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"slug": "when-words-arent-enough-creative-tools-can-help-grieving-students-of-all-ages",
"title": "When Words Aren’t Enough, Creative Tools Can Help Grieving Students of All Ages",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Deb Hill, now a middle school counselor, once met with a 4-year old who came to her grief counseling sessions after experiencing a fire that burned his house down. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He didn’t say a word for seven sessions,” Hill said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During each session he would silently select a toy fire truck from the toys she had available, expand the truck’s ladder, retract it and put the toy away. He repeated the same sequence each time. Then, after the seventh session, he began to talk.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This was \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8812369/\">play therapy\u003c/a> in action,” Hill said. Creative interventions, like play therapy, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62409/how-bibliocounseling-can-create-space-for-black-girls-and-girls-of-color-to-connect-in-school\">bibliotherapy\u003c/a>, writing and artmaking can be used to support grieving students of all ages. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Grief, Hill explained, is “internal anguish for when people feel any reaction to a loss that they have experienced.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57992/the-importance-of-mourning-losses-even-when-they-seem-small\">grief is not limited to the death of a loved one\u003c/a>, it’s a natural reaction to loss. Approximately \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11473717/\">8% of children will experience the death of a primary caregiver\u003c/a> before reaching adulthood. For school counselors, supporting grieving students can be a regular part of the job.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Creative interventions can be adapted to meet kids’ needs at a variety of developmental levels. They can give students a way to create something visual and tangible while exploring conflicting and complicated feelings. Additionally, creative interventions allow for expression when vocabulary isn’t available. “Especially with traumatic grief. They are not always going to have access to their language centers. Even if developmentally, they have access to the vocabulary,” said Hill. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the \u003ca href=\"https://ascaconferences.org/2026/\">American School Counselor’s Association\u003c/a> Conference, Hill and her colleague Dr. Anita Pool, an associate professor and School Counseling Coordinator at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, shared creative interventions that school counselors can use to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60125/3-things-we-get-wrong-in-responding-to-child-grief-and-how-to-do-better\">support grieving students\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bibliotherapy\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Books about grief or books that include characters that are grieving can give students an opportunity to explore their own emotions through someone else’s story. They can help kids relate with characters and normalize their emotions and experiences. “I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read a book on a difficult topic and almost always they’ll say, ‘That’s just like me,’” said Dr. Pool. That recognition can be particularly meaningful for younger children. Because of their developmental stage, Pool said, little kids can be especially egocentric and think they are the only one experiencing something difficult. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of her favorite books to use as a counselor is “\u003ca href=\"https://kristinbartleylenz.com/the-art-of-holding-on-and-letting-go\">The Art of Holding on and Letting Go\u003c/a>,” by Kristen Bartley Lenz, about a competitive climber who experiences a tragedy on an Ecuadorian mountaintop. Books can also address forms of loss that aren’t related to death but can still trigger grief for children, including military deployment or parental incarceration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pool cautions counselors to be thoughtful about the books they choose. Stories with magical resolutions or explanations can be confusing for younger children, particularly when they are trying to understand the reality of what has happened.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp> “We want to be sure that we’re giving them accurate, real information, but can provide hope for the future,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pool suggests reading young adult fiction before making recommendations. “It may include education and information about other topics within that book that might be too much for that particular child,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>How counselors use books can also change depending on a student’s age. “With our teens, we wouldn’t necessarily sit side by side and read the book during the session like we would with young kids,” Pool said. “I would assign a section or a chapter and have them read it outside of the session or outside of school and come back to discuss it.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Crafting and writing\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sometimes, the adults in a student’s life may have difficulty hearing them talk about the person or experience they’ve lost. Counselors can provide a dedicated space where students can talk about their memories or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60009/keep-those-diaries-strategies-for-centering-student-voices-and-improving-reflection-habits\">explore them without having to talk at all.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pool recommends activities such as creating a memory book, box or collage using photographs, magazine images and mementos to provide a tangible way to remember someone who has died or to acknowledge feelings of missing someone who is absent. Counselors can also purchase premade vision-board kits from craft stores if they don’t have the time or resources to cut out materials themselves. Around the holidays, which are times when grief can feel intense, Pool invites students to make paper chains with memories written on them, also called memory chains. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Simple art supplies can be just as useful. “Don’t ever underestimate the power of markers and crayons and paper,” Pool said. She keeps those materials readily available in her office. She advises counselors to consider whether paint is appropriate for their students. “Paint is harder to control,” Pool said, adding that the lack of control can be triggering for students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Writing can also give students a private way to process grief. Students might create an acrostic poem using the name of a loved one, write an epitaph or compose a letter to someone they have lost. Letter writing can be especially useful for expressing things a student wasn’t able to say while the person was alive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101894260/how-journaling-can-help-us-make-sense-of-our-lives\">Journaling\u003c/a> with or without a prompt is another option. Providing a journal for a student can be a small but meaningful intervention, particularly when cost is a barrier to obtaining one. Hill keeps a storage file of adolescents’ journals at school so students could write without worrying that someone at home might read them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Toys and play therapy\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hill described play-based interventions as a “slam dunk” for younger students. “Kids don’t always have access to the vocabulary or the language they need to be able to express themselves in a way that we understand,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60253/play-is-crucial-for-middle-schoolers-too\">Play allows children to communicate symbolically\u003c/a> instead. Rather than having to explain what happened, a child can act it out, recreate elements of an experience or use toys to represent feelings and relationships. The process can also give children a sense of control and agency at a time when their lives may feel out of their control.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That can be especially important when a child is confused about a loss or believes they somehow caused it. Through play, counselors can help children explore those beliefs and begin to make sense of what happened.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Different toys can support play therapy and counselors do not have to have a huge collection. Pool uses \u003ca href=\"https://www.kimochis.com/\">Kimochis , small character toys\u003c/a> in which each character has a distinct personality, as well as diverse dolls, emergency vehicles, medical toys and dollhouses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s not about the amount of toys that you have, it’s about the quality of the toys,” Hill said. “Not just the build quality, but the intent behind it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The goal is to provide enough variety for students to find objects that resonate with their experiences, while making sure the materials reflect different families, identities and circumstances.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sand trays\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sand trays offer a nonverbal and tactile way for students to communicate and process information. The trays are typically blue, creating an environment that is both expansive and contained. Students can use sand and small figurines or objects to construct scenes inside the tray. The physical sensation of working with sand can also be grounding for some children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As with play therapy, counselors can provide a range of miniatures, including diverse people, families, animals and emergency vehicles, and allow students to decide what belongs in their scene.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For a grieving child, the tray can create psychological distance from an experience that feels overwhelming. Instead of having to say, “This is happening to me,” a student can create a scene and talk about what is happening to the figures. That distance can make it easier for students to explore difficult experiences. Sand trays can also engage multiple forms of expression at once, combining sensory, visual and verbal processing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are different types of sand that counselors can use, each offering a different sensory experience. And for schools that don’t have the space or resources for a physical sand tray, free digital versions allow students to construct scenes using images from the internet. Some students may not want to destroy their sand tray scene and counselors can take photos to capture the scenes before they are cleaned up. These also can be helpful for the counselor to track changes over time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The flexibility of creative interventions is part of their appeal. “It’s multi-culturally appropriate because [they don’t] require a specific language or a specific cultural context” Hill said. For counselors supporting bereaved students, creating a space where there isn’t a single right way to experience or talk about their feelings, can help students be the drivers of their grieving process.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57992/the-importance-of-mourning-losses-even-when-they-seem-small\">grief is not limited to the death of a loved one\u003c/a>, it’s a natural reaction to loss. Approximately \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11473717/\">8% of children will experience the death of a primary caregiver\u003c/a> before reaching adulthood. For school counselors, supporting grieving students can be a regular part of the job.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Creative interventions can be adapted to meet kids’ needs at a variety of developmental levels. They can give students a way to create something visual and tangible while exploring conflicting and complicated feelings. Additionally, creative interventions allow for expression when vocabulary isn’t available. “Especially with traumatic grief. They are not always going to have access to their language centers. Even if developmentally, they have access to the vocabulary,” said Hill. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the \u003ca href=\"https://ascaconferences.org/2026/\">American School Counselor’s Association\u003c/a> Conference, Hill and her colleague Dr. Anita Pool, an associate professor and School Counseling Coordinator at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, shared creative interventions that school counselors can use to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60125/3-things-we-get-wrong-in-responding-to-child-grief-and-how-to-do-better\">support grieving students\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Books about grief or books that include characters that are grieving can give students an opportunity to explore their own emotions through someone else’s story. They can help kids relate with characters and normalize their emotions and experiences. “I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read a book on a difficult topic and almost always they’ll say, ‘That’s just like me,’” said Dr. Pool. That recognition can be particularly meaningful for younger children. Because of their developmental stage, Pool said, little kids can be especially egocentric and think they are the only one experiencing something difficult. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Books about grief or books that include characters that are grieving can give students an opportunity to explore their own emotions through someone else’s story. They can help kids relate with characters and normalize their emotions and experiences. “I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read a book on a difficult topic and almost always they’ll say, ‘That’s just like me,’” said Dr. Pool. That recognition can be particularly meaningful for younger children. Because of their developmental stage, Pool said, little kids can be especially egocentric and think they are the only one experiencing something difficult. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of her favorite books to use as a counselor is “\u003ca href=\"https://kristinbartleylenz.com/the-art-of-holding-on-and-letting-go\">The Art of Holding on and Letting Go\u003c/a>,” by Kristen Bartley Lenz, about a competitive climber who experiences a tragedy on an Ecuadorian mountaintop. Books can also address forms of loss that aren’t related to death but can still trigger grief for children, including military deployment or parental incarceration.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One of her favorite books to use as a counselor is “\u003ca href=\"https://kristinbartleylenz.com/the-art-of-holding-on-and-letting-go\">The Art of Holding on and Letting Go\u003c/a>,” by Kristen Bartley Lenz, about a competitive climber who experiences a tragedy on an Ecuadorian mountaintop. Books can also address forms of loss that aren’t related to death but can still trigger grief for children, including military deployment or parental incarceration.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pool cautions counselors to be thoughtful about the books they choose. Stories with magical resolutions or explanations can be confusing for younger children, particularly when they are trying to understand the reality of what has happened.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Pool cautions counselors to be thoughtful about the books they choose. Stories with magical resolutions or explanations can be confusing for younger children, particularly when they are trying to understand the reality of what has happened.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp> “We want to be sure that we’re giving them accurate, real information, but can provide hope for the future,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pool suggests reading young adult fiction before making recommendations. “It may include education and information about other topics within that book that might be too much for that particular child,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Pool suggests reading young adult fiction before making recommendations. “It may include education and information about other topics within that book that might be too much for that particular child,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>How counselors use books can also change depending on a student’s age. “With our teens, we wouldn’t necessarily sit side by side and read the book during the session like we would with young kids,” Pool said. “I would assign a section or a chapter and have them read it outside of the session or outside of school and come back to discuss it.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>How counselors use books can also change depending on a student’s age. “With our teens, we wouldn’t necessarily sit side by side and read the book during the session like we would with young kids,” Pool said. “I would assign a section or a chapter and have them read it outside of the session or outside of school and come back to discuss it.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sometimes, the adults in a student’s life may have difficulty hearing them talk about the person or experience they’ve lost. Counselors can provide a dedicated space where students can talk about their memories or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60009/keep-those-diaries-strategies-for-centering-student-voices-and-improving-reflection-habits\">explore them without having to talk at all.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Sometimes, the adults in a student’s life may have difficulty hearing them talk about the person or experience they’ve lost. Counselors can provide a dedicated space where students can talk about their memories or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60009/keep-those-diaries-strategies-for-centering-student-voices-and-improving-reflection-habits\">explore them without having to talk at all.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pool recommends activities such as creating a memory book, box or collage using photographs, magazine images and mementos to provide a tangible way to remember someone who has died or to acknowledge feelings of missing someone who is absent. Counselors can also purchase premade vision-board kits from craft stores if they don’t have the time or resources to cut out materials themselves. Around the holidays, which are times when grief can feel intense, Pool invites students to make paper chains with memories written on them, also called memory chains. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Pool recommends activities such as creating a memory book, box or collage using photographs, magazine images and mementos to provide a tangible way to remember someone who has died or to acknowledge feelings of missing someone who is absent. Counselors can also purchase premade vision-board kits from craft stores if they don’t have the time or resources to cut out materials themselves. Around the holidays, which are times when grief can feel intense, Pool invites students to make paper chains with memories written on them, also called memory chains. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Simple art supplies can be just as useful. “Don’t ever underestimate the power of markers and crayons and paper,” Pool said. She keeps those materials readily available in her office. She advises counselors to consider whether paint is appropriate for their students. “Paint is harder to control,” Pool said, adding that the lack of control can be triggering for students.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Simple art supplies can be just as useful. “Don’t ever underestimate the power of markers and crayons and paper,” Pool said. She keeps those materials readily available in her office. She advises counselors to consider whether paint is appropriate for their students. “Paint is harder to control,” Pool said, adding that the lack of control can be triggering for students.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Writing can also give students a private way to process grief. Students might create an acrostic poem using the name of a loved one, write an epitaph or compose a letter to someone they have lost. Letter writing can be especially useful for expressing things a student wasn’t able to say while the person was alive.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Writing can also give students a private way to process grief. Students might create an acrostic poem using the name of a loved one, write an epitaph or compose a letter to someone they have lost. Letter writing can be especially useful for expressing things a student wasn’t able to say while the person was alive.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101894260/how-journaling-can-help-us-make-sense-of-our-lives\">Journaling\u003c/a> with or without a prompt is another option. Providing a journal for a student can be a small but meaningful intervention, particularly when cost is a barrier to obtaining one. Hill keeps a storage file of adolescents’ journals at school so students could write without worrying that someone at home might read them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101894260/how-journaling-can-help-us-make-sense-of-our-lives\">Journaling\u003c/a> with or without a prompt is another option. Providing a journal for a student can be a small but meaningful intervention, particularly when cost is a barrier to obtaining one. Hill keeps a storage file of adolescents’ journals at school so students could write without worrying that someone at home might read them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Toys and play therapy\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hill described play-based interventions as a “slam dunk” for younger students. “Kids don’t always have access to the vocabulary or the language they need to be able to express themselves in a way that we understand,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hill described play-based interventions as a “slam dunk” for younger students. “Kids don’t always have access to the vocabulary or the language they need to be able to express themselves in a way that we understand,” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60253/play-is-crucial-for-middle-schoolers-too\">Play allows children to communicate symbolically\u003c/a> instead. Rather than having to explain what happened, a child can act it out, recreate elements of an experience or use toys to represent feelings and relationships. The process can also give children a sense of control and agency at a time when their lives may feel out of their control.