The Rockaway College Concept Paper: Addendum-Design Implementation

Establishment at every stage of design implementation rests on successive, and successful, Development, Fundraising and Start-Up Teams.  Each element of the institution would have its own Team.  Thus, the unified Pre-School/Kindergarten and the Elementary School would have its Teams, as well The Venture, The Lower and the Upper Schools.  While each definitely has the hard jobs of developing the individual aspects of its facilities and programs and of fundraising for compensation and to finance the concepts into actual brick and mortar, job one of all Teams is the conscious formation and norming of the cooperative learning culture children, adolescents and young adults must find already established so they can as easily as possible integrate into it and cultivate the expectant cooperative behaviors the culture intends to induce.  Thus, each Team collaboratively would recruit members of a Board of Trustees willing to combine effort to financially secure the viability of the school, willing to work with the Team on the Team’s collective fundraising responsibilities and willing to work with the Team to institute and support the business operation of the school.  Each Team would as well cooperatively acquire the professional knowledge of the Democratic self-governance, the Talent Development infused Democratic Montessori and the Talent Development infused Democratic Education learning systems and of working with the spectrum of gifted and talented, especially the Twice-Exceptional, within these unique systems.  Further, each Team would partner to build the management, the learning systems and the facilities each is task to establish, to market the school recruiting families and children to the school, and to accept role obligations as the programs become operational. 

While the life of the entire project is vested in the successful funding development of all Teams, it is to the Rockaway College School Teams-the first setting up the school’s Board of Trustees and the School itself through establishing the Pre-School/Kindergarten and the second expanding the Board and establishing the Elementary School-go the greatest burden.   Obviously, concurrent compensation for great effort as Team members and as administrative and instructional staff is directly tied to strong fundraising, as well the implementation of the Rockaway College School programs themselves.  But, without the flourishing financials supporting The School operation, there can be little or no prospect of expansion funding.  So, with the financial success of both Teams and its Board of Trustees putting The School on firm fiscal footing and with an effective Board working jointly with the entire Rockaway School community on expansion funding Rockaway College development can be assured. 

And expansion to Rockaway College is essential to fulfill the promise to the spectrum of gifted and talented.  Indeed, the other than conventional nature of The School’s programs prepare The School’s students for continued progress in social-emotional and cognitive growth as from where they came, rather than preparing them to accept inclusion within conventional settings.  Thus, the sequential integration of program inspired growth pledged to parents who trust their children to growth through this type of schooling and provided to their children by this type of schooling must be continued as promised.

With Rockaway College School established and with expansion funding available, the Rockaway College Venture School Development, Fundraising and Start-Up Team could be organized.  Then with the financials anticipating further expansion The Lower School Development, Fundraising and Start-Up Team would be put together.  These Teams collaboratively duplicate at the outdoor intake and secondary education program levels the collective responsibilities of the Rockaway College School Teams.  While these Teams are naturally relieved from recruiting the initial Board of Trustees, they would have the obligations of working with the existing Board to expand its members willing to financially secure the continued viability of the school and of working with the Team on the Team’s fundraising and management responsibilities.

The full secondary-early college program fulfilling the promise of Rockaway College to graduate the spectrum of gifted and talented, especially the Twice-Exceptional, with a high school diploma and an Associate of Arts degree rests squarely on the effective collaborative funding development of the Board of Trustees and the Rockaway College component Teams.  When the expansion process commits to undertake Venture and Lower School development, it through necessity must commit to support expansion to the Upper School as well.

So, when The Lower School has been established, the Rockaway College Upper School Development, Fundraising and Start-Up Team must be organized with the same collective responsibilities for the early college program and working with the Board on its fundraising and management responsibilities as the other Teams had for their programs.

Teamwork establishes the individual elements of the institution. Each Team takes at least a developmental year, a “Stub Year”, as much to set the culture of the schools and to grow the professional skill sets as for facilities development and school supply purchases as those newly enrolled youngsters truly need to equally find an established cooperative norm based community into which to integrate for them to begin the social-emotional wellness and the cognitive adaptability processes foundational to the mission of Rockaway College as the physical environment, materials and activities ready for student cooperative self-directed and negotiated learning. 

The following is a suggested timeline and general task outline for the Team implementation of the Rockaway College concept school design. It must be recognized that this timeline represents the most optimistic funding for school start-up and expansion allowing the next program level to be in place to receive children ready to move on to that next level when children are ready to move on.  Nevertheless, the least implementation undertaken must finish the full establishment of the Rockaway College School providing the full spectrum of gifted and talented a comprehensive pre-school through primary school education without interruption.

During this first stub year, the Pre-School/Kindergarten Development, Fundraising, Start-up Team concentrates on initial Rockaway College School facility development, on developing the early childhood program and on anticipating the primary education program.  This Team has the responsibilities of: 1) facility and grounds acquisition (ideally one capable of housing all expansion), initial construction/reconstruction and renovation of grounds’ area and facility spaces for The School in general and for the early childhood program specifically, and information technology infrastructure development for The School with expansion in mind; 2) Pre-School/Kindergarten development with collaborative staff administrative, professional knowledge and early childhood program systems preparation, material construction of early childhood program space and Rockaway College Unified Pre-School/Kindergarten promotion, family outreach, parent education and student recruitment and registration.

