditional classroom setting is often challenging or not feasible. Online, these skills are taught directly and used regularly.

Global Online Academy connects students from all over the world and allows them to offer their local perspectives on global issues. Classmates in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco work on projects with peers in Madaba-Manja, Jordan, and Portland, Oregon. Students in Hawaii and Chicago discuss global health issues with students in New York, Seattle, Boston, and Jakarta, Indonesia. These connections and interactions are becoming the norm in today’s society; it is essential that we prepare students to do this now.

One of the great pieces of work in the area of online education is being done by a group of independent schools and it's called the Global Online Academy... you gain this unbelievable ability to bring diversity into those classroom discussions... It's efforts like that that are really going to point the way.

- Bill Gates, 2012 NAIS Annual Conference

Mission

The mission of the Global Online Academy is to replicate in online classrooms the intellectually rigorous programs and excellent teaching that are hallmarks of its member schools; to foster new and effective ways, through best practices in online education, for students to learn; and to promote students’ global awareness and understanding by creating truly diverse, worldwide, online schoolroom communities.

Founding Schools

Albuquerque Academy | Albuquerque, NM

Catlin Gabel School | Portland, OR

Cranbrook Schools | Bloomfield Hills, MI

The Dalton School | New York, NY

Germantown Friends School | Philadelphia, PA

Head-Royce School | Oakland, CA

King's Academy | Madaba-Manja, Jordan

Lakeside School | Seattle, WA

Punahou School | Honolulu, HI

Sidwell Friends School | Washington, D.C.

Member Schools

American School in Japan | Tokyo, Japan

The Bishops School | La Jolla, CA

The Blake School | Minneapolis, MN 

Branson School | Ross, CA

Brunswick School | Greenwich, CT

Greenhill School | Addison, TX

Greenwich Academy | Greenwich, CT

The Harker School | San Jose, CA

Hawken School | Gates Mills, OH

International School of Beijing | Beijing, China

Isidore Newman School | New Orleans, LA

Jakarta International School | Jakarta, Indonesia

Kingswood Oxford School | West Hartford, CT

Latin School of Chicago | Chicago, IL

Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School | St. Louis, MO

Noble and Greenough | Dedham, MA

Park Tudor School | Indianapolis, IN

Polytechnic School | Pasadena, CA

St. Mark's School of Texas | Dallas, TX

The Pembroke Hill School | Kansas City, MO

The Westminster Schools | Atlanta, GA

Windward School | Los Angeles, CA

View our schools on the map

PRESS

Our People

Our expert teachers all work at one of our member schools. Everyone on the GOA faculty is committed to building classes that meet our school’s mission to provide a top-notch education in an innovative and supportive learning environment.

Interested in working for GOA?

Administration

  • Michael Nachbar

    GOA Director

    Michael believes great teachers powerfully influence student learning and development. He, his wife, and two beautiful kids live in Seattle.

  • Jake Clapp

    Academic Dean

    As Academic Dean and a GOA teacher Jake is fortunate to work with some of the most inspired and creative teachers in the world.  He understands the importance of relevancy in the virtual classroom. 

  • Amy Hollinger

    Director of Professional Development

    Amy believes that the best educational experiences are created collaboratively. Education for students should engage their creativity and immerse them in global experiences.

  • Eric Hudson

    Instructional Designer

    Eric loves working with teachers, and he is committed to the idea that allowing a teacher to pursue his/her passions leads to meaningful, innovative instruction.

Board Members

  • John Austin

    King's Academy

    As headmaster of King's Academy in Jordan, John Austin combines his scholarly grounding in literature and philosophy with a keen interest in shaping the future of education.

  • Kevin Conway

    Punahou School

    Kevin is Academy Principal at Punahou School. He has also worked at the American School in Mexico City, St. Mary's in New York, and Columbus High School in Miami.

  • Richard Kassissieh

    Catlin Gabel School

    Richard is a teacher turned technologist. He believes in experiential education, 21st century skills, and educational equity.

  • Mark Milliron

     

    Mark is Chancellor of WGU Texas and an innovator, leader, speaker, author, and catalyst in the K-12, Higher Education, and Workforce Education worlds.

  • Bernie Noe

    Lakeside School

    Bernie Noe is Head of Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington.