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60253/play-is-crucial-for-middle-schoolers-too\">Play allows children to communicate symbolically\u003c/a> instead. Rather than having to explain what happened, a child can act it out, recreate elements of an experience or use toys to represent feelings and relationships. The process can also give children a sense of control and agency at a time when their lives may feel out of their control.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That can be especially important when a child is confused about a loss or believes they somehow caused it. Through play, counselors can help children explore those beliefs and begin to make sense of what happened.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That can be especially important when a child is confused about a loss or believes they somehow caused it. Through play, counselors can help children explore those beliefs and begin to make sense of what happened.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Different toys can support play therapy and counselors do not have to have a huge collection. Pool uses \u003ca href=\"https://www.kimochis.com/\">Kimochis , small character toys\u003c/a> in which each character has a distinct personality, as well as diverse dolls, emergency vehicles, medical toys and dollhouses.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Different toys can support play therapy and counselors do not have to have a huge collection. Pool uses \u003ca href=\"https://www.kimochis.com/\">Kimochis , small character toys\u003c/a> in which each character has a distinct personality, as well as diverse dolls, emergency vehicles, medical toys and dollhouses.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s not about the amount of toys that you have, it’s about the quality of the toys,” Hill said. “Not just the build quality, but the intent behind it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s not about the amount of toys that you have, it’s about the quality of the toys,” Hill said. “Not just the build quality, but the intent behind it.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The goal is to provide enough variety for students to find objects that resonate with their experiences, while making sure the materials reflect different families, identities and circumstances.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sand trays offer a nonverbal and tactile way for students to communicate and process information. The trays are typically blue, creating an environment that is both expansive and contained. Students can use sand and small figurines or objects to construct scenes inside the tray. The physical sensation of working with sand can also be grounding for some children.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Sand trays offer a nonverbal and tactile way for students to communicate and process information. The trays are typically blue, creating an environment that is both expansive and contained. Students can use sand and small figurines or objects to construct scenes inside the tray. The physical sensation of working with sand can also be grounding for some children.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As with play therapy, counselors can provide a range of miniatures, including diverse people, families, animals and emergency vehicles, and allow students to decide what belongs in their scene.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For a grieving child, the tray can create psychological distance from an experience that feels overwhelming. Instead of having to say, “This is happening to me,” a student can create a scene and talk about what is happening to the figures. That distance can make it easier for students to explore difficult experiences. Sand trays can also engage multiple forms of expression at once, combining sensory, visual and verbal processing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are different types of sand that counselors can use, each offering a different sensory experience. And for schools that don’t have the space or resources for a physical sand tray, free digital versions allow students to construct scenes using images from the internet. Some students may not want to destroy their sand tray scene and counselors can take photos to capture the scenes before they are cleaned up. These also can be helpful for the counselor to track changes over time. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There are different types of sand that counselors can use, each offering a different sensory experience. And for schools that don’t have the space or resources for a physical sand tray, free digital versions allow students to construct scenes using images from the internet. Some students may not want to destroy their sand tray scene and counselors can take photos to capture the scenes before they are cleaned up. These also can be helpful for the counselor to track changes over time. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The flexibility of creative interventions is part of their appeal. “It’s multi-culturally appropriate because [they don’t] require a specific language or a specific cultural context” Hill said. For counselors supporting bereaved students, creating a space where there isn’t a single right way to experience or talk about their feelings, can help students be the drivers of their grieving process.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The flexibility of creative interventions is part of their appeal. “It’s multi-culturally appropriate because [they don’t] require a specific language or a specific cultural context” Hill said. For counselors supporting bereaved students, creating a space where there isn’t a single right way to experience or talk about their feelings, can help students be the drivers of their grieving process.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "\t\nPlay therapy, books, journaling and sand trays can help students express themselves when they are struggling with feelings and experiences that are hard to understand.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Deb Hill, now a middle school counselor, once met with a 4-year old who came to her grief counseling sessions after experiencing a fire that burned his house down. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He didn’t say a word for seven sessions,” Hill said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During each session he would silently select a toy fire truck from the toys she had available, expand the truck’s ladder, retract it and put the toy away. He repeated the same sequence each time. Then, after the seventh session, he began to talk.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This was \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8812369/\">play therapy\u003c/a> in action,” Hill said. Creative interventions, like play therapy, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62409/how-bibliocounseling-can-create-space-for-black-girls-and-girls-of-color-to-connect-in-school\">bibliotherapy\u003c/a>, writing and artmaking can be used to support grieving students of all ages. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Grief, Hill explained, is “internal anguish for when people feel any reaction to a loss that they have experienced.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57992/the-importance-of-mourning-losses-even-when-they-seem-small\">grief is not limited to the death of a loved one\u003c/a>, it’s a natural reaction to loss. Approximately \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11473717/\">8% of children will experience the death of a primary caregiver\u003c/a> before reaching adulthood. For school counselors, supporting grieving students can be a regular part of the job.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Creative interventions can be adapted to meet kids’ needs at a variety of developmental levels. They can give students a way to create something visual and tangible while exploring conflicting and complicated feelings. Additionally, creative interventions allow for expression when vocabulary isn’t available. “Especially with traumatic grief. They are not always going to have access to their language centers. Even if developmentally, they have access to the vocabulary,” said Hill. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the \u003ca href=\"https://ascaconferences.org/2026/\">American School Counselor’s Association\u003c/a> Conference, Hill and her colleague Dr. Anita Pool, an associate professor and School Counseling Coordinator at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, shared creative interventions that school counselors can use to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60125/3-things-we-get-wrong-in-responding-to-child-grief-and-how-to-do-better\">support grieving students\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bibliotherapy\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Books about grief or books that include characters that are grieving can give students an opportunity to explore their own emotions through someone else’s story. They can help kids relate with characters and normalize their emotions and experiences. “I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read a book on a difficult topic and almost always they’ll say, ‘That’s just like me,’” said Dr. Pool. That recognition can be particularly meaningful for younger children. Because of their developmental stage, Pool said, little kids can be especially egocentric and think they are the only one experiencing something difficult. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of her favorite books to use as a counselor is “\u003ca href=\"https://kristinbartleylenz.com/the-art-of-holding-on-and-letting-go\">The Art of Holding on and Letting Go\u003c/a>,” by Kristen Bartley Lenz, about a competitive climber who experiences a tragedy on an Ecuadorian mountaintop. Books can also address forms of loss that aren’t related to death but can still trigger grief for children, including military deployment or parental incarceration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pool cautions counselors to be thoughtful about the books they choose. Stories with magical resolutions or explanations can be confusing for younger children, particularly when they are trying to understand the reality of what has happened.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp> “We want to be sure that we’re giving them accurate, real information, but can provide hope for the future,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pool suggests reading young adult fiction before making recommendations. “It may include education and information about other topics within that book that might be too much for that particular child,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>How counselors use books can also change depending on a student’s age. “With our teens, we wouldn’t necessarily sit side by side and read the book during the session like we would with young kids,” Pool said. “I would assign a section or a chapter and have them read it outside of the session or outside of school and come back to discuss it.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Crafting and writing\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sometimes, the adults in a student’s life may have difficulty hearing them talk about the person or experience they’ve lost. Counselors can provide a dedicated space where students can talk about their memories or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60009/keep-those-diaries-strategies-for-centering-student-voices-and-improving-reflection-habits\">explore them without having to talk at all.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pool recommends activities such as creating a memory book, box or collage using photographs, magazine images and mementos to provide a tangible way to remember someone who has died or to acknowledge feelings of missing someone who is absent. Counselors can also purchase premade vision-board kits from craft stores if they don’t have the time or resources to cut out materials themselves. Around the holidays, which are times when grief can feel intense, Pool invites students to make paper chains with memories written on them, also called memory chains. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Simple art supplies can be just as useful. “Don’t ever underestimate the power of markers and crayons and paper,” Pool said. She keeps those materials readily available in her office. She advises counselors to consider whether paint is appropriate for their students. “Paint is harder to control,” Pool said, adding that the lack of control can be triggering for students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Writing can also give students a private way to process grief. Students might create an acrostic poem using the name of a loved one, write an epitaph or compose a letter to someone they have lost. Letter writing can be especially useful for expressing things a student wasn’t able to say while the person was alive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101894260/how-journaling-can-help-us-make-sense-of-our-lives\">Journaling\u003c/a> with or without a prompt is another option. Providing a journal for a student can be a small but meaningful intervention, particularly when cost is a barrier to obtaining one. Hill keeps a storage file of adolescents’ journals at school so students could write without worrying that someone at home might read them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Toys and play therapy\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hill described play-based interventions as a “slam dunk” for younger students. “Kids don’t always have access to the vocabulary or the language they need to be able to express themselves in a way that we understand,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60253/play-is-crucial-for-middle-schoolers-too\">Play allows children to communicate symbolically\u003c/a> instead. Rather than having to explain what happened, a child can act it out, recreate elements of an experience or use toys to represent feelings and relationships. The process can also give children a sense of control and agency at a time when their lives may feel out of their control.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That can be especially important when a child is confused about a loss or believes they somehow caused it. Through play, counselors can help children explore those beliefs and begin to make sense of what happened.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Different toys can support play therapy and counselors do not have to have a huge collection. Pool uses \u003ca href=\"https://www.kimochis.com/\">Kimochis , small character toys\u003c/a> in which each character has a distinct personality, as well as diverse dolls, emergency vehicles, medical toys and dollhouses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s not about the amount of toys that you have, it’s about the quality of the toys,” Hill said. “Not just the build quality, but the intent behind it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The goal is to provide enough variety for students to find objects that resonate with their experiences, while making sure the materials reflect different families, identities and circumstances.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sand trays\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sand trays offer a nonverbal and tactile way for students to communicate and process information. The trays are typically blue, creating an environment that is both expansive and contained. Students can use sand and small figurines or objects to construct scenes inside the tray. The physical sensation of working with sand can also be grounding for some children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As with play therapy, counselors can provide a range of miniatures, including diverse people, families, animals and emergency vehicles, and allow students to decide what belongs in their scene.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For a grieving child, the tray can create psychological distance from an experience that feels overwhelming. Instead of having to say, “This is happening to me,” a student can create a scene and talk about what is happening to the figures. That distance can make it easier for students to explore difficult experiences. Sand trays can also engage multiple forms of expression at once, combining sensory, visual and verbal processing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are different types of sand that counselors can use, each offering a different sensory experience. And for schools that don’t have the space or resources for a physical sand tray, free digital versions allow students to construct scenes using images from the internet. Some students may not want to destroy their sand tray scene and counselors can take photos to capture the scenes before they are cleaned up. These also can be helpful for the counselor to track changes over time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The flexibility of creative interventions is part of their appeal. “It’s multi-culturally appropriate because [they don’t] require a specific language or a specific cultural context” Hill said. For counselors supporting bereaved students, creating a space where there isn’t a single right way to experience or talk about their feelings, can help students be the drivers of their grieving process.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Families and Teachers are Questioning Ed Tech. Are Schools and Districts Starting to Listen?",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When Los Angeles parent Lila Byock’s son started middle school, his grades suddenly collapsed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It didn’t make sense. “He’d always been a bright, curious, engaged kid who did really well in school,” Byock said. She and her husband were confused and concerned.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Teachers assured the family that their son understood the material and the problem wasn’t academics. “They said, ‘He just can’t \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63519/distracted-students-understanding-these-3-myths-of-attention-span-can-help\">stay on task\u003c/a> on his iPad,’” she continued.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That answer surprised Byock. Like many parents, she assumed that after pandemic remote learning ended, classrooms had largely returned to face-to-face instruction. Instead, she learned her son was spending much of his school day on a district-issued device.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He was scrolling YouTube Shorts during math class. He was playing Fortnite battles with classmates during class,” Byock said. Other students watched streaming shows during lunch on school-issued iPads, and one student even showed pornography on a school device, according to Byock.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After talking with her son, Byock realized he wasn’t trying to break rules, but rather, he felt trapped by distractions he couldn’t seem to resist. “It was eroding his self-esteem,” she said. “He told us, ‘I want to stop, and I don’t think I can.'”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When Byock asked school administrators how devices were being used and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/66432/little-kids-outsmart-content-blockers-what-can-be-done-about-devices-in-school\">what safeguards existed\u003c/a>, the school’s answers didn’t satisfy her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Byock’s experience reflects a larger shift in American classrooms. Over the last 15 years, schools invested billions of dollars in laptops, tablets and educational software, often under the promise that technology would personalize learning and prepare students for a digital future. Today, some educators and parents are beginning to ask whether those tools changed classrooms in ways they never intended. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-megaphone wp-block-embed-megaphone\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC2555651076\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>The promise of education technology\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For decades, education technology — also called ed tech — has been marketed as a way to make learning more customized, efficient and equitable. Writer and ed tech historian \u003ca href=\"https://audreywatters.com/\">Audrey Watters\u003c/a> said those promises stretch back long before laptops or artificial intelligence.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the early 1900s, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/history-standardized-testing-united-states\">educators embraced standardized testing and intelligence testing\u003c/a> as a way to make learning more measurable and objective. That same logic eventually shaped educational software, including the creation of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/far-reaching-legacy-first-teaching-machines\">“teaching machines”\u003c/a> designed to automatically grade multiple choice questions and aspirationally automate teaching. Personal computers entered classrooms in the 1980s, internet-connected learning expanded in the 1990s and 2000s, and after 2010 districts rapidly adopted one-to-one laptop programs. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the rapid push to remote learning made the full transition to digital learning nearly complete by providing students and schools with internet connectivity, devices and curriculum. Schools have long since reopened, but the reliance on ed tech continues.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We see this long history of this desire to automate education, automate teaching, automate testing, that’s very much bound up in really this very old story of this idea that if we can just measure everything, then perhaps we can engineer things so that they’re optimized,” Watters said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, classrooms don’t work that way. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Humans are messier,” she added. Students don’t all develop, think or learn in identical ways. “This desire to standardize and optimize things as a science has great appeal but I’m not sure it’s actually practical or realistic.