Mission
Mundo Verde aims to foster high levels of academic achievement among a diverse group of students by preparing them to be successful and compassionate global stewards of their communities.
History
A group of parents, motivated by the unmet demand for quality, tuition-free, experiential education, teamed up to develop Mundo Verde. Nearly 30 individuals and partners came together to create the school’s vision and concept. By 2010, Mundo Verde had a full founding board of directors that included educators, environmentalists, and leaders who represented the interests of parents, teachers and the community. On April 19, 2010, the D.C. Public Charter School board granted its standard conditional approval for Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School to open in August 2011.
Mundo Verde is the first and only school in the District focusing on Education for Sustainability. The combination of bilingual education and project-based learning (EL Education) is also unique in the District of Columbia.
Grounded in research-based international best practices, Mundo Verde taps into children’s innate curiosity about nature and language and uses hands-on learning techniques. Since 2007, the founders have worked with outstanding local and national leaders and local charter schools (including E. L. Haynes Public Charter School, Capital City Public Charter School, Two Rivers Public Charter School, and Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School) to develop Mundo Verde’s compelling approach.
In 2011 Mundo Verde opened its doors in commercial space on the 2nd floor of a Dupont Circle office building. With only 122 children, we crowded the tiny start-up space and had to be creative and resourceful to maximize space and make the most of our surroundings, exploring local parks and surrounding neighborhoods.
Goals
Mundo Verde strives to make learning fun and prepare students to be global citizens and stewards of our environment. The curriculum emphasizes interactive, hands-on, project-based learning that nurtures students’ engagement and motivation for life-long learning. To prepare our students to take on the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow’s world, we have designed a one-of-a-kind educational model focused on sustainability as well as biliteracy in English and Spanish.