  • Lee Palmer

    Sidwell Friends School

    As a teacher and administrator, Lee keeps in mind the Confucian saying, "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

  • Andrew Watson

    Albuquerque Academy

    In his eleventh year as Head of Albuquerque Academy, Mr. Watson previously spent a decade each at Fountain Valley School and The Potomac School. 

Teachers

  • Ayako Anderson

    Teacher, Noble and Greenough

    Aya is a native of Japan, mother of two lovely boys and chief chef at home. She enjoys drawing and painting. Formerly a big anime fan.

  • Glenda Baker

    Teacher, American School in Japan

     

    Glenda is passionate about information, communication and creativity. She is the HS Instructional Technology Coach at the American School in Japan. Glenda’s background as an art and design teacher, and interest in organizational change are key focus areas for her own personal learning.

  • Gary Baldwin

    Teacher, Isidore Newman School

     

    Gary Baldwin is the chairman of the History department at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, where he teaches courses in American History, Economics, and the Indian Subcontinent. A transplanted New Englander, Gary is still trying to figure out the proper method of eating a crawfish.

  • Chad Bishop

    Teacher, The Bishop's School

    Chad Bishop is fascinated with words, both what they say and what they mean. He enjoys writing, reading and teaching with words, and has been known to sneak about with books of every shape and size, from Jorge Louis Borges to J.K. Rowling.

  • Karen Bradley

    Teacher, Head-Royce School

    Karen loves teaching & learning forever! And adventuring by bike with her family. Practices yoga. Loves to make stuff, tangible & digital.

  • Véronique Brau

    Teacher, Lakeside School

    Native of France, citizen of Europe, Seattleite. Loves music, singing, traveling, time with friends, rediscovering life with her two young sons.

  • Jennifer Carlson-Pietraszek

    Teacher, Noble and Greenough

     

    Jenny loves to learn -- history, technology, brain functioning, philosophy, guitar playing, DIY projects, and the list goes on.  Things she does not (yet) know about excite her.  When she is not teaching and learning, she is enjoying family life with her partner, her two daughters, and her two dogs.

  • Jake Clapp

    Academic Dean

    As Academic Dean and a GOA teacher Jake is fortunate to work with some of the most inspired and creative teachers in the world.  He understands the importance of relevancy in the virtual classroom. 

  • Scott Cotton

    Teacher, Greenhill School

     

    History buff, tennis fan, and proud member of Red Sox Nation, Scott enjoys working with students in the classroom, on the court, and now … online!

  • Adrian Dingle

    Teacher, Westminster Schools

     

    Adrian is an Englishman, educator and author, with almost a quarter of a century of teaching and international book awards on his resume.

  • Greg Feldmeth

    Teacher, Polytechnic School

     

    Greg Feldmeth is Assistant Head at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California where he teaches courses in Ethics and Human Rights. In his spare time, he rescues and acts as a foster parent for labrador retrievers.

  • Meg Goldner-Rabinowitz

    Teacher, Germantown Friends School

    Meg is a great consumer of media. She enjoys being challenged by new forms of teaching and learning and places a high value on student voice.

  • Darcy Iams

    Teacher, Punahou School

    Darcy teaches Anatomy/Physiology and Chemistry, enjoys paddling one-man outrigger canoes, swimming, golfing, yoga, reading and solving medical mysteries.

  • Steve Ingrassia

    Teacher, Hawken School

     

    Steve has never found a subject that does not fascinate him.  After a 30 year career in the computer industry, he has been teaching high school math and computer science for 5 years.  When not teaching, he loves playing trumpet, reading everything he can fit on his Kindle, and making bad puns.

  • owainj Jones

    Teacher, Jakarta International School

    Owain has worked as a a Web Developer, Statistician, and Teacher.  He has lived in Jakarta for fifteen years with his three children and two dogs.

  • Nan Ketpura-Ching

    Teacher, Punahou School

     

    As a science teacher and life-long learner, Nan loves finding new ways to integrate technology into her curriculum. She hopes to motivate and inspire a new generation of learners. In her spare time, she loves traveling, cooking, and spending time with her husband and two kids.

  • Douglas Kiang

    Teacher, Punahou School

    Author, hacker, skydiver, teacher of kids big and small, friend to dogs, proud dad, foodie, caffeinated risk-taking learning junkie.