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Watters is particularly skeptical of one of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62365/one-size-fits-all-math-homework-may-be-more-helpful-than-you-think\">ed tech’s central promises: personalization\u003c/a>. Educational software often claims to tailor instruction to each student’s needs. But Watters says that promise begins with an assumption that teachers themselves lack sufficient insight into their students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There is this notion from outside of the classroom that somehow teachers don’t know what’s happening and that they need this technology in order to actually understand students and then be able to personalize or individualize what they’re doing to meet those students’ needs,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Teachers have long incorporated videos, computers and other digital tools into lessons. The difference today is that many instructional decisions are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60110/personalized-learning-is-more-than-an-edtech-marketing-term-it-requires-good-teachers\">increasingly shaped by software platforms\u003c/a> designed outside the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s some margin for experimentation and play, of course, but mostly you’ve lost your agency and autonomy because the whole vision of what things look like is really in the hands of these technology companies,” Watters said. “They’ve already decided what teaching and learning look like with their tools.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That concern resonates with Molly Esquivel, a fifth-grade teacher in Fullerton, California. She recalled being instructed to administer the reading program i-Ready to her students, despite believing it wasn’t the right instructional choice. When she objected, “the principal came back at me and said, ‘You have to do this,’” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Esquivel, the issue extends beyond one software program.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It skips over the very foundation of curriculum and instruction and goes right to handing over that pedagogic power to a device rather than a person,” she said. “ And that, to me, is not sound practice.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said it is obvious when students are on physical materials as opposed to individually on devices. “I oftentimes refer to my classroom as a living, breathing organism,” she said. Students interact with one another; they move and solve problems together. When every student is on a device, “they are now interacting with an inanimate object.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Some schools are pulling back on tech use\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At McPherson Middle School in Kansas, Principal Inge Esping said teachers began raising concerns that district-issued Chromebooks were becoming distractions rather than instructional tools. Teachers found themselves spending more time monitoring screens than interacting with students. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They, too, felt really tied to their own devices,” Esping said of educators. “They want to be busy around their classroom and helping students remain focused [and] problem solve.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/66374/screens-are-leaving-schools-fast-though-some-students-with-disabilities-rely-on-them\">Rather than eliminating technology\u003c/a>, school leaders and teachers at Esping decided to change how students access it. Instead of taking Chromebooks everywhere, devices remain on classroom carts and are used when teachers believe they add instructional value. The shift wasn’t framed as a ban, Esping said, but as an opportunity to reevaluate their relationship to technology. “Over this next year, we’ll really assess how often are we on screens to consider if we need to have additional goals [related to technology] or not,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since Lila Byock first began raising concerns with Schools Beyond Screens – the advocacy group she founded because of her son’s experience in school – the \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2026/lausd-screen-time-limits/759492\">Los Angeles Unified School District has adopted grade-level limits on student screen time\u003c/a>. The new policy prohibits screen use altogether in kindergarten and first grade, and allows families to opt out of taking district devices home.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1429\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-2000x1429.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66518\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-2000x1429.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-1536x1097.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-2048x1463.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Schools Beyond Screens-affiliated families and educators gather at the LAUSD Board Headquarters to show support for a new screen time policy.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She sees the policy as progress, even if she believes more work remains. “One of the things we’ve been pushing for is a moratorium on AI use in the classroom on student devices until the district develops a comprehensive AI policy,” Byock noted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Her family’s story began with one struggling student, but the conversation it helped spark has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/66306/schools-and-states-are-now-setting-limits-on-screen-time-for-students\">grown into something much larger\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the summer, Byock went to drop off her son’s enrollment papers and one of the school’s administrators mentioned that this year parents can expect a renewed focus on hands-on learning and more \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64992/taking-exams-in-blue-books-its-back-to-help-curb-ai-use-and-rampant-cheating\">pencil-and-paper activities\u003c/a>. In order to accommodate analog learning, the school had ordered “tons of extra paper.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-megaphone wp-block-embed-megaphone\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC2555651076\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode transcript\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Welcome to MindShift, where we explore the future of learning and how we raise our kids. I’m Nimah Gobir. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> During the 2024-25 school year, Lila Byock’s son had just started middle school. And then something shifted. He began bringing home the worst grades he had ever received. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>He’d always been a bright, curious, engaged kid who did really well in school And my husband and I were confused and concerned. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The thing is – it wasn’t that Lila’s son didn’t understand the material. His teachers actually told her he’s above grade level. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> They said, “He just can’t stay on task on his iPad.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>music\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> They were talking about his school-issued iPad — \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>one that every student in the Los Angeles Unified School District receives under a one-to-one device model. In class, students were required to use an online program called i-Ready to complete assignments. But there was nothing stopping them from opening another tab — and doing, well… basically anything else.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> We said, well, how much time is he spending on his iPad? And they said, Well, we use it sort of for everything all day. And that was… a complete revelation for us. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> As Lila started asking more questions, she learned what her son — and many of his classmates — were actually doing during the school day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> Our child was. Scrolling YouTube shorts all during math class. He was playing Fortnite battles along with many of his other classmates during class. A student at lunchtime was watching Squid Game on his school issued iPad. Um, and, you know, my son watched that with him. Um, somebody showed him porn on a school issued device.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> After talking it through with her son, Lila realized he was just as frustrated as she was. He’d always been engaged in school, and now he felt trapped in habits he couldn’t seem to stop. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> It was like it was eroding his self-esteem. And he told us, you know, I want to stop and I don’t think I can.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Worse yet, There were no clear policies. No safeguards. When Lila realized how much the IPads were being used, she sent a list of questions to the school’s administrators \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>And the answers I got back were just completely unsatisfying. It was as if no one had ever thought about these things before and [00:06:20][32.1]Lila Byock: [00:07:00] that raised every red flag for me. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Lila is far from alone. Versions of her story are coming from parents all over the country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>In 2024, many public schools responded to concerns about distraction by banning student cell phones. But in many cases, the screen time didn’t disappear, it just shifted to school-issued devices. So today on MindShift, we’re asking 3 big questions : What role should education technology actually play in the classroom? When does it help — and when does it get in the way? And is it time to rethink the one-to-one device model altogether? All of that and more, after the break.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> To understand how schools got to a place where students spend so much of the day on screens, it helps to zoom out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Audrey Watters is a writer and historian who studies education technology. She says the debates we’re having about ed tech today stretch back to way before students were using laptops..\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> We see this sort of long history of this desire to sort of automate education, automate teaching, automate testing, that’s very much bound up in really this very old story of this idea that if we can just, if we can just measure everything, then perhaps we can sort of engineer things so that they’re optimized.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Audrey says some of the earliest ed tech promises didn’t start with computers at all — they started with standardized testing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> The idea of creating a multiple choice test was so that you could get rid of any sort of subjectivity and make this field more objective. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters: \u003c/strong>You want to be able to develop a machine that can administer, grade, and teach more efficiently, more objectively, than teachers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Efficiency. Objectivity. Optimization. Those ideas have shaped education technology ever since. According to the National Education Policy Center 13 million students across the US use iReady in their classrooms. In it, students work on lessons that adjust based on their answers, so if they miss a lot of answers on a certain subject, they get more questions that help them practice that area. There are other similar programs in use like Khan Academy, Ascend Math and ReadTheory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>As recent as 2024, schools spent 30 billion on education tech. It is projected to increase.The promise to schools is that these products will measure growth, identify areas of need, and fill in learning gaps if you use their adaptive learning models\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Audrey says that every wave of ed tech promises to improve learning, but underneath those promises is a deep discomfort with how human and unpredictable classrooms actually are.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>But Audrey says that way of thinking however, runs into a problem. Learning doesn’t behave like a machine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> We want to think of education as a science. I think we want to think about learning as a science. And I don’t say this as though it’s not, but that doesn’t seem to ever quite entirely capture what happens both individually, what makes us love certain subjects for example, be curious and interested in certain ideas and then be utterly indifferent to others. I’m not sure that we can sort of science our way out of that. [00:03:00][31.2]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>The appeal is easy to understand. If every student learns differently, wouldn’t it be helpful to have software that could adapt to each child’s needs? That’s been one of ed tech’s most powerful selling points. But Audrey says the focus on personalization begins with a troubling assumption.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> There is this notion from outside of the classroom that somehow teachers don’t know what’s happening and that they need this sort of science and they need this technology in order to actually understand students and then be able to personalize or individualize what they’re doing to meet those students’ needs. [00:09:45][18.9]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> To make one thing clear, teachers have used technology creatively for decades — They might show short videos to illustrate a concept or even take students on a virtual field trip. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Oftentimes learning with tech is shaped by the companies that make the tools\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters: \u003c/strong>They’ve already decided what teaching and learning look like with theirs with their tools. – Of course, there’s some margins for experimentation and play, of course, but mostly you’re still sort of you’ve lost your agency and autonomy because the whole sort of vision of what things look like is really in the hands of these technology companies. [00:12:29][19.8]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Audrey’s argument is that education technology has failed because it was built to standardize learning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Lila Byock, the parent we heard from earlier, was watching what happened when learning was done almost entirely through a screen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> For my son, um, school became the place where he could essentially have unrestricted screen time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>While she was going through this, she felt isolated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>I started confiding in some other parents of middle schoolers and every single person I talked to said, oh, thank God it’s not just us. Everyone was dealing with the same thing and no one was talking about it because we had all just kind of accepted the idea that for some reason our kids needed these internet connected devices. On their desks all day in school. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Together, Lila and likeminded parents and teachers formed a group called Schools Beyond Screens to push for changes in how schools use technology.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>There’s so much parental and teacher outrage and discontent about the hours and hours and hours our kids are spending on these apps, and I believe we’re going to see a shift in some of those policies.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> But if schools do decide to change course, what would teachers actually want instead? Molly Esquivel, a 6th grader teacher, a fifth-grade teacher at a public school in Fullerton, California, doesn’t want to get rid of technology entirely. She thinks that teachers should get more say in how tech is used in their classrooms” When she taught at a public school in Fullerton, California…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel:\u003c/strong> I was asked by the principal to give the kids iReady. You have to.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Molly pushed back because she didn’t think the program was a good fit for her students. But her district had purchased the iReady program and was requiring teachers to use it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel: \u003c/strong>The principal came back at me and said, you have to do this. So there are mandates, there are requirements.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> To her, that’s the bigger issue. Decisions about teaching are increasingly being made far away from the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel:\u003c/strong> That skips over the very foundation of curriculum and instruction and goes right to handing over that pedagogic power to a device rather than a person. And that to me is not sound practice, sound pedagogy and completely, as I said, sidelining not only the expert, but the human. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Molly wants more opportunities for students to interact with each other and with their teacher. She says the difference feels obvious.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel:\u003c/strong> I oftentimes refer to my classroom as a living breathing organism. Kids are interacting with each other or even interacting with themselves and they’re moving and evolving and growing [00:26:28][18.3]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Compare that to a classroom where every student is working on a device.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>It means kids have headphones on, their heads are tilted down to look at a screen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel: \u003c/strong>They are now interacting with an inanimate object. That doesn’t sit right. It doesn’t sound right. It doesn’t look right. That’s not what classrooms would even be drawn as or what we would ever imagine them to be.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> For teachers like Molly, the goal is to make sure technology serves learning rather than replacing the relationships that make learning possible. Amy Tyson is a child and adolescent psychologist and the founder of EverySchool. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>We were sold devices and told that this was innovation. That like merely having the device in the classroom equaled innovation. But what we ended up doing was just replacing traditional methods that we know work, that are tried and true, with devices that are just less effective.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>At her organization, EverySchool, she has worked to synthesize research so that teachers don’t have to. A big thing she did that many folks don’t do was that she focused on research that wasn’t funded by people with a stake in these tech tools. A big finding that may surprise you is that there isn’t conclusive evidence saying that tech is making kids smarter or improves learning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> Shortly after the widespread adoption of school issue devices, which happened around the year 2012, we began to see an alarming downturn in academic outcomes also beginning in 2012. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Now, we can’t pin this all on edtech. There are a variety of factors that may be contributing, but at a minimum it’s safe to say it isn’t helping. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> EdTech has flourished in the classroom, our test scores, and I’d also like to say notably, the scores on loneliness, which are important for student health and well-being, continue to slip down year after year. So there’s really zero indication that it’s helping and I would say that there is mounting evidence that it is harming . [00:11:40][13.1]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> A lot of schools use ed tech tools \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> EdTech and TechEd are not the same thing. But teaching how to using technology, teaching transformative technology skills is not the same thing as using technology to teach every subject. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Would argue that students are far more likely to be missing out on soft skill development, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, problem solving, interpersonal skills, empathy, creativity, even eye contact at this point.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Amy also debunks that EdTech is neutral. You might hear edtech is a tool… like a pencil\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Screens do have uniquely negative effects that like a pen just doesn’t have. Screens hijack our attention, they distract us into a constant state of multitasking, they infiltrate our reward system, give us constant bursts of dopamine. It’s not the same thing as a pencil. It is not a neutral learning tool. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And that brings us back to Lila and her son. Who was definitely not using his ipad like a pencil.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>Algebra’s hard. It’s not very hard to scroll YouTube. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>This is Lila again. Talking about her son. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> This year we, before the first day of school, we notified the principal that our child would not be taking home his device and we opted him out of the iReady program. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And teachers were very accommodating. One of his teachers was actually quite excited and said that she’d do a one-on-one novel study with him while other students used the iReady program on the IPad.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>And that just speaks to the trade-offs that are being made in favor of these ed tech apps. You know, our kids could be doing rigorous novel study, reading real books. Which is so rare now. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Since Lila first started asking questions, LAUSD has adopted new limits on student screen time, including restrictions on classroom device use and new options for families to opt out of bringing devices home. It’s a sign that some districts are beginning to rethink their relationship with technology. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Psychologist Amy Tyson and her EverySchool colleagues came up with something called the ed tech triangle , a framework designed to help schools make those decisions more intentionally. Picture a triangle with the pointy tip facing downwards\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>At the smallest pointy tip is Disruptive technology\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>And that’s tech that disrupts learning and breeds habitual use. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Think of activities that pull students away from learning, like unrestricted access to cell phones, or other excess screen time uses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> So really it’s something that we encourage educators to use to really to avoid using if possible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Think of activities that pull students away from learning like unrestricted access to cell phones, or other excess screen time uses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> One level up in the triangle is restrictive technology.