NPR
24 June 2020
Radio / 1500-3000 Words
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
When schools and daycares closed at the onset of the pandemic, YMCA centers around the country remained open to provide care for the children of essential workers. In Phoenix, YMCA staff worked to screen children for symptoms, and made social distancing fun by having them use 'airplane arms,' as well as implementing activities that made handwashing fun. Experts say "these experiences illustrate that it's possible to bring kids together without a guarantee of an outbreak or a serious situation developing," but the risk remains.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/a-bold-shift-to-make-public-schools-serve-poor-students-20160125
Abigail Savitch-Lew
Yes! Magazine
25 January 2016
Text / Over 3000 Words
Last year, New York City began turning schools in poor neighborhoods into community schools—combining rigorous instruction and extracurricular enrichment with a broad social support system.
http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/01/01/libromat
Rebecca L. Weber
TakePart
1 January 2016
Text / Under 800 Words
At the Libromat—a portmanteau of library and laundromat—parents learn to read and share books with their children during the spin and dry cycles, saving mothers time.
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.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/child-care-and-the-overwhelmed-parent
Courtney E. Martin
The New York Times
24 July 2014
Text / 1500-3000 Words
The problem and importance of finding reliable childcare for poor, working parents is increasingly prevalent. Lawmakers and non-profits alike are creating new solutions to help make childcare affordable.
http://hechingerreport.org/how-an-unconventional-principal-used-blended-learning-to-help-turn-around-a-struggling-urban-school
Jennifer D. Jordan
The Hechinger Report
8 September 2015
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Through effective leadership and blended traditional and online learning, a struggling school in Rhode Island improved student achievement, teacher satisfaction, technology upgrades, and parent involvement.
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://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/01/young-peacemakers
David Bornstein
The New York Times
1 May 2013
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Young people are often viewed as needing protection or needing correction. However, a Boston organization is creating young peacemakers and powerful change makers by taking kids seriously and giving them the tools to act on their ideas.
https://medium.com/bright/forging-and-welding-an-education-1df991e4dabf#.zqa6mqdaq
Peter Willhoite
Bright Magazine
10 September 2015
Text / 1500-3000 Words
In Oakland, a non-profit created an industrial arts education school offering youth an alternative classroom for learning where failure is welcomed and everything is hands on, such as welding and forging. The non-profit, which is known as The Crucible, was founded in 1999, and serves more than 8,000 students per year, all managed by close to 100 faculty members.
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.
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