Washington County Community Foundation’s Post

As we pause during this season of giving, we are reminded why Proctor matters. Through experiential education, integrated academic support, and meaningful relationships, Proctor helps students discover who they are, how they learn best, and who they can become. Read more about Why Proctor Matters: The Power of Giving to The Proctor Fund and support the Proctor Fund today! https://hubs.ly/Q030S9_z0

“While the work of advancing educational equity is broad and varied, our experiences together share two key commonalities: First, these efforts are successful when they are supported by both youth and adults. Second, they are most successful when they are supported by the schools themselves, through resources, funding, time and access to opportunities.”- Powerful piece written by my UP youth and adult colleagues!

It may be #backtoschool season, but we know preparing for #summerlearning begins now! Led by the nonprofit FHI 360, the Wallace-funded DSLN has helped more than 100 districts across six states design, carry out, and sustain high-quality, evidence-based summer learning programs that prepare students for academic success and support their well-being. A research team at NYU Metro Center is studying the effort. The team is producing a series of “Summer Snapshots” to highlight how districts across the country are reimagining what a summer program can be. This first summer snapshot focuses on high school students faced with making up class credits over the summer. It examines how two school districts, Manchester Public School District, in Connecticut, and Oakland Unified School District, in California, have reinvented their programs to take a more holistic approach to academics and enrichment over the summer. They are moving beyond credit makeup to accelerate learning and better prepare students for the upcoming year. Read the Summer Snapshot Series here: http://bit.ly/3X5bupF #NYUMetroCenter #NYUSteinhardt #Research #PRE #CenterforPolicyResearchEvaulation #WallaceFoundation #SummerSnapshot #SummerSchool #SummerLearning #LearningLost #sutdents #YouthDevelopment ##Education #growth #Skilldevelopment #Connecticut #Oakland #AcademicSuccess #enrichment #PublicSchools

Our Perspective on the Idea of the Students' Association's Student Opportunities Representatives The Students' Association defines Student Opportunities Representatives as: "Student Opportunities Representatives give a voice to students involved in our societies and volunteering groups, ensuring that issues like space, funding and training are on the Students' Association's agenda. They also form the Activities Executive which is responsible for approving new societies and shaping the regulations that determine how societies and volunteering groups run." We understand their existence, but they do not benefit most of the King's Buildings community, and to a greater extent, the students of the University of Edinburgh's Satellite Campuses. Why? Our Main Reasons: - We are skeptical of the Students' Association-affiliated Student Societies' democraticness. - Hobby societies rarely touch the Satellite Campuses. Our Solutions: - Our Community Committee We believe a participatory model for student opportunities. In this sector, students plan and host events. - Our Commonwealth Centre In this sector, students enjoy their hobbies with each other. Both of these solutions lie within our organization. In terms of the wider University community, we support the establishment of the Cross-Campus Community Committee as a suitable alternative to the Students' Association's Student Opportunities Representatives.

Afterschool, vacation, and summer programs were key beneficiaries of federal stimulus dollars. But the expiration of ESSER funds means these types of programs may be first on the chopping block for district spending. In a new op-ed, Emma Banay, manager of the Inspired Minds portfolio, points to the important role high-quality out-of-school-time programs play in children's holistic development. “What’s really special about them isn’t just the opportunity to improve academic skills. It’s that they are — simply put — fun.” Programs from grantees including FIRST, DiscoverE, Learn Fresh, National Inventors Hall of Fame, and National 4-H Council provide academic benefits while also supporting children’s social-emotional development, such as improved interpersonal skills and stronger peer-to-peer and peer-to-adult relationships. That makes them particularly important now. Read more in The 74 Media.

Another blog post! This post is about my experience with the Education Foundation which has assisted my journey in more ways than one. I want to thank Sandra Box once again for her mentorship and guidance in the field, as well as, for being a smiling face on campus! https://lnkd.in/e_vbwcnp

I want to share this incredible success story from Virginia. Check out this short article about our success in getting state funding for afterschool: [https://lnkd.in/edM_iV2P]

BLOG POST: Elevating Education: The Crucial Role of After-School Programs in Student Success By Vivian McCarter-Blankson, Family Life Assistant Director When the school day ends, for many students, the real fun and growth happens during those extra hours spent in after-school programs! As a former participant in after-school programs, I have personally experienced the impact that a high quality program can have on a student. In fact, I apply the skills and experiences I developed in after-school programs to the professional job I have today. Fortunately, my experience is not isolated. READ MORE:

I want to see more Project-Based Learning projects fail. Not because of poor planning or lack of materials or preparation... but because the project was so ambitious, so bold and so real. It's typical for schools to get stuck in "hygge projects" or "cozy projects" after a few years of working with PBL. Teachers tend to recycle projects they know their kids can be successful with. Projects that don't require such a big leap into the unknown. But what are we so afraid of? I sat with a team yesterday planning a project. Their kids LOVE animals so it's planned around raising money for a local non-profit that works with endangered animals here in Denmark. They're planning a fundraiser and products to raise awareness. "We could make cardboard cut-out's of animals." One teacher said. "We could make them 3-D out of some kind of plaster." Another added. "We could make the animals life-size. Can you imagine a REAL elephant?!" The group froze. I saw a spark of excitement in their eyes imagining their smallest 4th grader standing next to a massive model of an elephant. Then came the fear. But can our kids really do that? Do we even know how to do that? What if they can't do it? I understand this process so well. As a teacher, I've dealt with my fair share of ambitious projects that go as planned... but my students have actually learned the most from projects that have failed. I've written about the biggest flop here: https://lnkd.in/dExXNB9 I get where the fear comes from. We want our students to be successful. For a lot of us teachers, we feel it's our job to make sure our kids succeed. I would also argue that most of us as teachers have not had significant failures in our lives. Most people who become teachers were "good" at school. We're also not used to navigating real struggle when it comes to learning. Project-Based Learning gives us an opportunity to help our kids experience failure and reflection and feedback in a culture that is safe and supportive. BEFORE they go into the world and experience it for real. Imagine if our exhibitions: ✨ Were celebrations of failures, not successes ✨ Had fewer prototypes and more real products ✨ Included learning from teachers about the project, not only students What are we so afraid of? #pbl #projectbasedlearning

I really appreciate this framework and the role it plays in our work at Barr - AND I keep thinking about how helpful it would have been in my previous roles. When you work in advocacy, you have to choose what you will focus on at any given moment. By laying out a comprehensive framework, the Indicators of School Quality can help advocates pinpoint how the issues they are tackling connect with others, and what else needs to move to drive impact for young people.