Beyond the Business Suit

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/beyond-the-business-suit

David Bornstein

The New York Times

28 January 2011

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For young people, learning the social norms of the office is crucial for survival in the new economy. Year Up is an organization that is unusually successful at preparing young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds for jobs in big companies.

A Town Where a School Bus Is More Than a Bus

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/27/a-town-where-a-school-bus-is-more-than-a-bus

Sam Chaltain

The New York Times

27 February 2015

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There are many other adults beyond teachers who regularly interact with children — and who are often overlooked as potential contributors to the educational mission. Hartsville, South Carolina, uses school bus drivers as a resource and extra set of eyes to observe how students are doing.

Cultivating a New Immigrant Narrative

https://medium.com/bright/cultivating-a-new-immigrant-narrative-8273de03537d

Diana Prichard

Bright Magazine

27 April 2015

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Half of U.S. farm workers are Hispanic, but few make it to leadership positions. A historically white non-profit, FFA, is creating equal education programs in California to increase leadership opportunities for minorities in agriculture.

Keeping the Water Flowing in Rural Villages

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/keeping-the-water-flowing-in-rural-villages

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

8 December 2011

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In Tanzania, mapping of water points showed that nationally, less than half the existing rural water points were working—of water points that were less than two years old, a quarter had already stopped functioning. British charity WaterAid sets up workshops in poor countries like Tanzania and India to train mechanics in order to have a local fix for these problems. The mechanic position offers employment opportunities for women, fixes pumps for an average of 100 rupees (roughly $2.00), and repaired more than 1,100 pumps in the first 14 months.

Lessons from under the coconut tree

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/09/12/one-boston-teacher-quest-connect-with-his-students/1sUlrC3fmsQTdpkQHXkbgM/story.html

James Vaznis

The Boston Globe

12 September 2015

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Boston professors visit countries and homes of foreign students to better understand their culture and gain insights about how to better teach them. The goal is to reach across cultural divides to help a big part of the student population — emigres from faraway lands — that is plagued with low standardized test scores and high dropout rates. Accompanying photojournalism: http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/bigpicture/2015/09/12/seeking-cultural-connections/L3mIQAQM3v9YT9A2K4JliL/story.html

Open Access: How a Nonprofit is Giving Techies Without Tuition Their Shot

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

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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.

Open Education for a Global Economy

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/open-education-for-a-global-economy

David Bornstein

The New York Times

11 July 2012

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An Irish-based company, ALISON, provides free, high-quality e-courses to people around the globe in order to help close the gap between education and workplace skills. Particularly focused on providing access to areas where more traditional forms of education and job training are difficult to get, this approach is helping to change lives and the economy for the better.

How Seattle Made Dark Alleys Safer—By Throwing Parties In Them

http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/how-seattle-made-dark-alleys-safer-by-throwing-parties-20150826

Araz Hachadourian

Yes! Magazine

26 August 2015

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Alleys in Seattle were once places of illicit, illegal, and unsanitary activity. The International Sustainability Institute in Seattle began organizing music and art events to bring in people, which, in turn, cleaned-up the crime and garbage. As an urban development strategy, adjacent vacant storefronts re-opened for business and beautification could be seen in new gardens.

MPS looks to Oakland model to work differently with African-American boys

http://www.minnpost.com/learning-curve/2014/05/mps-looks-oakland-model-work-differently-african-american-boys

Beth Hawkins

MinnPost

5 May 2014

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African American boys were being treated less-than-equally by the Oakland Unified School District – a change of culture was implemented and the playing field leveled. Now, Minnesota is looking to adopt the same system that was started in Oakland by creating schools that are exclusively for African American males in hopes to help them reach higher standards of achievement.

Bangladesh's Chance to Get It Right

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/23/bangladeshs-chance-to-get-it-right

Amy Yee

The New York Times

23 April 2014

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Bangladesh has often struggled maintaining safety in the workplace. But a new effort ensures that Bangladeshi workers are trained about how to better follow security and safety restrictions to create a safer working environment.