St. Louis Post-Dispatch
3 June 2019
Text / Under 800 Words
Ferguson, Missouri, United States
As American schools have become increasingly focused on preparing students for higher education and careers, life skills classes like home economics, financial literacy, and wood shop classes have fallen to the wayside. Libraries and other institutions are stepping up to fill this gap by offering free "adulting" classes.
https://medium.com/bright/a-peek-into-silicon-valley-s-latest-bet-altschool-abf6c6973ecd
Mary Jo Madda
Bright Magazine
1 July 2015
Multi-Media / Under 800 Words
AltSchools use a completely different education system - interconnecting technology and hands on experiments - to help students achieve a higher degree of learning. Students are grouped into small, personalized cohorts so they can be both mentors and mentees for their fellow peers, creating a collaborative learning space for all.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/dropouts-flooding-kentrsquos-second-chance-igrad-school
Claudia Rowe
The Seattle Times
12 January 2014
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Cities save money and help kids by connecting them with diploma programs. In Washington, iGrad is helping students do just this – and seeing results.
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2014/06/life_skills_classes_vocational.html#incart_river
Kelsey Stein
AL.com (Alabama Media Group)
24 June 2014
Text / 800-1500 Words
To decrease the chance of formerly incarcerated individuals relapsing and ending up back in the prison system, the J.F. Ingram State Technical College in Alabama offers correctional education and vocational programs. This training has aided those incarcerated with life skills for after their release, decreasing the likelihood that they will relapse and increasing the likelihood that they will better adjust to their community.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/in-india-revealing-the-children-left-behind
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times
23 October 2014
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Volunteers with the Annual Status of Education Report test children's math and reading skills in villages across India. While 96 percent of Indian children are in school, ASER reveals that many of them are not receiving a real education. "Learning camps", an initiative called Read India, and grouping children by ability, not age, are helping bridge the gap.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/education/out-of-the-books-in-kindergarten-and-into-the-sandbox.html?_r=0
Motoko Rich
The New York Times
9 June 2015
Text / 800-1500 Words
As American classrooms have focused on raising test scores in math and reading, an outgrowth of the federal No Child Left Behind law and interpretations of the new Common Core standards, even the youngest students have been affected, with more formal lessons and less time in sandboxes. Washington and Minnesota are beginning to train teachers around the state on the importance of so-called purposeful play — when teachers subtly guide children to learning goals through games, art and general fun.
http://www.npr.org/2013/11/02/241897572/how-to-turn-adult-education-into-careers-quickly?sc=tw&cc=share
Kavitha Cardoza
NPR
2 November 2013
Radio / 5-15 Minutes
When adults want to return to school, they face many challenges including the experience of long waitlists for classes, and poor relevance to the job skills they need for future employment. The Washington state community college system has started a program known as Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) that instead teaches in two parts: academic content and basic soft skills.
https://medium.com/bright/in-colorado-teaching-to-a-changing-climate-831b81a32358
Mary Slosson
Bright Magazine
2 June 2015
Text / 800-1500 Words
Colorado has had challenges teaching climate change to elementary and secondary school students because of political divisiveness. Regional advocacy groups and professionals manage to teach climate change through engaging field trips, filmmaking, and outdoor learning.
http://appvoices.org/2014/08/10/seeding-dreams-with-self-esteem
Kimber Ray
Appalachian Voices
10 August 2014
Text / Over 3000 Words
A girls camp in West Virginia and a residential program in Kentucky help Appalachian women build self esteem and enable them to turn their life around through mentoring, stem classes, and job counseling.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3048166/tech-forecast/open-access-how-a-non-profit-is-giving-techies-without-tuition-their-shot
Neal Ungerleider
FastCompany
23 July 2015
Text / 800-1500 Words
Access Code is a nonprofit in New York that gives young adults, particularly those from minority groups, instruction and resources to learn coding. This education promotes greater access to lucrative careers in the world of technology.
http://www.fayobserver.com/article/20140831/News/308319872
Greg Barnes
Fayetteville Observer
31 August 2014
Text / Under 800 Words
Cabarrus County’s Project Re-entry gives those experiencing incarceration a chance at an education and self-reflection. The program has shown such success that it is being expanded to other detention centers in the county. Those who take part are able to take classes – all taught by volunteers – like literacy and religious studies, or choose to enroll in programs like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.
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