The NewSchools Summit 2010 got off to a great (and delicious!) start this morning with a welcome breakfast for first-time attendees. NewSchools partner April Chou welcomed the newest members of an ever-growing community of reform-minded education entrepreneurs, funders, and practitioners, and gave an overview of our hopes that this year’s Summit will provide them with an opprotunity to come together and learn from one another. “We look forward to today being a day of learning, a day of connecting, and a day of sharing,” said April.

There was a tangible excitement in the room this morning. The breakfast presented a networking opportunity for the 161 first-timers (1/4 of all Summit attendees!) to this year’s Summit, giving them the chance to meet with veterans in the education movement and share their own hopes and expectations about today”s event. Participants mingled over coffee, fresh fruit, and pastries, and shared with each other how they became involved in education.

After introducing herself and the NewSchools team, April asked everyone in the room to stand if they’d been involved in education for more than 3 years. Nearly everyone in the room stood up. Next, she asked those who have been involved in education for more than 5 years to remain standing. Only one or two sat down. Ten years? A handful of people took their seats. There’s a tremendous amount of experience in the room today.

Welcome to Summit 2010! You can follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nsvf. We’re using the hashtag #NSVF.