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> That’s restricting learning outcomes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>These are tools that may be convenient, but don’t necessarily deepen learning. For example, reading a digital worksheet instead of a paper one, or completing an activity on a screen that could be done just as effectively without one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> So, use sparingly and in very specific situations if you do end up needing to use it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>These are tools that may be convenient, but don’t necessarily deepen learning. For example, reading a digital worksheet instead of a paper one, or completing an activity on a screen that could be done just as effectively without one. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Third from the bottom Second from the top is supportive technology. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Supportive is the area that supports learning in helpful ways. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This might include things like speech-to-text tools, accessibility features, or software that helps students organize their work– technology that supports learning but doesn’t fundamentally change it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>It can be helpful to be used in moderation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>This might include things like speech-to-text tools, accessibility features, or software that helps students organize their work– technology that supports learning but doesn’t fundamentally change it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And at the very top is \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Transformative, which is a technology that produces a unique outcome or develops a high level skill. [00:08:55][6.5]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>We’re talking about skill development. So. It’s very hard to teach robotics if you aren’t programming a robot, if you’re not using a device. That’s teaching a high level skill, it’s producing a unique outcome.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> In other words, technology should be hardest to justify when it’s simply replacing something that already works. Its strongest case is when students are doing something they couldn’t do otherwise. And some school leaders are already using frameworks like this to make hard decisions, including rolling back one-to-one devices altogether.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>My name is Inga Esping. I’m the principal of McPherson Middle School at McPhersen, Kansas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>In the spring of 2024, Inge and other leaders at McPherson Middle School were reviewing their data. For years, the school had been making steady academic gains. But now, that progress was slowing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>We were starting to feel a little like we were plateauing. So our question was, how do we continue the momentum that we’re on to really improve the culture and the academic experience in our school? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>At McPherson, every student had a Chromebook they carried to and from school. Teachers began raising a possibility that echoed what parents like Lila had been saying: maybe the devices were getting in the way. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> They were frustrated by the distractions. They just didn’t feel that it was enhancing learning to the level that they were hoping to.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Teachers told administrators that when students were on their laptops, they ended up on laptops too. They spent less time circulating, less time connecting, more time monitoring screens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> They want to be busy around their classroom and helping students remain focused, problem solve, really to get involved. But they too felt really tied to their own devices. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Teachers found themselves policing tabs and websites. And over time, those constant corrections began to strain relationships with students. Some students felt a sense of ownership over their chromebook like “you can’t tell me what to do. This is mine.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> And how that would sometimes cause a challenge of not knowing exactly what was and wasn’t homework concerned about the amount of hours their students were online and saying that they’re working on school work when in fact that wasn’t always the case.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The two words that changed everything were what if. As in, What if they didn’t do school this way anymore?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> What if we helped our students understand this is a tool that can be very powerful to use. But at this point, the way we’ve approached it right now, it feels like more of a distraction. And we have such important work that we’re trying to do here in school, we want you to refocus.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> School leaders began digging into the research –much of the same research Amy Tyson pointed to— showing that one-to-one devices often fail to deliver on their promises.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Instead of having students carrying Chromebooks all day, McPherson invested in classroom carts to keep devices in the room and had teachers use them only when teachers believed they genuinely add value.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>As we came back this school year, we started really training our teachers. This is coming. We’re not sure when. We are unsure exactly the timeline. Actually over the last two days, students have returned to their Chromebooks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>This wasn’t a ban. And it wasn’t a rigid policy. It was more of a reset.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>So students will actually come back and have zero Chromebook time for their first few weeks in our spring semester. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> McPherson is in a fortunate position. Teachers still have access to physical books, worksheets, and materials. These are resources some schools no longer have because they may have completely replaced them with digital books or ed tech programs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>All we’ve done is give guidance. Please use them as sparingly as possible. Think about when they really enhance the lesson, enhance the learning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>So, over this next year, we’ll really assess how often are we on screens to consider if we need to have additional goals or not. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Inge is clear-eyed about the limits of this approach. Keeping Chromebooks at school won’t magically solve every problem. But she hopes it’s a start. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> What I’m most proud of the work here is that I have a staff who is really brave to try something different. They’re allowing us to make this change knowing that we’re going to face unknowns, we’re going to face challenges.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Her hope isn’t that other schools copy McPherson exactly, but that they feel empowered to ask their own “what if” questions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> I would just encourage. Schools who are also interested in joining us in this initiative to be brave, acknowledge that there’s going to be challenges, communicate with your stakeholders when those challenges arise and seek your community members, your students, your parents, seek their input so that you can really build the program and the school that you hope to see. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>MindShift is supported in part by the generosity of the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and members of KQED. This episode was made possible by the Stuart Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“He was scrolling YouTube Shorts during math class. He was playing Fortnite battles with classmates during class,” Byock said. Other students watched streaming shows during lunch on school-issued iPads, and one student even showed pornography on a school device, according to Byock.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“He was scrolling YouTube Shorts during math class. He was playing Fortnite battles with classmates during class,” Byock said. Other students watched streaming shows during lunch on school-issued iPads, and one student even showed pornography on a school device, according to Byock.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cp>After talking with her son, Byock realized he wasn’t trying to break rules, but rather, he felt trapped by distractions he couldn’t seem to resist. “It was eroding his self-esteem,” she said. “He told us, ‘I want to stop, and I don’t think I can.'”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Byock’s experience reflects a larger shift in American classrooms. Over the last 15 years, schools invested billions of dollars in laptops, tablets and educational software, often under the promise that technology would personalize learning and prepare students for a digital future. Today, some educators and parents are beginning to ask whether those tools changed classrooms in ways they never intended. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Byock’s experience reflects a larger shift in American classrooms. Over the last 15 years, schools invested billions of dollars in laptops, tablets and educational software, often under the promise that technology would personalize learning and prepare students for a digital future. Today, some educators and parents are beginning to ask whether those tools changed classrooms in ways they never intended. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For decades, education technology — also called ed tech — has been marketed as a way to make learning more customized, efficient and equitable. Writer and ed tech historian \u003ca href=\"https://audreywatters.com/\">Audrey Watters\u003c/a> said those promises stretch back long before laptops or artificial intelligence.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For decades, education technology — also called ed tech — has been marketed as a way to make learning more customized, efficient and equitable. Writer and ed tech historian \u003ca href=\"https://audreywatters.com/\">Audrey Watters\u003c/a> said those promises stretch back long before laptops or artificial intelligence.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the early 1900s, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/history-standardized-testing-united-states\">educators embraced standardized testing and intelligence testing\u003c/a> as a way to make learning more measurable and objective. That same logic eventually shaped educational software, including the creation of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/far-reaching-legacy-first-teaching-machines\">“teaching machines”\u003c/a> designed to automatically grade multiple choice questions and aspirationally automate teaching. Personal computers entered classrooms in the 1980s, internet-connected learning expanded in the 1990s and 2000s, and after 2010 districts rapidly adopted one-to-one laptop programs. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the rapid push to remote learning made the full transition to digital learning nearly complete by providing students and schools with internet connectivity, devices and curriculum. Schools have long since reopened, but the reliance on ed tech continues.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We see this long history of this desire to automate education, automate teaching, automate testing, that’s very much bound up in really this very old story of this idea that if we can just measure everything, then perhaps we can engineer things so that they’re optimized,” Watters said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the early 1900s, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/history-standardized-testing-united-states\">educators embraced standardized testing and intelligence testing\u003c/a> as a way to make learning more measurable and objective. That same logic eventually shaped educational software, including the creation of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/far-reaching-legacy-first-teaching-machines\">“teaching machines”\u003c/a> designed to automatically grade multiple choice questions and aspirationally automate teaching. Personal computers entered classrooms in the 1980s, internet-connected learning expanded in the 1990s and 2000s, and after 2010 districts rapidly adopted one-to-one laptop programs. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the rapid push to remote learning made the full transition to digital learning nearly complete by providing students and schools with internet connectivity, devices and curriculum. Schools have long since reopened, but the reliance on ed tech continues.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We see this long history of this desire to automate education, automate teaching, automate testing, that’s very much bound up in really this very old story of this idea that if we can just measure everything, then perhaps we can engineer things so that they’re optimized,” Watters said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Humans are messier,” she added. Students don’t all develop, think or learn in identical ways. “This desire to standardize and optimize things as a science has great appeal but I’m not sure it’s actually practical or realistic.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Humans are messier,” she added. Students don’t all develop, think or learn in identical ways. “This desire to standardize and optimize things as a science has great appeal but I’m not sure it’s actually practical or realistic.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Watters is particularly skeptical of one of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62365/one-size-fits-all-math-homework-may-be-more-helpful-than-you-think\">ed tech’s central promises: personalization\u003c/a>. Educational software often claims to tailor instruction to each student’s needs. But Watters says that promise begins with an assumption that teachers themselves lack sufficient insight into their students.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Watters is particularly skeptical of one of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62365/one-size-fits-all-math-homework-may-be-more-helpful-than-you-think\">ed tech’s central promises: personalization\u003c/a>. Educational software often claims to tailor instruction to each student’s needs. But Watters says that promise begins with an assumption that teachers themselves lack sufficient insight into their students.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There is this notion from outside of the classroom that somehow teachers don’t know what’s happening and that they need this technology in order to actually understand students and then be able to personalize or individualize what they’re doing to meet those students’ needs,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Teachers have long incorporated videos, computers and other digital tools into lessons. The difference today is that many instructional decisions are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60110/personalized-learning-is-more-than-an-edtech-marketing-term-it-requires-good-teachers\">increasingly shaped by software platforms\u003c/a> designed outside the classroom.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Teachers have long incorporated videos, computers and other digital tools into lessons. The difference today is that many instructional decisions are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60110/personalized-learning-is-more-than-an-edtech-marketing-term-it-requires-good-teachers\">increasingly shaped by software platforms\u003c/a> designed outside the classroom.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s some margin for experimentation and play, of course, but mostly you’ve lost your agency and autonomy because the whole vision of what things look like is really in the hands of these technology companies,” Watters said. “They’ve already decided what teaching and learning look like with their tools.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There’s some margin for experimentation and play, of course, but mostly you’ve lost your agency and autonomy because the whole vision of what things look like is really in the hands of these technology companies,” Watters said. “They’ve already decided what teaching and learning look like with their tools.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That concern resonates with Molly Esquivel, a fifth-grade teacher in Fullerton, California. She recalled being instructed to administer the reading program i-Ready to her students, despite believing it wasn’t the right instructional choice. When she objected, “the principal came back at me and said, ‘You have to do this,’” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That concern resonates with Molly Esquivel, a fifth-grade teacher in Fullerton, California. She recalled being instructed to administer the reading program i-Ready to her students, despite believing it wasn’t the right instructional choice. When she objected, “the principal came back at me and said, ‘You have to do this,’” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Esquivel, the issue extends beyond one software program.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It skips over the very foundation of curriculum and instruction and goes right to handing over that pedagogic power to a device rather than a person,” she said. “ And that, to me, is not sound practice.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It skips over the very foundation of curriculum and instruction and goes right to handing over that pedagogic power to a device rather than a person,” she said. “ And that, to me, is not sound practice.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said it is obvious when students are on physical materials as opposed to individually on devices. “I oftentimes refer to my classroom as a living, breathing organism,” she said. Students interact with one another; they move and solve problems together. When every student is on a device, “they are now interacting with an inanimate object.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She said it is obvious when students are on physical materials as opposed to individually on devices. “I oftentimes refer to my classroom as a living, breathing organism,” she said. Students interact with one another; they move and solve problems together. When every student is on a device, “they are now interacting with an inanimate object.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Some schools are pulling back on tech use",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Some schools are pulling back on tech use\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At McPherson Middle School in Kansas, Principal Inge Esping said teachers began raising concerns that district-issued Chromebooks were becoming distractions rather than instructional tools. Teachers found themselves spending more time monitoring screens than interacting with students. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At McPherson Middle School in Kansas, Principal Inge Esping said teachers began raising concerns that district-issued Chromebooks were becoming distractions rather than instructional tools. Teachers found themselves spending more time monitoring screens than interacting with students. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They, too, felt really tied to their own devices,” Esping said of educators. “They want to be busy around their classroom and helping students remain focused [and] problem solve.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They, too, felt really tied to their own devices,” Esping said of educators. “They want to be busy around their classroom and helping students remain focused [and] problem solve.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/66374/screens-are-leaving-schools-fast-though-some-students-with-disabilities-rely-on-them\">Rather than eliminating technology\u003c/a>, school leaders and teachers at Esping decided to change how students access it. Instead of taking Chromebooks everywhere, devices remain on classroom carts and are used when teachers believe they add instructional value. The shift wasn’t framed as a ban, Esping said, but as an opportunity to reevaluate their relationship to technology. “Over this next year, we’ll really assess how often are we on screens to consider if we need to have additional goals [related to technology] or not,” she added.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/66374/screens-are-leaving-schools-fast-though-some-students-with-disabilities-rely-on-them\">Rather than eliminating technology\u003c/a>, school leaders and teachers at Esping decided to change how students access it. Instead of taking Chromebooks everywhere, devices remain on classroom carts and are used when teachers believe they add instructional value. The shift wasn’t framed as a ban, Esping said, but as an opportunity to reevaluate their relationship to technology. “Over this next year, we’ll really assess how often are we on screens to consider if we need to have additional goals [related to technology] or not,” she added.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since Lila Byock first began raising concerns with Schools Beyond Screens – the advocacy group she founded because of her son’s experience in school – the \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2026/lausd-screen-time-limits/759492\">Los Angeles Unified School District has adopted grade-level limits on student screen time\u003c/a>. The new policy prohibits screen use altogether in kindergarten and first grade, and allows families to opt out of taking district devices home.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since Lila Byock first began raising concerns with Schools Beyond Screens – the advocacy group she founded because of her son’s experience in school – the \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2026/lausd-screen-time-limits/759492\">Los Angeles Unified School District has adopted grade-level limits on student screen time\u003c/a>. The new policy prohibits screen use altogether in kindergarten and first grade, and allows families to opt out of taking district devices home.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-2000x1429.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66518\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-2000x1429.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-1536x1097.