By: Erin Whalen As school builders, how do we best minimize blindspots, respond to inequities, and create universally designed spaces that account for the diverse array of lived experiences within our schools?  By building from the margins, or redesigning in deep consideration of the most underserved, we have the opportunity to create empowering schools that use the experiences of the most at-promised youth to enhance the overall school.  The design process must be centered around the user experience. Youth must be at the table to share insights, illuminate blindspots, and critique c ..read more

The unique connection between wolves and humans has been researched and chronicled in film, literature, and art. Additionally, the connection between teenagers and wolves might even be more aligned as both have a strong need to belong socially, are often misunderstood or misrepresented, and sometimes are even abused and neglected. This special relationship is at the center of the work at Wolf Connection – a unique 165-acre educational sanctuary in southern California that brings people together through direct relationships with rescued wolves for the purpose of empowering the next generation t ..read more

By: Danish Kurani Here’s an alarming statistic: in a 2019 survey of 47,000 high school students, just 40% of students said they felt like “a real part of this school.” That means 60% of students show up to school each day feeling, to some degree, like outsiders. Given the intense isolation many students have felt during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to imagine this lack of belonging has gotten any better. In fact, it’s likely gotten worse. So, what happens to those kids? Research shows that a lack of belonging at school causes students to disengage. Their performance suffers. And ..read more

By: Mat Erpelding Starting and operating a microschool is challenging. Maintaining educational consistency as your school grows is especially difficult. Because microschools are designed to be small, learning intimacy is crucial to your success, which can make scaling your school very challenging. That’s why it’s critical to get your students involved from the beginning and select a satisfactory assessment methodology to grow alongside your school and leave room for dynamic and lasting impact metrics. An equitable and personalized learning environment requires that we listen to our students’ v ..read more

With the increased use of artificial intelligence in the world and our classrooms, especially since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, it has never been more important to get students involved in learning how to use these tools ethically, responsibly, and safely. We need to promote digital literacy and, more specifically, AI literacy. As AI becomes even more common, students must understand the fundamentals of how AI works, its capabilities and limitations, and how it is being used in the world. Students’ understanding of issues such as bias, privacy, and ethics is crucial.  By promoting ..read more

In the face of the evolving educational landscape, teachers are navigating a dynamic environment shaped by multiple factors. The intersection of a teacher shortage, rapid advances in educational technology (EdTech) and artificial intelligence (AI) and the growing demand for a more diverse workforce has set the stage for transformative changes. The power dynamic in education is also shifting, with families increasingly taking charge of decisions regarding their children’s learning environments. Notably, when parents find their local school options lacking they are building their own.  Reco ..read more

Last month, a story by Jonathan Haidt in The Atlantic broke through the firewall that often separates education reform and parenting conversations: people from both my personal and professional network circulated Haidt’s scathing take on the immense costs that smartphones and social media have exacted on children and adolescents.  In “End the phone-based childhood now,” Haidt carefully traces the decline of play and independence (and its relationship to increased risk aversion and anxiety), the rise of smartphones (and the harms of 24/7 access to an under-regulated digital world on brain ..read more

By: Tyler Robert and Todd Smith A Student’s Perspective My name is Tyler Robert and I have been a Find the Why! (FTW!) student competitor (see my FTW! Digital Resume below) for 5 years. I am currently a 3rd year Accounting and Finance major at the University of Nebraska Omaha. I recently interviewed with a CPA firm called RG & Associates.  The interview experience at RG was unique, and it was unique because it did not feel like an interview. Of course, they asked me questions, and we talked about experience, education and the normal things of an interview. In many ways, we were gettin ..read more

There’s something in the water at education conferences — sneakers have become the new conference dress code. This shift toward individuality, comfort and practicality is also representative of transformations we’re seeing in education. The 2024 Carnegie Summit marked not just a gathering of minds but a convergence of ideas reshaping the education landscape. Key themes emerged, focusing on equity, improvement, and community collaboration. Tim Knowles, President of the Carnegie Foundation, set the stage by emphasizing a mission to catalyze transformational change in education for every student ..read more

By: Norton Gusky On a chilly Saturday morning this March, a sold-out crowd of more than 250 educators got up early and drove from towns all over Western Pennsylvania to gather in a primary school gymnasium at the Ehrman Crest Elementary School in the Seneca Valley School District north of Pittsburgh. The educators celebrated the teachings of Fred Rogers as part of frED Camp. The Ehrman Crest Elementary School is a 2022 Time Magazine award-winning building that is a living example of how “the Fred Method” is based on intentional learning.  The “Fred” of this day-long workshop’s title is Fr ..read more