Weekly Remix Round Up
Each week one of our team members shares a Weekly Remix Round Up that lifts up a topic they’ve been reflecting on or something that sparked their interest based on an article they’ve read, a conversation they’ve participated in, etc. – that lifts up a topic they’ve been reflecting on or something that sparked their interest.
Thriving Ecosystems Need Thriving School Systems.
Learning ecosystems are complex, dynamic webs of interaction between people, places, and possibilities that shape our learning experiences. Every community has these core elements. People in families, neighborhoods, businesses, and…
Definition of Thriving
We began the second webinar in our Centering Youth Thriving webinar series by asking a simple question – What does thriving mean to you? Karen and Merita have been co-authors…
Why NEA Educators are Bullish on Community Schools Part 2
Community schools are public schools that provide services and support that fit each neighborhood’s needs, created and run by educators, local community members, families, and students working together to transform…
Leaving to Learn or Learning to Leave? Why Word Order Matters to NEA Educators
A month ago, we kicked off our first Centering Youth Thriving convening with Leaving to Learn, a 4-minute student narrated, animated video. Gianna makes a compelling case for why the…
Robust Thriving from an Equity-Centered Perspective
Among my many roles I serve as an American Institutes for Research (AIR) Scholar, part of AIR’s Equity Initiative. It is in this capacity that I have been working alongside…
What Next? Reflective Engagement!
A few weeks ago, feeling a bit self-indulgent, I pondered on the value of one-way communications (PowerPoints, Blogs, Papers? What Next?). I’m pleased to report that the universe has answered.…
Power Points, Blogs, Papers? What Next?
Being catalysts is hard work. Merita and I spent the latter half of 2023 writing five papers that will be published in 2024 as book chapters or commissioned reports. Two…
From Brainstorms to Bytecodes: Reimagining Learning with AI and SoLD
Karen, Merita, and I had the joy of being in person last week with our colleagues in the Science of Learning and Development Alliance National Advisory Council (lovingly known as…
OST Tutoring Playbook
In a related post – Balance or Blend – I reflect on what has long been addressed as a dichotomy within the larger goal of youth thriving – focus on…
Cultivating Purpose in Community Settings
Two days ago, I facilitated a professional learning session with a group of teacher leaders and mentors focused on one of New Teacher Center’s Anchors for Equity from their point…
Intentionality is the Name of the Game
It has been a month for bringing our Centering Youth Thriving messages out to our youth development partners as we traveled between multiple conferences, retreats, and connection meetings. One word…
Can Online Tutoring and Learning Ever Be Equitable?
Edit Column I will admit that I don’t click open every Youth Today article that pops up on my screen. But this one caught my eye: How a free, 24/7…
Skeptical, But Ready to Act
As I shared in our summer wrap-up, I recently returned for the first time in close to two decades to a role as a learner as I began an Ed.D.…
Partners Summer Recap
We know the Knowledge to Power Catalysts team has been relatively quiet these last couple of months; it’s not because we haven’t been busy – both personally and professionally. Each…
From Pathways to Pipelines
The headlines are familiar. Teachers are leaving the profession at higher rates than ever before. National youth-serving organizations also reported unprecedented attrition during the pandemic years, although overall staff numbers have…
New Release: Whole Child, Whole Life
This weekend a very exciting package arrived at my doorstep. I have been waiting for this package since November, when I had the chance to listen Knowledge to Power Catalysts’…
How Long Does It Take To Redesign a High School?
A few weeks ago, I reprised my role as a reviewer to select the 2nd cohort of D.C. high schools to participate in DC+XQ, a multi-year partnership between the D.C.…
The Mid-Life Brain Science – Graduations, Reunions & Renewals
This week I was thrilled to watch my niece of 38 years receive her bachelor’s degree in teaching. A long worked for moment. One she says may not have been…
Brain Science is a Powerful Tool
I had the privilege last week to attend the Annual Adolescent Brian Development Symposium hosted by the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent. Quickly becoming one of my favorite gatherings…
The Inclusion Revolution: Powered by Special Olympics
The acronym DEI (Diversity. Equity. Inclusion.) has been around long enough that, like LGBT, it has been morphed to reflect additional goals. DEIJ adds justice. Some even reorder the goals…
Afterschool and Libraries - A Perfect Match
It seems absolutely perfect to me that this week celebrates both libraries and afterschool professionals. When I think about the people, places, and possibilities that make a difference for young…
That Was When I Realized This Could Be a Career
When I was little, I wanted to be a pediatrician who also wrote children’s books. I entered college planning to be a high school English teacher. Those were jobs I…
Using Student Surveys to Cultivate Better Learning Environments
I recently participated in a half-day advisory board meeting in which Teach for America shared its new approach to coaching recruits. It was a treat to learn more about the…
Incredible Kid Day
March 16th is Camp Fire’s annual Absolutely Incredible Kid Day®. Each year on the third Thursday in March, Camp Fire calls adults across the country to tell a kid or…
Acknowledging the Elephant(s) in the (Class)room
Last week, NTC released their new point of view on teaching and learning – The Elephant in the (Class)room. The core elements of the point of view document lay out…
Mister Rogers’ Helped Young Children Wonder. Who Will Help Teens Ponder?
The youngest of my three children is approaching 40. The oldest coming up on 50. So I’m very familiar with the two PBS staples of their childhood: Mister Rogers and…
Public Schools Not Government Schools
Ulcca Joshi Hansen tagged me on LinkedIn earlier this week as she shared a Colorado Sun article from Richard Anthony Tagle, the CEO of the Denver Public Schools Foundation. Ulcca’s…
The Power of Face Time
Before launching Knowledge to Power Catalysts with Karen and Merita, I had a one-woman consulting firm – KP Facilitation. After eight years working in Denver Public Schools I decided it…
What Fills Your Tank?
As we all have, I’ve paused multiple times in the past week to take a breath, read a headline, and make a decision – to watch or not to watch.…
Reading and Dreaming on MLK Day
Last Monday, Hoda and Jenna invited Alvin Irby, the infectiously optimistic founder and Chief Reading Inspirer of Barbershop Books, to be on the Today Show. I don’t want to say…