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.
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…
Celebrating the New Normal
It’s time we accept that we are in a new normal – one where we need to expect the unexpected and where we have constant opportunity to not only be…
Moving Knowledge to Power Takes Patience
So, as this year comes to an end, I want to thank the dozen plus organizations that have allowed me to listen and learn from their work and begin to…
Showing Up
It’s a little late in the year to be going back to school, but that’s what I did on Monday night. For the first time since the shutdown, I was…
Remembering More Than Just Club Q
November 20th marked this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance – a day that seeks to raise awareness of the violence and prejudice faced by transgender communities. A report released just…
Safety, Belonging, Trust and Marshmallows
I love to tell the story about the findings from the revised marshmallow test. But I don’t often get a chance to speak to early childhood folks. So, I was…
From Reader to Champion
I received my first copy of Youth Today at the same one-day training where I first learned about Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets. Less than a year later, I’d be…
Relationships Matter: Learning Happens Through Love
Relationships/Relevance/Responsibility. People/Places/Possibilities. Fully Prepared isn’t Fully Engaged. Learning is Social and Emotional. Learning Happens Everywhere. People-powered supports. These are the mantras of decades of promoting youth development, all speaking in…
Visuals Convey When Words Can Confuse
Last week was a heady and heavy writing week for me. I helped get an academic research piece I’m co-authoring to the finish line, reviewed several pieces written by others,…
Equitable Pay for Afterschool Providers
I cringe a bit every time I see signs like these. Not because I don’t want a fair and living wage for fast food workers. I certainly do. I cringe…
Recognizing the Plural: The Arts and Sciences of Teaching
I had a chance a couple of weeks ago to spend time with the team at the New Teacher Center. It was a powerful experience to get to learn alongside…
Waiting on the Workplace to Change
This week we’re bringing you a special guest Round Up from our Program Assistant & Operations Coordinator Yazmeen Mayes. Last week I listened to a webinar from Education Reimagined, where…
From 10 to 25: It’s Not a Joke, It is Now a Game
Anyone who knows me or has ever heard me speak knows that one of my all-time favorite infographics is the Foundations of Young Adult Success two pager that accompanies the…