Small Towns Big Change
7 October 2016
Podcast / 5-15 Minutes
Rio Arriba, New Mexico, United States
In New Mexico, independent libraries that operate as non-profits provide services—in addition to traditional library services—that are not readily available throughout the state and especially in rural areas. Libraries provide early childhood education and pre-school classes as well as spearheading community projects such as a radio station and mural creation.
http://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/its-just-math-preschoolers-can-do-more-than-we-might-think
John Higgins
The Seattle Times
2 August 2015
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Due to recent brain development research, educators are working to add more math education into pre-school and kindergarten classes. Studies show that children of this age are actually extremely receptive to numbers and learning geometry.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/20/empathy-not-expulsion-for-preschoolers-at-risk
Sara Neufeld
The New York Times
20 February 2015
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Preschoolers in the U.S. who misbehave are increasingly being expelled. In Connecticut, trained counselors educated teachers about how to deal with emotionally traumatized kids which reduced expulsions.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/fighting-bullying-with-babies
David Bornstein
The New York Times
8 November 2010
Text / 1500-3000 Words
The Canadian federal government has identified bullying as a national problem. Roots of Empathy, based in Toronto, encourages empathy in elementary kids by having them interact with babies.
http://seattletimes.com/html/education/2024591420_edlabtulsaxml.html
Claudia Rowe
The Seattle Times
20 September 2014
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Preparing the young for elementary education is a priority to nurture reading and social skills. For 16 years, Tulsa Oklahoma has instituted a state funded preschool, staffed with teachers trained in early education. Tulsa’s Pre-K initiative has shown that their children are more prepared for literacy skills and math; however, maintaining the positive results is a long-term challenge.
http://www.seattletimes.com/education/from-slipping-through-the-cracks-to-the-college-track
Claudia Rowe
The Seattle Times
14 April 2014
Text / 1500-3000 Words
The Rainier Scholars program in Seattle places fifth graders, who are all minorities, in special coursework through middle and high school, finally offering rigorous college coaching. In Oakland, CA, the National College Advising Corps directs recent graduates into schools to be role models and guides for at-risk students.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/03/29/175710393/fruit-not-fries-lunchroom-makeovers-nudge-kids-toward-better-choices
Kevin Charles Redmon
NPR
2 April 2013
Text / 800-1500 Words
With child obesity on the rise, public school students have lacked the motivation and access to eat healthy food. Different programs around the country aim to improve student diet in public schools, including Real Eats for Academics and Life in Los Angeles and Cornell’s Smarter Lunchrooms Movement, by emailing nutrition report cards to parents, presenting the healthy food with aesthetic pleasure, and the arrangement of the food for access.
https://www.seattletimes.com/education/high-poverty-high-test-scores-auburn-school-is-a-shouting-success
Linda Shaw
The Seattle Times
27 April 2014
Text / 1500-3000 Words
As school poverty rates goes up, learning and test scores fall. At Gildo Ray elementary school in Washington state uses a teaching method called director or explicit instruction, in which children learn from a structured approach to teaching with teacher-guided practice. Gildo Ray’s test scores in math and reading are among the highest in the state.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/05/houstons-learning-curve-117959.html#.VYmllPlViko
Patrick Michels
Politico
21 May 2015
Text / Over 3000 Words
When immigrant children come to America, they are faced with culture shock, language barriers, and a system of education different from where their original country. Houston’s Las Americas Newcomer School is designed to ease the adjustment of immigrant and refugee children as they enter the American educational system. Las Americas offers competitive wages for teachers, teaching in several different languages, and preparation for the SAT as the school has the highest rate of minority participation.
https://medium.com/bright/how-seattle-got-its-arts-groove-back-883392ada1de
Robyn Jordan
Bright Magazine
29 June 2015
Illustrations / Under 800 Words
Arts education programs in the United States are subjected to cutting for maintaining tight school budgets. Technology sectors in Seattle seek professionals who have been trained in problem solving skills and innovative idea generation. In response, Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture collaborate to promote equity in students’ access to the arts.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/hard-times-for-recess
David Bornstein
The New York Times
4 April 2011
Text / Over 3000 Words
Despite strong evidence that school-based physical activity improves children’s cognitive skills, concentration, and behavior, schools under pressure to produce quantitative results and decrease bullying have drastically cut back on recess in recent years. An Oakland-based nonprofit organization called Playworks is working to make healthy play accessible for more children and show schools how productive recess can be to the whole academic world.
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