Richard Pietras’ Post

"We must always be thinking about how to put deep roots on each forward piece of progress so that we can sustain them over the long haul" Our advisory board member and long-time leader in educational equity, Linda Darling-Hammond, gives incredible insight into practical policy approaches and frameworks for achieving Brown's promise. Check out the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gtGMNPZw

Greetings from BMC '97. Your Jewish alumni, parents of Jewish students, Jewish faculty, and staff have been through a year of incredible trauma at Bryn Mawr and Haverford, as a result of decisions, actions and complicit inactions by school administrators as a result of a hostile antisemitic environment on both campuses, in response to the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7. While this recent lawsuit filed by the Deborah Project is against Haverford, Bryn Mawr's complicity is also implicated - allowing an "encampment" and permitting Haverford students who had committed antisemitic acts of violence to come to Bryn Mawr and terrorize the women there. Recently, the BiCo News published an article by a visiting professor, which advocated for armed "revolution" against Israel (i.e., Jews), which contradicts every tenant of Bryn Mawr's Quaker tradition of nonviolence. Yet, when alumni posted a comment in response, her comment was deleted by BiCo editorial staff (twice). These aggressions, overt and micro, are but some recent examples of ongoing an unaddressed trauma and harm, for which there has been no acknowledgement, much less remediation and accountability. As far as I know, you are not a BMC graduate, so while your sentiments here about BMC's history and culture are nice, I was educated there, and have very memories of Bryn Mawr, so much so that I have contributed to the institution in innumerable ways since graduation. Memories that are now tarnished by the betrayal of watching an institution I loved turn on me like a snake, and betray every ideal it espoused in the process - logic, reason, tolerance and respect. Other alumni feel the same. So forgive me if your breezy post about Bryn Mawr's storied past and ice cream socials don't quite land. We look forward to engaging with you on these issues.

Check out the latest addition to our Bray School research blog, A Reasonable Progress, written by Cecilia Weaver '24! --- "My time at the W&M Bray School Lab has given me valuable research experience, but also reinforced my belief that centering the study of history on community is vitally important. Beyond these larger political or financial understandings of the Bray School as an institution, there are the lived experiences of individual students and the perceptions of the school’s mission by those who funded it." -- Read more here: https://go.wm.edu/nTPrZ8

Excited to see so many familiar faces and to share what Deer Brook can offer. Is your institution considering implementing new software? Do you need project management and consulting expertise to navigate the transition? Do you need change management leaders who can help drive your organization forward? Contact us for additional information and find out how Deer Brook can help.

What does it mean to have a collective commitment to recognize students’ basic needs as inherent human rights, and seamlessly integrate them into the very fabric of our societal, institutional, and individual perspectives? 🤔 Attendee Emily Morse explores examples of that commitment in practice from the Real College California Coalition Basic Needs Summit: https://lnkd.in/e2u7wiP8

🎥 Teaser Alert! Join Dr. Robert Peters as he delves into what Future-Focused initiatives look like for special education students, debunking common misconceptions along the way. Hear from Neely McKay, Director of Special Programs at Hermiston School District #8R#8R#8R, on the innovative approaches they're taking in Oregon. The full video drops tomorrow. #SpecialEducation #FutureFocusedSchools #EducationReform

Drawing of proposed Sibley High School in 1950, the complex would eventually open in 1952, stretching from Bernard to Butler. https://lnkd.in/gSTyweM9

#DidYouKnow, on this day (February 28th), in 1929, the USC Board of Trustees approved the creation of what is now the USC Price School of Public Policy, making it the second public affairs school in the nation? From its early days of holding classes in LA's City Hall to it now being home to 13 research centers, it continues to be a pivotal force in shaping cities and developing policies for the betterment of society globally. ✌️🌎 Learn more about the #USCPrice School's history: https://lnkd.in/gzyZUaeH

As part of the most recent issue of the University of New Haven Alumni Magazine, we sat down with a local legend, the newest mayor of West Haven and University of New Haven alumna, Dorinda Borer ’92 MBA. Read more about Mayor Borer’s path to office, her dedication to community and to public service, and her thoughts on the potential interplay of higher education and the local economy on page 35. 🔗 --> https://bit.ly/3yiTlLx

I've been warning about this for years. As of 2024, the fertility rate in the United States is 1.64. The fertility rate is a somewhat difficult number to measure, but can roughly be thought of as the number of children an average woman will give birth to over the course of their lifetime. For a population to remain stable, you need 2.1 children per woman. The population of the US is still increasing, primarily on the basis of the Millennials, which followed a pattern similar to but more muted than the Baby Boomers. The growth rate is the first derivative of the population and is still (barely positive), but the growth acceleration rate, the second derivative, shifted negative about fifteen years ago. Not counting immigration, the US population will peak in about 2040, about 15 years ahead of what was predicted at the turn of the century. Immigration is likely to continue for some time after that, but by 2050 or thereabouts, the same phenomenon will be hitting immigration rates, and it is likely that we'll see signs of that by as soon as 2037 or so. What's worth noting, however, is that immigration for the most part is concentrated in a few key areas - around the southern border with Mexico and northwards to about Colorado, along Florida and the Gulf Coast, and various population groups that are facing wars or similar actions (the number of Ukranians emigrating to the US, mostly the elderly and children) has spiked, not surprisingly). In general, recent immigrants don't immediately impact schools, though the next generation generally is schooled. In many parts of the country, where immigration is usually not an immediate factor, the birth rate differential of -0.46 births is already being felt, with it predicted to exceed -0.5 births within the next decade. This rate of decline would be faster except that woman are having children later in life as in vitro fertilization becomes more widely used, but because this is such a slowly changing number, there is still an open question about how significant the latter effect is. Regardless, the upshot of all of this is that we are looking at a demographic shift that is due to several factors all pointing to a long term (multigenerational) stabilization (and ultimately decline) in population that is already affecting our schools, our workplaces and ultimately our senior years. As with other crises, the effects have occurred slowly at first, but are now becoming noticeable. We probably can't change anything in any meaningful way as far as stopping this (nor, to be honest, would this decline necessarily be a bad thing for humanity) but it does mean that we need to start adapting our institutions to recognize that the status is going to be increasingly non-quo, and that if we expect things to remain the same, we will be guaranteed nothing but disappointment.