  • Bob Lapsley

    Teacher, Lakeside School

    Bob loves the intersection of global health and social justice, as well as being outdoors and speaking Spanish – preferably at the same time.

  • David Metzler

    Teacher, Albuquerque Academy

     

    David thinks that math and physics are amazingly cool ways to understand the world. He likes dancing to swing and salsa music, watching old movies, and hiking the mountains of the Southwest with his wife, son and daughter.

  • Paul Mlakar

    Teacher, St. Mark's School of Texas

     

    Paul loves teaching with technology.  He’s an avid fan of The Ohio State University (his alma mater). He spends most of his free time traveling with his wife, visiting with his seven older brothers and sisters, and playing with his two Labrador retrievers, Eva and Davinci.

  • Anna Moore

    Teacher, Westminster Schools

     

    Anna thinks studying the brain is one of the coolest things she could do. The only thing better than studying it herself is talking to other folks about it and encouraging them to study it, too! When she was in high school she was pretty sure that she hated science. She is ever grateful to those teachers and mentors who took the time to show her how fun it really is.

  • Jen Neubauer

    Teacher, The Dalton School

     

    A current New Yorker, Jen has lived in California, Vermont, Ohio, Washington, and Down Under. When not teaching or working with young people, you can find her playing outdoors. She also really loves a good story.

  • Jen Olmstead

    Teacher, Jakarta International School

    Jen lives in Indonesia with her husband and two cats, who like to eat fish and sleep in the sink (the cats, not the husband!)

  • James Perry

    Teacher, Westminster Schools

     

    James is a freshman boys grade chairman, math teacher, and coach at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GA. He's addicted to documentaries and loves learning about anything, and he confesses to knowing a lot about a little and a little about a lot! James is an avid golfer who enjoys traveling and being outdoors, particularly with his wife Angela and dog Georgia.

  • Greg Puppione

    Teacher, Lakeside School

    Greg is an ENGLSHTCHR4LYFE, who enjoys living in Seattle, traveling as much as he can with his wife, and perfecting his inner dog whisperer.

  • Peter Reinke

    Teacher, Head-Royce School

     

    Peter Reinke chairs the 6-12 History Department at the Head-Royce School.  He is co-founder of the Vincent Academy, a K-5 charter elementary school in Oakland. In his spare time, Peter enjoys hiking, fostering animals and good historical novels.

  • Lina Samawi

    Teacher, King's Academy

     

    Lina is passionate about traveling, photography, skydiving, theater and play writing, and most importantly, finding ties between cultures of the world.

  • Siva Sankrithi

    Teacher, Lakeside School

     

    Siva teaches math and coaches chess at Lakeside, is a private inventor on the side with multiple patents to his name, makes virtually everything a game, and is passionate about math, music, sports, and food.

  • Jeff Schwartz

    Teacher, Greenwich Academy

     

    Jeff lives with his wife, son, and Shetland Sheepdog in Connecticut.  He believes poetry can change the world.  His poems and essays have appeared widely in books and magazines.

  • Michelle Smith

    Teacher, Greenhill School

     

    Michelle is member of the Greenhill Upper School Science Department.  She is wife to Kascie and mother to a toddler.  She enjoys crafting and DIY projects.

  • Alyson Solomon

    Teacher, Germantown Friends

    Alyson holds graduate degrees in medicine and education. She enjoys teaching, cruising, swimming, reading, and spending time with family.

  • Jennifer Uhl

    GOA Precalculus Prep

    Jen loves gadgets and gizmos and all things technology that improve teaching and learning. Her twin two year old boys keep her running and laughing.

  • Faye Wells

    Teacher, Latin School of Chicago

     

    Faye is a science teacher at the Latin School of Chicago.  She loves to learn, laugh, stay active running and practicing yoga.  As an educator, she is always looking to make information more accessible and applicable for her students.

  • Rick White

    Teacher, Jakarta International

    Rick and his wife have lived in Europe and Asia for the last 7 years. He is a thrill seeking, diaper changing, photo-taking mathematician.

  • David Whitson

    Teacher, Catlin Gabel School

    Dave has led international student trips in ten countries, including Argentina, Ghana, and Poland, and hiked nearly 10,000km in Europe.