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-2048x1463.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Schools Beyond Screens-affiliated families and educators gather at the LAUSD Board Headquarters to show support for a new screen time policy.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-2000x1429.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66518\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Schools Beyond Screens-affiliated families and educators gather at the LAUSD Board Headquarters to show support for a new screen time policy.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She sees the policy as progress, even if she believes more work remains. “One of the things we’ve been pushing for is a moratorium on AI use in the classroom on student devices until the district develops a comprehensive AI policy,” Byock noted.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She sees the policy as progress, even if she believes more work remains. “One of the things we’ve been pushing for is a moratorium on AI use in the classroom on student devices until the district develops a comprehensive AI policy,” Byock noted.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Her family’s story began with one struggling student, but the conversation it helped spark has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/66306/schools-and-states-are-now-setting-limits-on-screen-time-for-students\">grown into something much larger\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Her family’s story began with one struggling student, but the conversation it helped spark has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/66306/schools-and-states-are-now-setting-limits-on-screen-time-for-students\">grown into something much larger\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the summer, Byock went to drop off her son’s enrollment papers and one of the school’s administrators mentioned that this year parents can expect a renewed focus on hands-on learning and more \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64992/taking-exams-in-blue-books-its-back-to-help-curb-ai-use-and-rampant-cheating\">pencil-and-paper activities\u003c/a>. In order to accommodate analog learning, the school had ordered “tons of extra paper.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During the summer, Byock went to drop off her son’s enrollment papers and one of the school’s administrators mentioned that this year parents can expect a renewed focus on hands-on learning and more \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64992/taking-exams-in-blue-books-its-back-to-help-curb-ai-use-and-rampant-cheating\">pencil-and-paper activities\u003c/a>. In order to accommodate analog learning, the school had ordered “tons of extra paper.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Welcome to MindShift, where we explore the future of learning and how we raise our kids. I’m Nimah Gobir. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Welcome to MindShift, where we explore the future of learning and how we raise our kids. I’m Nimah Gobir. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> During the 2024-25 school year, Lila Byock’s son had just started middle school. And then something shifted. He began bringing home the worst grades he had ever received. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> During the 2024-25 school year, Lila Byock’s son had just started middle school. And then something shifted. He began bringing home the worst grades he had ever received. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>He’d always been a bright, curious, engaged kid who did really well in school And my husband and I were confused and concerned. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>He’d always been a bright, curious, engaged kid who did really well in school And my husband and I were confused and concerned. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The thing is – it wasn’t that Lila’s son didn’t understand the material. His teachers actually told her he’s above grade level. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The thing is – it wasn’t that Lila’s son didn’t understand the material. His teachers actually told her he’s above grade level. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> They said, “He just can’t stay on task on his iPad.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> They said, “He just can’t stay on task on his iPad.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cp>music\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> They were talking about his school-issued iPad — \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> They were talking about his school-issued iPad — \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>one that every student in the Los Angeles Unified School District receives under a one-to-one device model. In class, students were required to use an online program called i-Ready to complete assignments. But there was nothing stopping them from opening another tab — and doing, well… basically anything else.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>one that every student in the Los Angeles Unified School District receives under a one-to-one device model. In class, students were required to use an online program called i-Ready to complete assignments. But there was nothing stopping them from opening another tab — and doing, well… basically anything else.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> We said, well, how much time is he spending on his iPad? And they said, Well, we use it sort of for everything all day. And that was… a complete revelation for us. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> We said, well, how much time is he spending on his iPad? And they said, Well, we use it sort of for everything all day. And that was… a complete revelation for us. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> As Lila started asking more questions, she learned what her son — and many of his classmates — were actually doing during the school day.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> As Lila started asking more questions, she learned what her son — and many of his classmates — were actually doing during the school day.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> Our child was. Scrolling YouTube shorts all during math class. He was playing Fortnite battles along with many of his other classmates during class. A student at lunchtime was watching Squid Game on his school issued iPad. Um, and, you know, my son watched that with him. Um, somebody showed him porn on a school issued device.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> Our child was. Scrolling YouTube shorts all during math class. He was playing Fortnite battles along with many of his other classmates during class. A student at lunchtime was watching Squid Game on his school issued iPad. Um, and, you know, my son watched that with him. Um, somebody showed him porn on a school issued device.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> After talking it through with her son, Lila realized he was just as frustrated as she was. He’d always been engaged in school, and now he felt trapped in habits he couldn’t seem to stop. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> After talking it through with her son, Lila realized he was just as frustrated as she was. He’d always been engaged in school, and now he felt trapped in habits he couldn’t seem to stop. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> It was like it was eroding his self-esteem. And he told us, you know, I want to stop and I don’t think I can.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> It was like it was eroding his self-esteem. And he told us, you know, I want to stop and I don’t think I can.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Worse yet, There were no clear policies. No safeguards. When Lila realized how much the IPads were being used, she sent a list of questions to the school’s administrators \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Worse yet, There were no clear policies. No safeguards. When Lila realized how much the IPads were being used, she sent a list of questions to the school’s administrators \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>And the answers I got back were just completely unsatisfying. It was as if no one had ever thought about these things before and [00:06:20][32.1]Lila Byock: [00:07:00] that raised every red flag for me. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>And the answers I got back were just completely unsatisfying. It was as if no one had ever thought about these things before and [00:06:20][32.1]Lila Byock: [00:07:00] that raised every red flag for me. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Lila is far from alone. Versions of her story are coming from parents all over the country.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Lila is far from alone. Versions of her story are coming from parents all over the country.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>In 2024, many public schools responded to concerns about distraction by banning student cell phones. But in many cases, the screen time didn’t disappear, it just shifted to school-issued devices. So today on MindShift, we’re asking 3 big questions : What role should education technology actually play in the classroom? When does it help — and when does it get in the way? And is it time to rethink the one-to-one device model altogether? All of that and more, after the break.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>In 2024, many public schools responded to concerns about distraction by banning student cell phones. But in many cases, the screen time didn’t disappear, it just shifted to school-issued devices. So today on MindShift, we’re asking 3 big questions : What role should education technology actually play in the classroom? When does it help — and when does it get in the way? And is it time to rethink the one-to-one device model altogether? All of that and more, after the break.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> To understand how schools got to a place where students spend so much of the day on screens, it helps to zoom out.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> To understand how schools got to a place where students spend so much of the day on screens, it helps to zoom out.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Audrey Watters is a writer and historian who studies education technology. She says the debates we’re having about ed tech today stretch back to way before students were using laptops..\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> We see this sort of long history of this desire to sort of automate education, automate teaching, automate testing, that’s very much bound up in really this very old story of this idea that if we can just, if we can just measure everything, then perhaps we can sort of engineer things so that they’re optimized.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> We see this sort of long history of this desire to sort of automate education, automate teaching, automate testing, that’s very much bound up in really this very old story of this idea that if we can just, if we can just measure everything, then perhaps we can sort of engineer things so that they’re optimized.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Audrey says some of the earliest ed tech promises didn’t start with computers at all — they started with standardized testing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Audrey says some of the earliest ed tech promises didn’t start with computers at all — they started with standardized testing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> The idea of creating a multiple choice test was so that you could get rid of any sort of subjectivity and make this field more objective. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> The idea of creating a multiple choice test was so that you could get rid of any sort of subjectivity and make this field more objective. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters: \u003c/strong>You want to be able to develop a machine that can administer, grade, and teach more efficiently, more objectively, than teachers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Efficiency. Objectivity. Optimization. Those ideas have shaped education technology ever since. According to the National Education Policy Center 13 million students across the US use iReady in their classrooms. In it, students work on lessons that adjust based on their answers, so if they miss a lot of answers on a certain subject, they get more questions that help them practice that area. There are other similar programs in use like Khan Academy, Ascend Math and ReadTheory.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Efficiency. Objectivity. Optimization. Those ideas have shaped education technology ever since. According to the National Education Policy Center 13 million students across the US use iReady in their classrooms. In it, students work on lessons that adjust based on their answers, so if they miss a lot of answers on a certain subject, they get more questions that help them practice that area. There are other similar programs in use like Khan Academy, Ascend Math and ReadTheory.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>As recent as 2024, schools spent 30 billion on education tech. It is projected to increase.The promise to schools is that these products will measure growth, identify areas of need, and fill in learning gaps if you use their adaptive learning models\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>As recent as 2024, schools spent 30 billion on education tech. It is projected to increase.The promise to schools is that these products will measure growth, identify areas of need, and fill in learning gaps if you use their adaptive learning models\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Audrey says that every wave of ed tech promises to improve learning, but underneath those promises is a deep discomfort with how human and unpredictable classrooms actually are.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>But Audrey says that way of thinking however, runs into a problem. Learning doesn’t behave like a machine.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>But Audrey says that way of thinking however, runs into a problem. Learning doesn’t behave like a machine.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> We want to think of education as a science. I think we want to think about learning as a science. And I don’t say this as though it’s not, but that doesn’t seem to ever quite entirely capture what happens both individually, what makes us love certain subjects for example, be curious and interested in certain ideas and then be utterly indifferent to others. I’m not sure that we can sort of science our way out of that. [00:03:00][31.2]\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> We want to think of education as a science. I think we want to think about learning as a science. And I don’t say this as though it’s not, but that doesn’t seem to ever quite entirely capture what happens both individually, what makes us love certain subjects for example, be curious and interested in certain ideas and then be utterly indifferent to others. I’m not sure that we can sort of science our way out of that. [00:03:00][31.2]\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>The appeal is easy to understand. If every student learns differently, wouldn’t it be helpful to have software that could adapt to each child’s needs? That’s been one of ed tech’s most powerful selling points. But Audrey says the focus on personalization begins with a troubling assumption.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>The appeal is easy to understand. If every student learns differently, wouldn’t it be helpful to have software that could adapt to each child’s needs? That’s been one of ed tech’s most powerful selling points. But Audrey says the focus on personalization begins with a troubling assumption.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> There is this notion from outside of the classroom that somehow teachers don’t know what’s happening and that they need this sort of science and they need this technology in order to actually understand students and then be able to personalize or individualize what they’re doing to meet those students’ needs. [00:09:45][18.9]\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> There is this notion from outside of the classroom that somehow teachers don’t know what’s happening and that they need this sort of science and they need this technology in order to actually understand students and then be able to personalize or individualize what they’re doing to meet those students’ needs. [00:09:45][18.9]\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> To make one thing clear, teachers have used technology creatively for decades — They might show short videos to illustrate a concept or even take students on a virtual field trip. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> To make one thing clear, teachers have used technology creatively for decades — They might show short videos to illustrate a concept or even take students on a virtual field trip. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Oftentimes learning with tech is shaped by the companies that make the tools\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters: \u003c/strong>They’ve already decided what teaching and learning look like with theirs with their tools. – Of course, there’s some margins for experimentation and play, of course, but mostly you’re still sort of you’ve lost your agency and autonomy because the whole sort of vision of what things look like is really in the hands of these technology companies. [00:12:29][19.8]\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters: \u003c/strong>They’ve already decided what teaching and learning look like with theirs with their tools. – Of course, there’s some margins for experimentation and play, of course, but mostly you’re still sort of you’ve lost your agency and autonomy because the whole sort of vision of what things look like is really in the hands of these technology companies. [00:12:29][19.8]\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Audrey’s argument is that education technology has failed because it was built to standardize learning. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Lila Byock, the parent we heard from earlier, was watching what happened when learning was done almost entirely through a screen.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Lila Byock, the parent we heard from earlier, was watching what happened when learning was done almost entirely through a screen.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> For my son, um, school became the place where he could essentially have unrestricted screen time. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> For my son, um, school became the place where he could essentially have unrestricted screen time. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>While she was going through this, she felt isolated. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>I started confiding in some other parents of middle schoolers and every single person I talked to said, oh, thank God it’s not just us. Everyone was dealing with the same thing and no one was talking about it because we had all just kind of accepted the idea that for some reason our kids needed these internet connected devices. On their desks all day in school. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>I started confiding in some other parents of middle schoolers and every single person I talked to said, oh, thank God it’s not just us. Everyone was dealing with the same thing and no one was talking about it because we had all just kind of accepted the idea that for some reason our kids needed these internet connected devices. On their desks all day in school. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Together, Lila and likeminded parents and teachers formed a group called Schools Beyond Screens to push for changes in how schools use technology.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Together, Lila and likeminded parents and teachers formed a group called Schools Beyond Screens to push for changes in how schools use technology.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>There’s so much parental and teacher outrage and discontent about the hours and hours and hours our kids are spending on these apps, and I believe we’re going to see a shift in some of those policies.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>There’s so much parental and teacher outrage and discontent about the hours and hours and hours our kids are spending on these apps, and I believe we’re going to see a shift in some of those policies.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> But if schools do decide to change course, what would teachers actually want instead? Molly Esquivel, a 6th grader teacher, a fifth-grade teacher at a public school in Fullerton, California, doesn’t want to get rid of technology entirely. She thinks that teachers should get more say in how tech is used in their classrooms” When she taught at a public school in Fullerton, California…\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> But if schools do decide to change course, what would teachers actually want instead? Molly Esquivel, a 6th grader teacher, a fifth-grade teacher at a public school in Fullerton, California, doesn’t want to get rid of technology entirely. She thinks that teachers should get more say in how tech is used in their classrooms” When she taught at a public school in Fullerton, California…\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel:\u003c/strong> I was asked by the principal to give the kids iReady. You have to.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel:\u003c/strong> I was asked by the principal to give the kids iReady. You have to.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Molly pushed back because she didn’t think the program was a good fit for her students. But her district had purchased the iReady program and was requiring teachers to use it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Molly pushed back because she didn’t think the program was a good fit for her students. But her district had purchased the iReady program and was requiring teachers to use it. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel: \u003c/strong>The principal came back at me and said, you have to do this. So there are mandates, there are requirements.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel: \u003c/strong>The principal came back at me and said, you have to do this. So there are mandates, there are requirements.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> To her, that’s the bigger issue. Decisions about teaching are increasingly being made far away from the classroom.