White Deer’s Post

"Repost with your thoughts” Where to begin? When this year is over, will I have a story to tell. At the halfway point. I must self-gloss on the hump crossed by myself, the filmmaking team and our organization. "We", Ben Scholle , Sam Chegini , Alexander Elmore , Isaiah Mancha and I not only “locked”Denverdocsoc's second civil rights documentary film, but "we" as an org unlocked a lot of minds to the power of non-narrative cinema and media literacy. The info is below, but we directly activated 1,200 DPS students over the 2023/24 school year. Colorado is set to let loose a three year "Enrichment" grant program. I am now seeking others who want to support our efforts in making Denver as well known for documentaries as we are murals (and I love murals {may even make a narrative about 'em}). I personally oversaw all of our education last year and interacted with more than 3,400 students. DPS serves a large, amazing, Hispanic population. When we shared documentary movies with the students it was powerful testament to how story is universal. It electrified and engaged all the students across all grades and cultures. My personal take? Students in K-12 are digital dependent but not digitally challenged (nor, sadly, digitally acknowledged in the positive). Documentary combined with media literacy can be a game changer in the language arts. Please consider supporting our efforts in making a difference. Visit our website or connect directly: https://lnkd.in/grEGVkPz

When I was thinking about Hairiette of Harlem, my thought was that I could create a brand for just for kids--adults were frustrating. I did a hard pivot on that idea while I was at school and realized there would be no way to reach a child without parent/caregiver engagement. In fact, family engagement may well be the heart of child learning (the 74million.com shared a great article called 'The Biggest Blind Spot in Education: Parents’ Role in Their Children’s Learning). It got me thinking: how can teachers and parents work together as PARTNERS in the education of a child? Here are three solutions to consider! 1. Teachers might consider doing home visits—if parents are reluctant, then maybe coffee at a location that works for both parties? 2. Text messaging is likely the quickest, easiest way for parents and teachers to stay connected. Maybe it’s as simple as a daily inspirational message! Also, parents tend to get frustrated when the only time they hear from their child’s school is when something goes wrong. Should something happen in school, at least there’s a prior relationship in place between the parent and the teacher. 3. Collaborate with students to get their input in any direction the school is consider taking. For example, why not have the students create a committee that helps the staff, school and administrators design an ideal parent/caregiver/teacher day? Are you a teacher? What are some of the things you/your school is doing to help foster a healthy relationship with parent/caregivers? https://lnkd.in/eUU6JhcM

Literacy is the foundation for school and life success, and is nurtured when families and caregivers support each other within community.🌟 UWCM's Preschool for Success Community Support sessions offer families and caregivers of preschoolers time for connection and helpful tools and resources. Learn more about how UWCM's work to help all children succeed so our community thrives: https://hubs.la/Q02lZMxy0

In Georgia, many school districts have lost students - where there are no charter schools at all. Families decided that they wanted something different (homeschooling, microschools, private schools). We have a unique opportunity to offer public schools that provide a different kind of education that families are asking for. Most charter schools in our state are centered around Atlanta, with large areas of the state (including the Atlanta region) without any charter schools. Make no mistake - we do not need charter schools for the sake of having more charter schools. We need community-responsive charter schools that meet children's needs and enhance a community's roster of public schools. New Analysis Finds Charter School Sector Still Has Plenty of Room to Grow – The 74 (the74million.org)

This is an excellent article about embracing the science of reading in adult education. It gives a look into the reality of the underfunded and overlooked adult literacy world. "If the numbers of children currently reading below grade level are correct, we are heading into an even worse adult literacy crisis than we have now. The rallying cry for effective instruction methods for children is loud and clear. But it is time to sound the bell for the refugees of the broken reading education system as well: all those children who didn’t learn and are now adults, still not reading." Literacy Source classes provide explicit alphabetics (phonics and phonemics) instruction to our adult emergent readers. We see this need and are proud of what we do to help stop the adult literacy crisis. Why the Adult Education World Is Overdue In Embracing the Science of Reading – The 74 (the74million.org)

This is an interesting dilemma. Pull resources from public schools to fund microschools that help students who fall behind, have learning disabilities or their parents want to have more control over what they learn OR increase funding to public schools to reduce class size and boost support for students with special needs. Tough call. We've contemplated homeschooling our 5 year old daughter b/c she's an advanced reader and its gives us more freedom to teach her while traveling the world. This article gives me credence to do so. Having a micro school is also an option and it allows a teacher to give more focused attention and tutoring. What are your thoughts about these #microschools ? Like them, don't like them?

The journey of raising a child with special needs is unique for every family, often accompanied by triumphs and challenges. As educators, we have the opportunity to be more than just teachers; we can be allies, understanding partners, and supporters in this journey. Recognizing parents' daily lives, struggles, and victories is crucial in forming a partnership that transcends traditional teacher-student dynamics. At Distinctive Method Interventions, LLC, we advocate for a collaborative approach, where educators and parents work hand-in-hand to support the child’s learning and growth. This partnership is built on open communication, mutual respect, and, most importantly, understanding and compassion for the experiences of parents navigating the special needs education system. Let's strengthen this partnership. Together our voices can inspire change and promote a deeper connection between families and educators. We can create a more inclusive and empathetic educational environment for children with special needs.

Postsecondary educational programming in prison continues to grow. With this growth comes a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape how we evaluate rehabilitative programming and, more importantly, its impacts on the people enrolled in the same. Learn more about effective ways to evaluate higher education in prison in the latest piece from the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy 11 Trends in Philanthropy series.

This year the OR leg passed a bill to increase funding to schools for summer enrichment programs.  (This money funnels straight to schools, and then schools can choose to partner with CBOs and nonprofits) It’s not enough- the community based orgs working with schools to offer after school programs are struggling.  Read more about the struggles in the article below.   Interested in learning more about the benefits of afterschool programming as a necessary component of our child care system? Let’s connect.  https://lnkd.in/gCthaVCJ