Solutions Journalism Stories by Sandra Larson

Story
Together, Parents Boost Their Children's Early Learning

In an effort to improve kindergarten readiness, First Teacher, a parent-driven movement and non-profit, provides support and instruction to parents in several of Boston's low-income neighborhoods. The organization "aims to upend the traditional power dynamic with a bottom-up model in which parents, rather than institutions, take the lead" and reverse the effects of the "well-intentioned efforts that [that] leave parents of color feeling scrutinized, judged and powerless."
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- Author Sandra Larson
- Date 2018-07-24
- Publication The New York Times
Story
Taking Steps Toward a Community-Controlled Economy in Boston

The Boston Ujima Project is on “a mission to create an alternative economy,” one that is inclusive on all measures. The main initiative is a community capital fund, which is considering foregoing collateral on loans in exchange for other creative metrics, in the hopes of extending loans to those often excluding from traditional banking and investment. They are also creating a timebanking initiative, where labor that benefits the community can be used as a form of currency. An accessible Boston workshop cemented the group’s commitment to being community-driven.
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- Author Sandra Larson
- Date 2018-10-12
- Publication Next City

Sandra Larson is a Boston-based journalist covering urban and social issues and policy. Sandra will be Zooming into class on Tuesday, April 28th. Before class, please read Sandra's 3 stories included in this collection (See below--2 are Solutions Journalism stories and 1 is a link ). As you read them, imagine you are the Executive Director or Communications Director of the Ujima Project, City Life/Vida Urbana, and First Teacher. How would you catch Sandra Larson's attention so that she would write an article about your organization? How would you prepare for the interview? Would you have been happy with this story? If you could rewrite the story, what would you like to eliminate? What else would you like to have included? (This will take speculation, but you are up to it!)

Sandra's background may be interesting to you. She has written more than 300 stories covering Boston's minority communities and urban and social issues for the Bay State Banner; the New York Times; NextCity.org; Guardian Cities; South End News; Bay Windows; and (past) magazines Exhale, Banner Biz, Glue. Many of her stories focus on housing, neighborhood economic development, aging, health, racial justice, equity and innovation in transportation, public interest design, and literacy and school readiness disparities. She often reports on pressing problems through a solutions journalism lens, including the 14 stories in the Solutions Journalism Network's database of solutions journalism stories.

In 2015, Sandra completed the Master of Urban and Regional Policy degree at Northeastern University's School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, and in 2014-15, she was a GSA/New America Media Journalists in Aging Fellow. In 2016, Sandra was a New America Media Climate Change in Communities of Color Fellow.

You can read more of Sandra's stories and other solutions journalism stories on responses to societal challenges by going to the Solutions Story Tracker, a searchable repository of more than 8,000 stories, published by reputable news outlets around the world. Solutions journalism stories focus in-depth on a response to a problem and how the response works in meaningful detail; focus on effectiveness, not just good intentions; present available evidence of results; discuss the limitations of the approach; and seek to provide insights that others can use.