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> To her, that’s the bigger issue. Decisions about teaching are increasingly being made far away from the classroom.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel:\u003c/strong> That skips over the very foundation of curriculum and instruction and goes right to handing over that pedagogic power to a device rather than a person. And that to me is not sound practice, sound pedagogy and completely, as I said, sidelining not only the expert, but the human. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel:\u003c/strong> That skips over the very foundation of curriculum and instruction and goes right to handing over that pedagogic power to a device rather than a person. And that to me is not sound practice, sound pedagogy and completely, as I said, sidelining not only the expert, but the human. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Molly wants more opportunities for students to interact with each other and with their teacher. She says the difference feels obvious.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel:\u003c/strong> I oftentimes refer to my classroom as a living breathing organism. Kids are interacting with each other or even interacting with themselves and they’re moving and evolving and growing [00:26:28][18.3]\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel:\u003c/strong> I oftentimes refer to my classroom as a living breathing organism. Kids are interacting with each other or even interacting with themselves and they’re moving and evolving and growing [00:26:28][18.3]\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Compare that to a classroom where every student is working on a device.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>It means kids have headphones on, their heads are tilted down to look at a screen.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel: \u003c/strong>They are now interacting with an inanimate object. That doesn’t sit right. It doesn’t sound right. It doesn’t look right. That’s not what classrooms would even be drawn as or what we would ever imagine them to be.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel: \u003c/strong>They are now interacting with an inanimate object. That doesn’t sit right. It doesn’t sound right. It doesn’t look right. That’s not what classrooms would even be drawn as or what we would ever imagine them to be.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> For teachers like Molly, the goal is to make sure technology serves learning rather than replacing the relationships that make learning possible. Amy Tyson is a child and adolescent psychologist and the founder of EverySchool. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> For teachers like Molly, the goal is to make sure technology serves learning rather than replacing the relationships that make learning possible. Amy Tyson is a child and adolescent psychologist and the founder of EverySchool. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>We were sold devices and told that this was innovation. That like merely having the device in the classroom equaled innovation. But what we ended up doing was just replacing traditional methods that we know work, that are tried and true, with devices that are just less effective.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>We were sold devices and told that this was innovation. That like merely having the device in the classroom equaled innovation. But what we ended up doing was just replacing traditional methods that we know work, that are tried and true, with devices that are just less effective.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>At her organization, EverySchool, she has worked to synthesize research so that teachers don’t have to. A big thing she did that many folks don’t do was that she focused on research that wasn’t funded by people with a stake in these tech tools. A big finding that may surprise you is that there isn’t conclusive evidence saying that tech is making kids smarter or improves learning. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> Shortly after the widespread adoption of school issue devices, which happened around the year 2012, we began to see an alarming downturn in academic outcomes also beginning in 2012. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> Shortly after the widespread adoption of school issue devices, which happened around the year 2012, we began to see an alarming downturn in academic outcomes also beginning in 2012. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Now, we can’t pin this all on edtech. There are a variety of factors that may be contributing, but at a minimum it’s safe to say it isn’t helping. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Now, we can’t pin this all on edtech. There are a variety of factors that may be contributing, but at a minimum it’s safe to say it isn’t helping. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> EdTech has flourished in the classroom, our test scores, and I’d also like to say notably, the scores on loneliness, which are important for student health and well-being, continue to slip down year after year. So there’s really zero indication that it’s helping and I would say that there is mounting evidence that it is harming . [00:11:40][13.1]\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> EdTech has flourished in the classroom, our test scores, and I’d also like to say notably, the scores on loneliness, which are important for student health and well-being, continue to slip down year after year. So there’s really zero indication that it’s helping and I would say that there is mounting evidence that it is harming . [00:11:40][13.1]\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> EdTech and TechEd are not the same thing. But teaching how to using technology, teaching transformative technology skills is not the same thing as using technology to teach every subject. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Would argue that students are far more likely to be missing out on soft skill development, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, problem solving, interpersonal skills, empathy, creativity, even eye contact at this point.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Would argue that students are far more likely to be missing out on soft skill development, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, problem solving, interpersonal skills, empathy, creativity, even eye contact at this point.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Amy also debunks that EdTech is neutral. You might hear edtech is a tool… like a pencil\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Screens do have uniquely negative effects that like a pen just doesn’t have. Screens hijack our attention, they distract us into a constant state of multitasking, they infiltrate our reward system, give us constant bursts of dopamine. It’s not the same thing as a pencil. It is not a neutral learning tool. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Screens do have uniquely negative effects that like a pen just doesn’t have. Screens hijack our attention, they distract us into a constant state of multitasking, they infiltrate our reward system, give us constant bursts of dopamine. It’s not the same thing as a pencil. It is not a neutral learning tool. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And that brings us back to Lila and her son. Who was definitely not using his ipad like a pencil.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>Algebra’s hard. It’s not very hard to scroll YouTube. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>This is Lila again. Talking about her son. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> This year we, before the first day of school, we notified the principal that our child would not be taking home his device and we opted him out of the iReady program. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> This year we, before the first day of school, we notified the principal that our child would not be taking home his device and we opted him out of the iReady program. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And teachers were very accommodating. One of his teachers was actually quite excited and said that she’d do a one-on-one novel study with him while other students used the iReady program on the IPad.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And teachers were very accommodating. One of his teachers was actually quite excited and said that she’d do a one-on-one novel study with him while other students used the iReady program on the IPad.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>And that just speaks to the trade-offs that are being made in favor of these ed tech apps. You know, our kids could be doing rigorous novel study, reading real books. Which is so rare now. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>And that just speaks to the trade-offs that are being made in favor of these ed tech apps. You know, our kids could be doing rigorous novel study, reading real books. Which is so rare now. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Since Lila first started asking questions, LAUSD has adopted new limits on student screen time, including restrictions on classroom device use and new options for families to opt out of bringing devices home. It’s a sign that some districts are beginning to rethink their relationship with technology. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Psychologist Amy Tyson and her EverySchool colleagues came up with something called the ed tech triangle , a framework designed to help schools make those decisions more intentionally. Picture a triangle with the pointy tip facing downwards\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Psychologist Amy Tyson and her EverySchool colleagues came up with something called the ed tech triangle , a framework designed to help schools make those decisions more intentionally. Picture a triangle with the pointy tip facing downwards\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>At the smallest pointy tip is Disruptive technology\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>And that’s tech that disrupts learning and breeds habitual use. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Think of activities that pull students away from learning, like unrestricted access to cell phones, or other excess screen time uses.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> So really it’s something that we encourage educators to use to really to avoid using if possible. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Think of activities that pull students away from learning like unrestricted access to cell phones, or other excess screen time uses.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> One level up in the triangle is restrictive technology.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> One level up in the triangle is restrictive technology.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> That’s restricting learning outcomes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> That’s restricting learning outcomes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>These are tools that may be convenient, but don’t necessarily deepen learning. For example, reading a digital worksheet instead of a paper one, or completing an activity on a screen that could be done just as effectively without one.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>These are tools that may be convenient, but don’t necessarily deepen learning. For example, reading a digital worksheet instead of a paper one, or completing an activity on a screen that could be done just as effectively without one.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> So, use sparingly and in very specific situations if you do end up needing to use it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>These are tools that may be convenient, but don’t necessarily deepen learning. For example, reading a digital worksheet instead of a paper one, or completing an activity on a screen that could be done just as effectively without one. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Third from the bottom Second from the top is supportive technology. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Third from the bottom Second from the top is supportive technology. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Supportive is the area that supports learning in helpful ways. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This might include things like speech-to-text tools, accessibility features, or software that helps students organize their work– technology that supports learning but doesn’t fundamentally change it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>It can be helpful to be used in moderation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>It can be helpful to be used in moderation. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>This might include things like speech-to-text tools, accessibility features, or software that helps students organize their work– technology that supports learning but doesn’t fundamentally change it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And at the very top is \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And at the very top is \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Transformative, which is a technology that produces a unique outcome or develops a high level skill. [00:08:55][6.5]\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Transformative, which is a technology that produces a unique outcome or develops a high level skill. [00:08:55][6.5]\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>We’re talking about skill development. So. It’s very hard to teach robotics if you aren’t programming a robot, if you’re not using a device. That’s teaching a high level skill, it’s producing a unique outcome.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>We’re talking about skill development. So. It’s very hard to teach robotics if you aren’t programming a robot, if you’re not using a device. That’s teaching a high level skill, it’s producing a unique outcome.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> In other words, technology should be hardest to justify when it’s simply replacing something that already works. Its strongest case is when students are doing something they couldn’t do otherwise. And some school leaders are already using frameworks like this to make hard decisions, including rolling back one-to-one devices altogether.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> In other words, technology should be hardest to justify when it’s simply replacing something that already works. Its strongest case is when students are doing something they couldn’t do otherwise. And some school leaders are already using frameworks like this to make hard decisions, including rolling back one-to-one devices altogether.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>My name is Inga Esping. I’m the principal of McPherson Middle School at McPhersen, Kansas.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>My name is Inga Esping. I’m the principal of McPherson Middle School at McPhersen, Kansas.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>In the spring of 2024, Inge and other leaders at McPherson Middle School were reviewing their data. For years, the school had been making steady academic gains. But now, that progress was slowing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>In the spring of 2024, Inge and other leaders at McPherson Middle School were reviewing their data. For years, the school had been making steady academic gains. But now, that progress was slowing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>We were starting to feel a little like we were plateauing. So our question was, how do we continue the momentum that we’re on to really improve the culture and the academic experience in our school? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>We were starting to feel a little like we were plateauing. So our question was, how do we continue the momentum that we’re on to really improve the culture and the academic experience in our school? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>At McPherson, every student had a Chromebook they carried to and from school. Teachers began raising a possibility that echoed what parents like Lila had been saying: maybe the devices were getting in the way. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>At McPherson, every student had a Chromebook they carried to and from school. Teachers began raising a possibility that echoed what parents like Lila had been saying: maybe the devices were getting in the way. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> They were frustrated by the distractions. They just didn’t feel that it was enhancing learning to the level that they were hoping to.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> They were frustrated by the distractions. They just didn’t feel that it was enhancing learning to the level that they were hoping to.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Teachers told administrators that when students were on their laptops, they ended up on laptops too. They spent less time circulating, less time connecting, more time monitoring screens.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Teachers told administrators that when students were on their laptops, they ended up on laptops too. They spent less time circulating, less time connecting, more time monitoring screens.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> They want to be busy around their classroom and helping students remain focused, problem solve, really to get involved. But they too felt really tied to their own devices. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> They want to be busy around their classroom and helping students remain focused, problem solve, really to get involved. But they too felt really tied to their own devices. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Teachers found themselves policing tabs and websites. And over time, those constant corrections began to strain relationships with students. Some students felt a sense of ownership over their chromebook like “you can’t tell me what to do. This is mine.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Teachers found themselves policing tabs and websites. And over time, those constant corrections began to strain relationships with students. Some students felt a sense of ownership over their chromebook like “you can’t tell me what to do. This is mine.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> And how that would sometimes cause a challenge of not knowing exactly what was and wasn’t homework concerned about the amount of hours their students were online and saying that they’re working on school work when in fact that wasn’t always the case.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> And how that would sometimes cause a challenge of not knowing exactly what was and wasn’t homework concerned about the amount of hours their students were online and saying that they’re working on school work when in fact that wasn’t always the case.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The two words that changed everything were what if. As in, What if they didn’t do school this way anymore?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The two words that changed everything were what if. As in, What if they didn’t do school this way anymore?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> What if we helped our students understand this is a tool that can be very powerful to use. But at this point, the way we’ve approached it right now, it feels like more of a distraction. And we have such important work that we’re trying to do here in school, we want you to refocus.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> What if we helped our students understand this is a tool that can be very powerful to use. But at this point, the way we’ve approached it right now, it feels like more of a distraction. And we have such important work that we’re trying to do here in school, we want you to refocus.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> School leaders began digging into the research –much of the same research Amy Tyson pointed to— showing that one-to-one devices often fail to deliver on their promises.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> School leaders began digging into the research –much of the same research Amy Tyson pointed to— showing that one-to-one devices often fail to deliver on their promises.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Instead of having students carrying Chromebooks all day, McPherson invested in classroom carts to keep devices in the room and had teachers use them only when teachers believed they genuinely add value.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>As we came back this school year, we started really training our teachers. This is coming. We’re not sure when. We are unsure exactly the timeline. Actually over the last two days, students have returned to their Chromebooks. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>So students will actually come back and have zero Chromebook time for their first few weeks in our spring semester. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> McPherson is in a fortunate position. Teachers still have access to physical books, worksheets, and materials. These are resources some schools no longer have because they may have completely replaced them with digital books or ed tech programs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> McPherson is in a fortunate position. Teachers still have access to physical books, worksheets, and materials. These are resources some schools no longer have because they may have completely replaced them with digital books or ed tech programs.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>All we’ve done is give guidance. Please use them as sparingly as possible. Think about when they really enhance the lesson, enhance the learning.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>So, over this next year, we’ll really assess how often are we on screens to consider if we need to have additional goals or not. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Inge is clear-eyed about the limits of this approach. Keeping Chromebooks at school won’t magically solve every problem. But she hopes it’s a start. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> What I’m most proud of the work here is that I have a staff who is really brave to try something different. They’re allowing us to make this change knowing that we’re going to face unknowns, we’re going to face challenges.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Her hope isn’t that other schools copy McPherson exactly, but that they feel empowered to ask their own “what if” questions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> I would just encourage. Schools who are also interested in joining us in this initiative to be brave, acknowledge that there’s going to be challenges, communicate with your stakeholders when those challenges arise and seek your community members, your students, your parents, seek their input so that you can really build the program and the school that you hope to see. