By Robin G. Jackson, Guest Contributor “What sense does it make to try to reform urban schools while the communities around them stagnate or collapse?” (Warren, 2005, p. 133). Schools and their immediate community are inextricably linked in many ways. In addition to there being youth and families represented within the school, and property taxes… Read more »
Student Success
“Cyndi Lauper had it right…your true colors are why I love you”
By Brandon Randall, Guest Contributor Listen up White people, this one is for you. I’m sure that whether it was in a classroom, a PTA meeting, or during professional development, we have all heard another White person say “oh, I don’t see color” or “I don’t care if you’re black, white, blue, or purple,” or… Read more »
Walking the Walk: Portraits in Leadership for Family Engagement in Urban Schools
By Kevin Hillman, Guest Contributor Family and Community engagement are more than “buzz” words when it comes to education. As school leaders, it must be a priority to create and maintain real engagement, which involves going beyond business as usual or the status quo. The first step for many school leaders is changing their deficit… Read more »
Family and Community Engagement and Why It Matters
By James Johnson, Guest Contributor Before I became a teacher, I never heard of community schools. I had no idea what they entailed and why they are so important. On the surface, community schools do not seem like they’re anything more than common sense. I mean, they are schools and communities working together to support… Read more »
Community Schools and its Role in Public Health
Linda Langford, Guest Contributor As a mother of three, I am always in search of ways to multi-task or as my 85 year-old mother says, “Kill two birds with one stone.” Resources are always limited so whenever we can accomplish two goals while using the same resource, it is a definite checkmark in the “Win” column. … Read more »
Effective Urban Teachers Focus on Community Engagement
By Joey Feldman, Guest Contributor Duncan-Andrade (2007) argues that there are 3 types of teachers in persistently failing urban schools: Gangstas, Wankstas, and Ridas. He focuses his discussion on a small group of teachers he calls Ridas, who are typically very successful with a variety of students. He notes that “Ridas are often uncommitted to… Read more »
You Didn’t Mean Not to Either
By Joel Haynie, Guest Contributor “But, Mr. Haynie, I didn’t mean to hurt their feelings” is a sentiment that I frequently hear from students after they have said something in class, usually trying to be funny, but at the cost of another student. Very frequently my response is, “You didn’t mean… Read more »
Indiana University free, statewide program prepares 6-12th grade students for success
Indiana University college students are preparing 6-12th grade students across the state for college and careers by providing free tutoring, mentoring, and workshops through the Indiana Kids program. Launched from the IUPUI campus, the Indiana Kids program is a collaboration between Serve Indiana and seven Indiana University campuses (IUPUI, IU Bloomington, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU… Read more »