DIY-style school helps educate Indian migrants facing eviction

Louisa County schools in Virginia are delivering internet to students living in rural areas through solar-powered hot spots, built by the school's own students. The hotspot is powered by solar panels and receives internet connectivity through cellular or satellite means. Over 22 units have been placed in accessible places like church parking lots and the school district is sharing its blueprints and instructions with other schools across the state.

At least 40 percent, or 2,000, students from Lockhart ISD didn’t have access to reliable internet. To address the issue, the school district built seven towers. They also installed antennas on individual homes so they can receive the signals from the towers. As a result, 1,300 students got connected. “This is about equity,” Estrada said. “Every one of our Lockhart Lions needs to have access to the opportunities they deserve to grow and truly thrive.”

The Catholic Education Foundation in Kansas City has provided nearly $600,000 in scholarships to approximately 300 low-income students to give them the choice to choose where they want to go to school. Because it is funded by businesses through tax-deductible contributions, it is a contentious issue by involving public money. The program has found over time that although the difference in test scores between private and public schools is modest, the real benefit of the program is helping families make informed choices about their education without access being an issue.

In South Africa, the extreme gap between rich and poor is the root cause of cyclical poverty, and those living in slums face particularly high barriers to education, healthcare, and quality of life. The Ubuntu Education Fund is using a comprehensive approach that includes sustainable investment in community leadership and infrastructure, a cradle-to-career household stability service, and a dexterous, community oriented approach to helping break the cycle of poverty.

Bangladesh schools had very low attendance because children were kept home to work and conditions were unsafe for girls, ethnic minorities, and those with disabilities. BRAC, one of the world's largest and most comprehensive NGOs, has built new schools addressing all the reasons, at home and school, that were preventing children from attending.

The Bagwai Youth Friendship Association is a community group that pools money together to support locals in need, whether it be paying school fees or providing start-up capital for a new business venture. Since 2019, the group has enrolled 35 children in school, repaired broken water pipes, renovated buildings and provided food to those in need.

Fueled by Kids provides food for students who rely on school lunches to ensure they have food to eat during the weekends. Fueled by Kids curates bags of food that are easy for the students to prepare themselves and offers them at more than 20 schools, serving more than 1,000 students.

Across Alabama, districts are using summer school breaks as a chance to bridge learning gaps for elementary school students who struggled to adjust to remote schooling or didn’t get as much face time with teachers during the pandemic. In Madison, English-language learning students were able to participate in a summer program to practice their language skills while incorporating field trips and fun activities, like cooking.

A teacher in San Diego took matters into her own hands when she couldn't find a social justice curriculum tailored to students with disabilities. That’s partly why she created what she calls the “Social Justice League,” a group of students at her school who meet weekly by Zoom and discuss a variety of issues, such as Native American land, gender privilege, the representation of disabilities in the media and systemic racism.

Schools in the Richardson Independent School District of Texas are updating the methods and measurements they've used to identify gifted students. One way is by testing all second and sixth graders in the district, which helps diminish implicit bias coming from teachers who may discriminate against certain students. Students' scores are also being judged differently by comparing them against others from similar backgrounds, from within their own school, and nationally.