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> I would just encourage. Schools who are also interested in joining us in this initiative to be brave, acknowledge that there’s going to be challenges, communicate with your stakeholders when those challenges arise and seek your community members, your students, your parents, seek their input so that you can really build the program and the school that you hope to see. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>MindShift is supported in part by the generosity of the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and members of KQED. This episode was made possible by the Stuart Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Families and educators are starting to reconsider school-issued computers and tablets.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When Los Angeles parent Lila Byock’s son started middle school, his grades suddenly collapsed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It didn’t make sense. “He’d always been a bright, curious, engaged kid who did really well in school,” Byock said. She and her husband were confused and concerned.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Teachers assured the family that their son understood the material and the problem wasn’t academics. “They said, ‘He just can’t \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63519/distracted-students-understanding-these-3-myths-of-attention-span-can-help\">stay on task\u003c/a> on his iPad,’” she continued.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That answer surprised Byock. Like many parents, she assumed that after pandemic remote learning ended, classrooms had largely returned to face-to-face instruction. Instead, she learned her son was spending much of his school day on a district-issued device.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He was scrolling YouTube Shorts during math class. He was playing Fortnite battles with classmates during class,” Byock said. Other students watched streaming shows during lunch on school-issued iPads, and one student even showed pornography on a school device, according to Byock.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After talking with her son, Byock realized he wasn’t trying to break rules, but rather, he felt trapped by distractions he couldn’t seem to resist. “It was eroding his self-esteem,” she said. “He told us, ‘I want to stop, and I don’t think I can.'”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When Byock asked school administrators how devices were being used and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/66432/little-kids-outsmart-content-blockers-what-can-be-done-about-devices-in-school\">what safeguards existed\u003c/a>, the school’s answers didn’t satisfy her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Byock’s experience reflects a larger shift in American classrooms. Over the last 15 years, schools invested billions of dollars in laptops, tablets and educational software, often under the promise that technology would personalize learning and prepare students for a digital future. Today, some educators and parents are beginning to ask whether those tools changed classrooms in ways they never intended. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-megaphone wp-block-embed-megaphone\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC2555651076\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>The promise of education technology\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For decades, education technology — also called ed tech — has been marketed as a way to make learning more customized, efficient and equitable. Writer and ed tech historian \u003ca href=\"https://audreywatters.com/\">Audrey Watters\u003c/a> said those promises stretch back long before laptops or artificial intelligence.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the early 1900s, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/history-standardized-testing-united-states\">educators embraced standardized testing and intelligence testing\u003c/a> as a way to make learning more measurable and objective. That same logic eventually shaped educational software, including the creation of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/far-reaching-legacy-first-teaching-machines\">“teaching machines”\u003c/a> designed to automatically grade multiple choice questions and aspirationally automate teaching. Personal computers entered classrooms in the 1980s, internet-connected learning expanded in the 1990s and 2000s, and after 2010 districts rapidly adopted one-to-one laptop programs. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the rapid push to remote learning made the full transition to digital learning nearly complete by providing students and schools with internet connectivity, devices and curriculum. Schools have long since reopened, but the reliance on ed tech continues.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We see this long history of this desire to automate education, automate teaching, automate testing, that’s very much bound up in really this very old story of this idea that if we can just measure everything, then perhaps we can engineer things so that they’re optimized,” Watters said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, classrooms don’t work that way. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Humans are messier,” she added. Students don’t all develop, think or learn in identical ways. “This desire to standardize and optimize things as a science has great appeal but I’m not sure it’s actually practical or realistic.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Watters is particularly skeptical of one of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62365/one-size-fits-all-math-homework-may-be-more-helpful-than-you-think\">ed tech’s central promises: personalization\u003c/a>. Educational software often claims to tailor instruction to each student’s needs. But Watters says that promise begins with an assumption that teachers themselves lack sufficient insight into their students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There is this notion from outside of the classroom that somehow teachers don’t know what’s happening and that they need this technology in order to actually understand students and then be able to personalize or individualize what they’re doing to meet those students’ needs,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Teachers have long incorporated videos, computers and other digital tools into lessons. The difference today is that many instructional decisions are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60110/personalized-learning-is-more-than-an-edtech-marketing-term-it-requires-good-teachers\">increasingly shaped by software platforms\u003c/a> designed outside the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s some margin for experimentation and play, of course, but mostly you’ve lost your agency and autonomy because the whole vision of what things look like is really in the hands of these technology companies,” Watters said. “They’ve already decided what teaching and learning look like with their tools.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That concern resonates with Molly Esquivel, a fifth-grade teacher in Fullerton, California. She recalled being instructed to administer the reading program i-Ready to her students, despite believing it wasn’t the right instructional choice. When she objected, “the principal came back at me and said, ‘You have to do this,’” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Esquivel, the issue extends beyond one software program.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It skips over the very foundation of curriculum and instruction and goes right to handing over that pedagogic power to a device rather than a person,” she said. “ And that, to me, is not sound practice.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said it is obvious when students are on physical materials as opposed to individually on devices. “I oftentimes refer to my classroom as a living, breathing organism,” she said. Students interact with one another; they move and solve problems together. When every student is on a device, “they are now interacting with an inanimate object.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Some schools are pulling back on tech use\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At McPherson Middle School in Kansas, Principal Inge Esping said teachers began raising concerns that district-issued Chromebooks were becoming distractions rather than instructional tools. Teachers found themselves spending more time monitoring screens than interacting with students. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They, too, felt really tied to their own devices,” Esping said of educators. “They want to be busy around their classroom and helping students remain focused [and] problem solve.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/66374/screens-are-leaving-schools-fast-though-some-students-with-disabilities-rely-on-them\">Rather than eliminating technology\u003c/a>, school leaders and teachers at Esping decided to change how students access it. Instead of taking Chromebooks everywhere, devices remain on classroom carts and are used when teachers believe they add instructional value. The shift wasn’t framed as a ban, Esping said, but as an opportunity to reevaluate their relationship to technology. “Over this next year, we’ll really assess how often are we on screens to consider if we need to have additional goals [related to technology] or not,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since Lila Byock first began raising concerns with Schools Beyond Screens – the advocacy group she founded because of her son’s experience in school – the \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2026/lausd-screen-time-limits/759492\">Los Angeles Unified School District has adopted grade-level limits on student screen time\u003c/a>. The new policy prohibits screen use altogether in kindergarten and first grade, and allows families to opt out of taking district devices home.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1429\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-2000x1429.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66518\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-2000x1429.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-1536x1097.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/SBS-group-photo-2048x1463.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Schools Beyond Screens-affiliated families and educators gather at the LAUSD Board Headquarters to show support for a new screen time policy.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She sees the policy as progress, even if she believes more work remains. “One of the things we’ve been pushing for is a moratorium on AI use in the classroom on student devices until the district develops a comprehensive AI policy,” Byock noted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Her family’s story began with one struggling student, but the conversation it helped spark has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/66306/schools-and-states-are-now-setting-limits-on-screen-time-for-students\">grown into something much larger\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the summer, Byock went to drop off her son’s enrollment papers and one of the school’s administrators mentioned that this year parents can expect a renewed focus on hands-on learning and more \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64992/taking-exams-in-blue-books-its-back-to-help-curb-ai-use-and-rampant-cheating\">pencil-and-paper activities\u003c/a>. In order to accommodate analog learning, the school had ordered “tons of extra paper.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-megaphone wp-block-embed-megaphone\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC2555651076\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode transcript\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Welcome to MindShift, where we explore the future of learning and how we raise our kids. I’m Nimah Gobir. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> During the 2024-25 school year, Lila Byock’s son had just started middle school. And then something shifted. He began bringing home the worst grades he had ever received. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>He’d always been a bright, curious, engaged kid who did really well in school And my husband and I were confused and concerned. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The thing is – it wasn’t that Lila’s son didn’t understand the material. His teachers actually told her he’s above grade level. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> They said, “He just can’t stay on task on his iPad.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>music\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> They were talking about his school-issued iPad — \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>one that every student in the Los Angeles Unified School District receives under a one-to-one device model. In class, students were required to use an online program called i-Ready to complete assignments. But there was nothing stopping them from opening another tab — and doing, well… basically anything else.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> We said, well, how much time is he spending on his iPad? And they said, Well, we use it sort of for everything all day. And that was… a complete revelation for us. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> As Lila started asking more questions, she learned what her son — and many of his classmates — were actually doing during the school day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> Our child was. Scrolling YouTube shorts all during math class. He was playing Fortnite battles along with many of his other classmates during class. A student at lunchtime was watching Squid Game on his school issued iPad. Um, and, you know, my son watched that with him. Um, somebody showed him porn on a school issued device.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> After talking it through with her son, Lila realized he was just as frustrated as she was. He’d always been engaged in school, and now he felt trapped in habits he couldn’t seem to stop. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> It was like it was eroding his self-esteem. And he told us, you know, I want to stop and I don’t think I can.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Worse yet, There were no clear policies. No safeguards. When Lila realized how much the IPads were being used, she sent a list of questions to the school’s administrators \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>And the answers I got back were just completely unsatisfying. It was as if no one had ever thought about these things before and [00:06:20][32.1]Lila Byock: [00:07:00] that raised every red flag for me. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Lila is far from alone. Versions of her story are coming from parents all over the country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>In 2024, many public schools responded to concerns about distraction by banning student cell phones. But in many cases, the screen time didn’t disappear, it just shifted to school-issued devices. So today on MindShift, we’re asking 3 big questions : What role should education technology actually play in the classroom? When does it help — and when does it get in the way? And is it time to rethink the one-to-one device model altogether? All of that and more, after the break.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> To understand how schools got to a place where students spend so much of the day on screens, it helps to zoom out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Audrey Watters is a writer and historian who studies education technology. She says the debates we’re having about ed tech today stretch back to way before students were using laptops..\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> We see this sort of long history of this desire to sort of automate education, automate teaching, automate testing, that’s very much bound up in really this very old story of this idea that if we can just, if we can just measure everything, then perhaps we can sort of engineer things so that they’re optimized.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Audrey says some of the earliest ed tech promises didn’t start with computers at all — they started with standardized testing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> The idea of creating a multiple choice test was so that you could get rid of any sort of subjectivity and make this field more objective. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters: \u003c/strong>You want to be able to develop a machine that can administer, grade, and teach more efficiently, more objectively, than teachers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Efficiency. Objectivity. Optimization. Those ideas have shaped education technology ever since. According to the National Education Policy Center 13 million students across the US use iReady in their classrooms. In it, students work on lessons that adjust based on their answers, so if they miss a lot of answers on a certain subject, they get more questions that help them practice that area. There are other similar programs in use like Khan Academy, Ascend Math and ReadTheory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>As recent as 2024, schools spent 30 billion on education tech. It is projected to increase.The promise to schools is that these products will measure growth, identify areas of need, and fill in learning gaps if you use their adaptive learning models\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Audrey says that every wave of ed tech promises to improve learning, but underneath those promises is a deep discomfort with how human and unpredictable classrooms actually are.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>But Audrey says that way of thinking however, runs into a problem. Learning doesn’t behave like a machine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> We want to think of education as a science. I think we want to think about learning as a science. And I don’t say this as though it’s not, but that doesn’t seem to ever quite entirely capture what happens both individually, what makes us love certain subjects for example, be curious and interested in certain ideas and then be utterly indifferent to others. I’m not sure that we can sort of science our way out of that. [00:03:00][31.2]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>The appeal is easy to understand. If every student learns differently, wouldn’t it be helpful to have software that could adapt to each child’s needs? That’s been one of ed tech’s most powerful selling points. But Audrey says the focus on personalization begins with a troubling assumption.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters:\u003c/strong> There is this notion from outside of the classroom that somehow teachers don’t know what’s happening and that they need this sort of science and they need this technology in order to actually understand students and then be able to personalize or individualize what they’re doing to meet those students’ needs. [00:09:45][18.9]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> To make one thing clear, teachers have used technology creatively for decades — They might show short videos to illustrate a concept or even take students on a virtual field trip. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Oftentimes learning with tech is shaped by the companies that make the tools\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Audrey Watters: \u003c/strong>They’ve already decided what teaching and learning look like with theirs with their tools. – Of course, there’s some margins for experimentation and play, of course, but mostly you’re still sort of you’ve lost your agency and autonomy because the whole sort of vision of what things look like is really in the hands of these technology companies. [00:12:29][19.8]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Audrey’s argument is that education technology has failed because it was built to standardize learning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Lila Byock, the parent we heard from earlier, was watching what happened when learning was done almost entirely through a screen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> For my son, um, school became the place where he could essentially have unrestricted screen time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>While she was going through this, she felt isolated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>I started confiding in some other parents of middle schoolers and every single person I talked to said, oh, thank God it’s not just us. Everyone was dealing with the same thing and no one was talking about it because we had all just kind of accepted the idea that for some reason our kids needed these internet connected devices. On their desks all day in school. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Together, Lila and likeminded parents and teachers formed a group called Schools Beyond Screens to push for changes in how schools use technology.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>There’s so much parental and teacher outrage and discontent about the hours and hours and hours our kids are spending on these apps, and I believe we’re going to see a shift in some of those policies.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> But if schools do decide to change course, what would teachers actually want instead? Molly Esquivel, a 6th grader teacher, a fifth-grade teacher at a public school in Fullerton, California, doesn’t want to get rid of technology entirely. She thinks that teachers should get more say in how tech is used in their classrooms” When she taught at a public school in Fullerton, California…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel:\u003c/strong> I was asked by the principal to give the kids iReady. You have to.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Molly pushed back because she didn’t think the program was a good fit for her students. But her district had purchased the iReady program and was requiring teachers to use it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel: \u003c/strong>The principal came back at me and said, you have to do this. So there are mandates, there are requirements.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> To her, that’s the bigger issue. Decisions about teaching are increasingly being made far away from the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel:\u003c/strong> That skips over the very foundation of curriculum and instruction and goes right to handing over that pedagogic power to a device rather than a person. And that to me is not sound practice, sound pedagogy and completely, as I said, sidelining not only the expert, but the human. