Stand Together

If traditional testing leaves students ill-equipped for life, what do alternative methods look like? Meet One Stone School: no tests, no grades, just a 100% graduation rate. Is this the future of education?

When Ayana Verdi’s son hated public pre-K, she knew something had to change. She co-founded Verdi EcoSchool in Florida, where kids thrive through student-directed projects, social-emotional learning, and hands-on experiences. “We’re empowering young people to build healthy communities.”

Standardized testing is a 150-year practice under growing scrutiny. But how do we move away from it? Stand Together Investigates took a deep dive into testing, and the pioneering schools that have ditched it in favor of learning:

Have you ever experienced burnout? How did you overcome it?

Congratulations to the Institute for Global Affairs and Pepper and Bones on their Emmy nomination for Outstanding Soft Feature Story: Long Form for "The Army We Had." This powerful video serves as a crucial reminder that our nation's foreign policy decisions have profound, lasting human costs. These choices deeply affect the lives of our service members, their families, and friends, not only during deployment but for decades afterward. https://lnkd.in/eyW6wY6M

At rock bottom, he found himself living in his car, hooked on meth, and estranged from his family. Today, he’s a beacon of hope, helping others overcome addiction.

The Abundance Institute asks us a big question: will we embrace a future of innovation and prosperity, or will we let fear of change stifle progress?    As Christopher Koopman lays out, there are times when we’ve taken both tracks — light-touch regulation of the internet that led to rapid innovations and heavy rule-making that suffocated industries like nuclear energy from emerging. It’s amazing to think that we had “near-misses” on things like the telephone, electricity, automobiles, and so many other innovations because it was easier to stoke fears associated with the disruptions than it was to understand what’s possible when we lean into the future.    Right now, everyone’s talking about artificial intelligence. It’s not just coming — it’s here. Over 70 percent of U.S. companies are using AI in some aspect of their business! As the Abundance Institute suggests, this technology could help us cure diseases, increase our productivity, and accomplish things we can’t even imagine right now. Watch the video and get as excited as I am about the Abundance Institute’s dedication to advocating for future technologies! https://lnkd.in/gHvNEUmW.

Why do we limit school access based on your home address? This outdated practice is negatively impacting kids. It deepens inequality, limits potential, and reinforces racial and income divides. It’s time to prioritize educational freedom for all children, regardless of where they live.

In June, my family and I attended an extraordinary music festival in Wichita, Kansas. The first-ever Elsewhere Festival & Conference brought together a formidable lineup of bands and social entrepreneurs with an audience as diverse as the genres the artists who participated represent. Big names as well as emerging artists in hip hop, EDM, punk rock, indie, soul, and straight-up rock and roll. Music brings people together, and Elsewhere certainly did that. For me, the highlights included hearing from Killer Mike on the importance of being open to perspectives that are different from yours. And sitting in on a private session he held with 10 Ambassadors from Café Momentum, young people who have spent time in the juvenile justice system and are now helping mentor others who face similar challenges. This included an incredible group of kids from Wichita who are participating in the School Halls, Not Prison Walls program and were there to show the community how much they have to offer (pictured below). My 10-year-old daughter was there to share in that experience – something neither of us will ever forget. Mike headlined the festival that night and put on an incredible show (where I ran into my friend Omar Jahwar II, selfie below). The Phoenix hosted an open house at their impressive facility – a state-of-the-art gym in downtown Wichita where they have one of their most active chapters. And several Stand Together partners made the trip to help lift up the incredible work of the social entrepreneurs behind #EveryPersonEmpowered Wichita, who are helping bring out the best in communities that are often overlooked. Congratulations to Jessie Hartke, Adam Hartke, Chase Koch, and the entire Midtopia team for organizing such a meaningful event. The energy, creativity, and camaraderie that surrounded us truly showcased the best of Wichita. Can’t wait for next year!

At 9 years old, Henry Steinle has done more for his community than most adults. ⬇️ He and his classmates designed four homes for people experiencing homelessness. In a couple of months, the first home — the one Steinle helped design — will be ready. That’s right, the community is building houses designed by first and second-graders. Once built, they will be used as homes for unsheltered people in the students’ hometown, Lawrence, Kansas. Steinle is proud. “It just feels really good,” he said. He’s proud of his work and the changes he’s seen in the community. “My favorite part has been seeing it get built and seeing the community come together to understand the problem.” What problem is that? Steinle can explain it as well as any changemaker with a passion for housing people. “There needs to be more affordable housing,” he said. “People want to live here because we have two colleges. We have a great basketball team, a great football team. The scenery is nice, and so we have people coming in from everywhere. The homeless population here is growing and growing and because of that, we need more housing. But we don't just want housing. We need more affordable housing.” What Steinle and his classmates have done to invigorate their community around this problem is nothing short of astonishing. Madeline Herrera, Steinle’s teacher and founder of Limestone Community School, believes that as long as children have enough support, they have tremendous potential to contribute. “We don't give children enough credit,” she explained. “We often tell kids they can be whatever they want to be. We tell them that on one hand, and on the other, our actions don't support those statements. We tell them, you're too young to have that conversation. You're too young to solve that problem. I'll tell you when you're older.” For the past 18 months, Herrera’s students have worked on the very “adult” problem of homelessness. They have demonstrated to the adults in their community what passionate, engaged problem-solving looks like. In doing so, they have come to understand their own value and ability to make life better for the people around them. Catch the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eRDGStDk