Outdoor preschools grow in popularity but most serve middle class white kids

The KNOSK secondary school is working to reduce the number of out-of-school youth in Nigeria by providing students with a quality education for a daily fee much lower than other school options. The school offers various payment plan options and gives the students uniforms, lunch, and sanitary products.

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.

U-46, Chicago's second-largest school district faced a legal suit in 2005 for discrimination of Hispanic students in its gifted programs and is now setting an example for how programs can be upended for good. By 2018 U-46's gifted program consisted of 48% Hispanic students, a better representation of a 57% Hispanic district. The changes implemented by the district included addressing systemic issues by not relying on teacher recommendations and instead testing all third and sixth graders, expanding the number of seats for gifted students. The district also has teachers undergo antiracism training and more.

Padres Promotores del Camino al Éxito Universitario (Parent Mentors for the Road to College Success) is a three-month program at Whittier Union High School District that taps into the collective knowledge of parents of English learners and provides them with a medium to share that knowledge and/or mentor other parents. There is also a curriculum for parents that are part of the program, which includes "classes on managing stress during the pandemic," information about the district's special education program, and other related information. Parents now help lead, inform, and present at district meetings.

With $14 million in public and private funding, Cleveland transformed its early childhood education offerings in just five years. The partnership called PRE4CLE provided intensive support and funding for staff education and salaries, curricula, classroom supplies, renovations, and more.

In the United States, African American students are disproportionately placed into special ed tracks based on behavior issues. In an attempt to reverse this trend, the Shoestring Children's Center helps kids aged three to five, many of whom are black, learn to focus and manage their emotions.

In the United States, young Black men are struggling in public schools due to systemic issues and lack of representation. This story gives insight into Ron Brown College Preparatory High School, a school with comprehensive programs serving to enhance the educational experience of their students.

Part 4 of the "Equity or Bust: Are Ontario's Public Schools a Model for Pennsylvania" Series: Ontario is widely lauded for its education system. But, like Pennsylvania, evidence in Toronto suggests that Ontario has struggled to close achievement gaps between historically underserved minorities and their peers. Many believe universal pre-K will prove to be the decisive factor in bridging that gap.