With the start of School Year One, the unified Pre-School/Kindergarten is operational.  During School Year One, the Pre-School/Kindergarten Development, Fundraising and Start-Up Team now having accepted program role responsibilities nevertheless continues collaborative work on early childhood facility and program needs, but more important continues working with the Board of Trustees on fundraising efforts anticipating expansion to the primary programs.  During this year recruitment for Elementary School Development, Fundraising and Start-Up Team is undertaken so it can get to work no later than the start of School Year Two.

During School Year Two, the Elementary School Development, Fundraising and Start-Up Team takes responsibility for continued general School grounds and facility construction/renovations, for grounds and facility development preparing the area and the spaces for the first self-contained Elementary School class, on continued information technology infrastructure build-out and with the Board on fundraising.  The development of the first class of the primary education program is in its stub year and it concentrates on collaborative staff administrative, professional knowledge and primary education systems preparation, on material construction of the first primary education program space and Rockaway College Elementary School promotion, family outreach, parent education and student recruitment and registration.  Recruitment of additional Elementary Team members is undertaken anticipating development work at the beginning of School Year Three.

With the start of School Year Three, the first primary education class is operational.  During School Year Three, the initial Development, Fundraising and Start-Up Team now having accepted program role responsibilities has been supplemented by additional Team members allowing the full Elementary Team to take responsibility for grounds and facility development preparing the area and the spaces for the second self-contained primary education class, on continued information technology infrastructure build-out and on continued fundraising.  The development of the second class of the primary education program is in its stub year and it concentrates on collaborative staff administrative, professional knowledge and primary education systems preparation, on material construction of the second primary education program space and Rockaway College Elementary School promotion, family outreach, parent education and student recruitment and registration.

During School Year Four, the entire Rockaway College School is operational with the second primary education class established.  Concentration during this year is on fundraising for expansion.  While it is highly optimistic to realistically plan expansion for the next school year, for the sake of having a comprehensive expression of implementation, the timeline will continue with expansion during Year Five.  And certainly if it is feasible expansion as outlined in Year Five and beyond would be accomplished.  Besides, it is highly likely that by the start of School Year Six there will be sufficient Elementary School students ready to move on to the next level, the outdoor intake of Rockaway College’s Venture School, to have the Venture School open to receive them.

Prior to School Year Five, members for Rockaway College Venture School Team would be recruited and assembled so it could assume responsibility at the start of School Year five.  During School Year Five, The Venture School Team would take responsibility for grounds and facility development preparing the Rockaway College area and the shared spaces of Commons, College library, offices, storage and lavatories and the specific areas and spaces of the two Venture Crew Bays as well as on continued information technology infrastructure build-out now including the college library and on continued fundraising.  The development of the Venture outdoor education intake program is in its stub year and it concentrates on collaborative staff administrative, professional knowledge and outdoor education systems preparation, on material construction of the outdoor education program spaces and Rockaway College Venture School/Lower School promotion, family outreach, parent education and student recruitment and registration to fill the two Venture Crews.   The Venture Team would work with the IT/Librarian to begin to identify and collect library resources. During this year recruitment for The Lower School Development, Fundraising and Start-Up Team is undertaken so it can get to work no later than the start of School Year Six.

With the start of School Year Six, the Venture School and its outdoor intake program is operational.  During School Year Six, the Lower School Development, Fundraising and Start-Up Team takes responsibility for continued shared area/space build-out, preparing the areas and the spaces for the six Cooperative Learning Labs, with continued information technology infrastructure build-out and with continued fundraising.  The development of the Lower School is in its stub year and it concentrates on collaborative staff administrative, professional knowledge and secondary education systems preparation, on material construction of the outdoor education program space and Rockaway College Venture School/Lower School promotion, family outreach, parent education and student recruitment and registration to fill the two Venture Crews.   The Lower School Team would work with the IT/Librarian to identify and collect library resources.

With the start of School Year Seven, the Lower School and its secondary education is operational.  Concentration during this year is on fundraising for expansion to the Upper School.  Concept planning here assumes sufficient Lower School students would be ready to move to the Upper School in two years.  Thus, those having started this School Year would be ready to move up by the start of School Year Nine.  Therefore, during this year recruitment for The Upper School Development, Fundraising and Start-Up Team is undertaken so it can get to work no later than the start of School Year Eight.

With the start of School Year Eight, The Upper School Development, Fundraising and Start-Up Team takes responsibility for grounds and facility development completing the shared College spaces of Commons, College library, offices, storage and lavatories and the shared Upper School seminar spaces as well as completing the information technology infrastructure build-out but it continues the Colleges fundraising efforts.  The development of the Upper School early college Great Question program is in its stub year and it concentrates on collaborative staff administrative, professional knowledge and curriculum preparation, and on Rockaway College Upper School promotion, family outreach, parent education and student recruitment and registration.  The two most crucial aspects of Team effort are in Great Question integrated interdisciplinary thematic development and in collaborative work with the IT/Librarian on resource identification and acquisition.

With the start of School Year Nine, the entire Rockaway College is established as The Upper School becomes operational.