A Digital Tool to Unlock Learning

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/a-digital-tool-to-unlock-learning

David Bornstein

The New York Times

19 September 2012

Text / 1500-3000 Words

PowerMyLearning, a program that any student, parent, or teacher can use for free, helps students take ownership of their own learning. When most attention is being placed on teacher effectiveness, this program redirects those efforts toward students.

For Healthy Aging, a Late Act in the Footlights

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/15/for-healthy-aging-a-late-act-in-the-footlights

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

15 August 2012

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Through the Burbank Senior Artists Colony - a community created by EngAGE - low-income seniors learn how to become artists. The recreational classes hosted by the community keep people feeling phsyically and mentally young, allowing them to focus on recreation instead of financial hardship.

A Peek Inside Three Cutting-Edge Schools

https://medium.com/bright/a-peek-inside-three-cutting-edge-schools-347e71c5fa4b

Nichole Dobo

Bright Magazine

6 October 2015

Text / 800-1500 Words

Increased technology in classrooms is popular among schools in the U.S. However, research suggests that its effect is sub-optimal due to low-quality software, implementation, and participants' digital skills.

More Than Just Code

https://medium.com/bright/more-than-just-code-40d02897dcd2

Emily J Smith

Bright Magazine

14 May 2015

Text / 800-1500 Words

Currently, women make up only 20% of computing jobs - in 2012, only 18% of computer science (CS) graduates were women , a figure that has been cut in half since 1984 when women made up 37% of CS majors. Now, girls are taught coding and computer programing in an after school program built to inspire girls to become more involved in computer science, a predominantly male job market.

A transformative practice in Mongolia is helping people die with grace and dignity

https://qz.com/951879/palliative-care-in-mongolia-is-helping-people-die-with-grace-and-dignity

Andrew North

Quartz

6 April 2017

Text / Over 3000 Words

Mongolia, under the influence of Dr. Odontuya Davaasuren, has become very advanced in its palliative care. Patients are given full information about their diagnosis, are provided with the proper pain medications, families are involved and guided and spiritual considerations are included creating a better system of care.

Postmen Delivering Kindness to the Elderly

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04yzcr4

Elizabeth Cassin

Tom Colls

BBC

11 April 2017

Radio / Over 15 Minutes

On the island of Jersey, postal workers don’t just deliver the mail: they also check up on elderly people during their routes. With a quick face-to-face chat, they check that they’ve taken their medication and if there’s anything else they need. The project has caught the attention of post offices (and health professionals) around the world as an approach against the social care crisis for a rapidly-aging population.

Years with no nation, 90 days to become a Minnesotan

http://www.startribune.com/years-with-no-nation-90-days-to-become-a-minnesotan/391310421

Mila Koumpilova

Minneapolis Star Tribune

31 December 2016

Text / Over 3000 Words

Thousands of refugees are navigating hurdles of integration in the United States. Organizations like the Minnesota Council of Churches provide comprehensive support in a number of areas - from housing to job applications to health insurance paperwork - but all with the end goal of helping the relocated families towards independence and sustainability in their new life.

Online respite training helps build 'networks of support'

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161007/news/161009100

Marie Wilson

Daily Herald

7 October 2016

Text / Under 800 Words

A new online course called REST provides volunteers in Illinois with the necessary skills and a certification to provide short term care for people with disabilities, allowing for their loved ones and long-term caregivers to take much-needed rest breaks and rely less heavily on state programs for support.

STARS Program Helps Drug Court, Families Align

https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/analysis/stars-program-helps-drug-court-families-align

John Kelly

The Chronicle of Social Change

4 May 2017

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services arose from the need to improve the outcomes of drug addicted parents and their children, such as increasing reunification statistics. STARS employs case workers who have previously been drug addicted, and can provide immediate support and services such as meeting with the participant, accessing treatment options, and drug screening.

One town's quest to join tech revolution – and what it says about digital inequality

https://www.csmonitor.com/EqualEd/2017/0125/One-town-s-quest-to-join-tech-revolution-and-what-it-says-about-digital-inequality

Kyle Spencer

Christian Science Monitor

25 January 2017

Text / 1500-3000 Words

As technology continues to play an ever increasing role in education - and subsequently, job opportunities - many rural towns with limited resources are struggling to provide their students, particularly those from low-income families, with the devices necessary to stay ahead in the digital age. In Greeley, CO - a town with significant minority and refugee populations that have little or no internet access at home - the digital divide and the wealth disparity between school districts is particularly stark. But the schools in Greeley remain determined - cobbling together old donated computers, salvaged devices, grants and fundraisers, to try and help provide better opportunities and more efficient education for all their students.