Riverwood Educator to Train at Prestigious Middle Years Programme in Miami

Brandi Herbert, International Baccalaureate coordinator at Riverwood International Charter School, has been invited to the Middle Years Progamme Academy, an intensive training program in Miami, Fla.

Herbert and other educators will learn skills necessary to lead workshops and serve as a consultant and site visitor for schools undergoing the extensive IB authorization process. The Miami program is part of IB Americas.

Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the International Baccalaureate, part of the International Baccalaureate Organization, is a nonprofit educational foundation that focuses on students aged 3 – 19 to help develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills for a globalized world. The aim is to match academic rigor with connections to the real world, create high level thinking and critical, reflective thinkers.

“I’m excited,” Herbert said. “I have a passion for learning and leading as I move into administration; [and] the idea of seeing the functions of the school from a different lens, working with all stakeholders in the community, and being an instructional leader for teachers.”

Herbert has worked at Riverwood, as an English teacher and MYP coordinator, and most recently moved into a new role as IB coordinator. Her role includes classroom time observing, providing feedback, and helping teachers find innovative ways to integrate the IB concept into lesson plans and connect their subject matter with other core disciplines.

For instance, English class students will read a book in which content focuses on frequency of lightning strikes and the math teacher uses this literary content to frame the math lesson on statistics of lightning, while the science class discusses the concepts of volatile weather patterns.

Herbert said, “I am a teacher teaching teachers, and this is where I want to be as I see Dr. Avossa (Fulton County Schools’ Superintendent) focusing on instructional leaders in leadership positions."

The International Studies Magnet Program at Riverwood is one of four magnet sites in Fulton County Schools. Currently 51 percent of the student body is enrolled.

Also, Ridgeview Charter School, Riverwood’s feeder, became an IB World school in 2010, thus ensuring the smooth transition in the public school cluster. Herbert works closely with Ridgeview Charter School’s MYP Coordinator.