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Molly wants more opportunities for students to interact with each other and with their teacher. She says the difference feels obvious.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel:\u003c/strong> I oftentimes refer to my classroom as a living breathing organism. Kids are interacting with each other or even interacting with themselves and they’re moving and evolving and growing [00:26:28][18.3]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Compare that to a classroom where every student is working on a device.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>It means kids have headphones on, their heads are tilted down to look at a screen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Esquivel: \u003c/strong>They are now interacting with an inanimate object. That doesn’t sit right. It doesn’t sound right. It doesn’t look right. That’s not what classrooms would even be drawn as or what we would ever imagine them to be.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> For teachers like Molly, the goal is to make sure technology serves learning rather than replacing the relationships that make learning possible. Amy Tyson is a child and adolescent psychologist and the founder of EverySchool. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>We were sold devices and told that this was innovation. That like merely having the device in the classroom equaled innovation. But what we ended up doing was just replacing traditional methods that we know work, that are tried and true, with devices that are just less effective.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>At her organization, EverySchool, she has worked to synthesize research so that teachers don’t have to. A big thing she did that many folks don’t do was that she focused on research that wasn’t funded by people with a stake in these tech tools. A big finding that may surprise you is that there isn’t conclusive evidence saying that tech is making kids smarter or improves learning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> Shortly after the widespread adoption of school issue devices, which happened around the year 2012, we began to see an alarming downturn in academic outcomes also beginning in 2012. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Now, we can’t pin this all on edtech. There are a variety of factors that may be contributing, but at a minimum it’s safe to say it isn’t helping. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> EdTech has flourished in the classroom, our test scores, and I’d also like to say notably, the scores on loneliness, which are important for student health and well-being, continue to slip down year after year. So there’s really zero indication that it’s helping and I would say that there is mounting evidence that it is harming . [00:11:40][13.1]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> A lot of schools use ed tech tools \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> EdTech and TechEd are not the same thing. But teaching how to using technology, teaching transformative technology skills is not the same thing as using technology to teach every subject. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Would argue that students are far more likely to be missing out on soft skill development, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, problem solving, interpersonal skills, empathy, creativity, even eye contact at this point.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Amy also debunks that EdTech is neutral. You might hear edtech is a tool… like a pencil\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Screens do have uniquely negative effects that like a pen just doesn’t have. Screens hijack our attention, they distract us into a constant state of multitasking, they infiltrate our reward system, give us constant bursts of dopamine. It’s not the same thing as a pencil. It is not a neutral learning tool. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And that brings us back to Lila and her son. Who was definitely not using his ipad like a pencil.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>Algebra’s hard. It’s not very hard to scroll YouTube. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>This is Lila again. Talking about her son. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock:\u003c/strong> This year we, before the first day of school, we notified the principal that our child would not be taking home his device and we opted him out of the iReady program. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And teachers were very accommodating. One of his teachers was actually quite excited and said that she’d do a one-on-one novel study with him while other students used the iReady program on the IPad.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lila Byock: \u003c/strong>And that just speaks to the trade-offs that are being made in favor of these ed tech apps. You know, our kids could be doing rigorous novel study, reading real books. Which is so rare now. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Since Lila first started asking questions, LAUSD has adopted new limits on student screen time, including restrictions on classroom device use and new options for families to opt out of bringing devices home. It’s a sign that some districts are beginning to rethink their relationship with technology. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Psychologist Amy Tyson and her EverySchool colleagues came up with something called the ed tech triangle , a framework designed to help schools make those decisions more intentionally. Picture a triangle with the pointy tip facing downwards\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>At the smallest pointy tip is Disruptive technology\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>And that’s tech that disrupts learning and breeds habitual use. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Think of activities that pull students away from learning, like unrestricted access to cell phones, or other excess screen time uses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> So really it’s something that we encourage educators to use to really to avoid using if possible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Think of activities that pull students away from learning like unrestricted access to cell phones, or other excess screen time uses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> One level up in the triangle is restrictive technology.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> That’s restricting learning outcomes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>These are tools that may be convenient, but don’t necessarily deepen learning. For example, reading a digital worksheet instead of a paper one, or completing an activity on a screen that could be done just as effectively without one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson:\u003c/strong> So, use sparingly and in very specific situations if you do end up needing to use it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>These are tools that may be convenient, but don’t necessarily deepen learning. For example, reading a digital worksheet instead of a paper one, or completing an activity on a screen that could be done just as effectively without one. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Third from the bottom Second from the top is supportive technology. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Supportive is the area that supports learning in helpful ways. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This might include things like speech-to-text tools, accessibility features, or software that helps students organize their work– technology that supports learning but doesn’t fundamentally change it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>It can be helpful to be used in moderation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>This might include things like speech-to-text tools, accessibility features, or software that helps students organize their work– technology that supports learning but doesn’t fundamentally change it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And at the very top is \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>Transformative, which is a technology that produces a unique outcome or develops a high level skill. [00:08:55][6.5]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy Tyson: \u003c/strong>We’re talking about skill development. So. It’s very hard to teach robotics if you aren’t programming a robot, if you’re not using a device. That’s teaching a high level skill, it’s producing a unique outcome.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> In other words, technology should be hardest to justify when it’s simply replacing something that already works. Its strongest case is when students are doing something they couldn’t do otherwise. And some school leaders are already using frameworks like this to make hard decisions, including rolling back one-to-one devices altogether.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>My name is Inga Esping. I’m the principal of McPherson Middle School at McPhersen, Kansas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>In the spring of 2024, Inge and other leaders at McPherson Middle School were reviewing their data. For years, the school had been making steady academic gains. But now, that progress was slowing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>We were starting to feel a little like we were plateauing. So our question was, how do we continue the momentum that we’re on to really improve the culture and the academic experience in our school? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>At McPherson, every student had a Chromebook they carried to and from school. Teachers began raising a possibility that echoed what parents like Lila had been saying: maybe the devices were getting in the way. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> They were frustrated by the distractions. They just didn’t feel that it was enhancing learning to the level that they were hoping to.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Teachers told administrators that when students were on their laptops, they ended up on laptops too. They spent less time circulating, less time connecting, more time monitoring screens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> They want to be busy around their classroom and helping students remain focused, problem solve, really to get involved. But they too felt really tied to their own devices. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Teachers found themselves policing tabs and websites. And over time, those constant corrections began to strain relationships with students. Some students felt a sense of ownership over their chromebook like “you can’t tell me what to do. This is mine.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> And how that would sometimes cause a challenge of not knowing exactly what was and wasn’t homework concerned about the amount of hours their students were online and saying that they’re working on school work when in fact that wasn’t always the case.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The two words that changed everything were what if. As in, What if they didn’t do school this way anymore?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> What if we helped our students understand this is a tool that can be very powerful to use. But at this point, the way we’ve approached it right now, it feels like more of a distraction. And we have such important work that we’re trying to do here in school, we want you to refocus.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> School leaders began digging into the research –much of the same research Amy Tyson pointed to— showing that one-to-one devices often fail to deliver on their promises.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Instead of having students carrying Chromebooks all day, McPherson invested in classroom carts to keep devices in the room and had teachers use them only when teachers believed they genuinely add value.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>As we came back this school year, we started really training our teachers. This is coming. We’re not sure when. We are unsure exactly the timeline. Actually over the last two days, students have returned to their Chromebooks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>This wasn’t a ban. And it wasn’t a rigid policy. It was more of a reset.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>So students will actually come back and have zero Chromebook time for their first few weeks in our spring semester. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> McPherson is in a fortunate position. Teachers still have access to physical books, worksheets, and materials. These are resources some schools no longer have because they may have completely replaced them with digital books or ed tech programs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>All we’ve done is give guidance. Please use them as sparingly as possible. Think about when they really enhance the lesson, enhance the learning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping: \u003c/strong>So, over this next year, we’ll really assess how often are we on screens to consider if we need to have additional goals or not. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Inge is clear-eyed about the limits of this approach. Keeping Chromebooks at school won’t magically solve every problem. But she hopes it’s a start. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> What I’m most proud of the work here is that I have a staff who is really brave to try something different. They’re allowing us to make this change knowing that we’re going to face unknowns, we’re going to face challenges.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>Her hope isn’t that other schools copy McPherson exactly, but that they feel empowered to ask their own “what if” questions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Inge Esping:\u003c/strong> I would just encourage. Schools who are also interested in joining us in this initiative to be brave, acknowledge that there’s going to be challenges, communicate with your stakeholders when those challenges arise and seek your community members, your students, your parents, seek their input so that you can really build the program and the school that you hope to see. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>MindShift is supported in part by the generosity of the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and members of KQED. This episode was made possible by the Stuart Foundation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp>MALVERN, Pa. — In a social media era rife with mouthwatering food content, kids will no longer settle for a drab school meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t have a TikTok account, but they’re telling me, ‘Hey, I saw this on TikTok. Can you make this? Can we do this?'” said Nichole Taylor, supervisor of food and nutrition services at the Great Valley School District in Malvern, Pennsylvania.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would have never asked my lunch lady to make something special for me. I would’ve just ate what they told me,” she said, adding that the students are “very engaged.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor has been working to refresh the suburban Philadelphia district’s meal program since she took over a year and a half ago, trying to balance a desire to cook more fresh food from scratch with budget constraints and a lack of skilled labor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, districts like Taylor’s and others across the U.S. are waiting to see whether it will become even more expensive to prepare a meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3648x5472+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F26%2F70%2F4cac19d64e7c88b85105e3e045bd%2Fschoolnutrition-108.JPG\" alt=\"Nichole Taylor is the supervisor of food and nutrition services at the Great Valley School District.\">\u003cfigcaption>Nichole Taylor is the supervisor of food and nutrition services at the Great Valley School District. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That’s because in January, the Trump administration overhauled the national dietary guidelines. Announced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., they follow the Make America Healthy Again blueprint, urging Americans to avoid highly processed foods and prioritize “high-quality, nutrient-dense” protein at every meal. Those guidelines form the basis of federal nutrition standards that schools participating in federal meal programs must follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet many districts rely on processed, premade foods to feed their students, and protein is already the most expensive ingredient on the cafeteria plate, school nutrition experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s reimbursement rate for schools in the contiguous 48 states is about $4.60 per meal for a student who is eligible for a free lunch, according to the School Nutrition Association (SNA). The rate is $4.20 for students eligible for a reduced-price lunch and $0.44 for students who pay full price, SNA said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4000x4000+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F79%2F51%2Ff4e454ef47a38cf4d3beb399e21c%2Fschool-lunch-trio.jpg\" alt=\"Budget concerns aside, the Great Valley School District is finding ways to enhance its meal program and get more students into the breakfast and lunch lines.\">\u003cfigcaption>Budget concerns aside, the Great Valley School District is finding ways to enhance its meal program and get more students into the breakfast and lunch lines. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Federal and state funding are the largest revenue streams in Taylor’s district, and they help pay for everything from staff wages and kitchen equipment to food and utility costs. She said she supports the nutritional goals of the new federal standards but wonders how they’ll affect schools already struggling to operate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to follow the guidelines, because we are that voice that says, ‘No, you can eat healthy and still eat really well,'” Taylor said. “But we also have to be realistic and say we need the funding for it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, the Trump administration has cut funding programs that allowed schools to buy local food from farmers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How dietary guidelines can affect schools\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5418x3611+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb9%2Fe3%2F1f5753cc416eb69f2125832ad005%2Fgettyimages-2255262632.jpg\" alt=\"Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Jan. 8 announces new dietary guidelines, including an emphasis on proteins and full-fat dairy, as well as limits on processed foods.\">\u003cfigcaption>Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Jan. 8 announces new dietary guidelines, including an emphasis on proteins and full-fat dairy, as well as limits on processed foods. \u003ccite> (Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at a press conference for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5667021/dietary-guidelines-rfk-jr-nutrition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">updated guidelines\u003c/a> in January that she was particularly interested in how they could improve child nutrition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now, that is going to be the single most important, from my perspective, move forward — is the school lunches and making sure that we’re getting the right amount, the best amount and the most nutrient-dense foods into the schools,” Rollins said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Yet some in the medical community have objected to the new food pyramid, specifically the placement of saturated fat sources such as red meat and full-fat dairy at the top. “It does go against decades and decades of evidence and research,” Stanford University nutrition expert Christopher Gardner \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5667021/dietary-guidelines-rfk-jr-nutrition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told NPR\u003c/a> this year. Gardner was a member of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exactly how the government’s new dietary guidelines will impact schools is unclear. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it is still working to update the nutrition standards it requires of institutions taking part in the National School Lunch Program, which fed 30 million children last year, and the School Breakfast Program. The department said in an email that the new guidelines are a “pivotal step to Make America Healthy Again through real, nutrient-dense foods” and that the guidelines’ release “kicks off a multi-year effort” to update the rules of the department’s nutrition programs through a formal rule-making process, which will include public comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4030x3000+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4d%2F24%2Fe9ce4d2a4208837804f0b9ad4823%2Fschool-lunch-duo1.jpg\" alt=\"Schools in the federal meal programs are already beginning to reduce added sugar in certain items to align with new federal rules.\">\u003cfigcaption>Schools in the federal meal programs are already beginning to reduce added sugar in certain items to align with new federal rules. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mara Fleishman, CEO of the Chef Ann Foundation, which works to help schools cook more meals from scratch, applauded the move away from highly processed foods but said the shift wouldn’t be easy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The conundrum is that often animal protein in school food is one of the most highly processed components,” she said. Fleishman used chicken nuggets as an example, which she said appear in some form in just about every school district in the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The primary chicken nuggets that are served come cooked frozen. So you get it cooked, you put it in your freezer, take it out, put it in the retherm [ovens], put it on the line. And it’s got about 35 ingredients in it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fleishman said districts that want to cook chicken strips from scratch could make them fresh using six or seven ingredients. “But it’s hard, because you go from buying a chicken nugget, which is totally contained,” to having to consider the financial, labor and waste implications of cooking it from scratch, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>USDA cut funding that helped schools buy local food\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At the same time as the Trump administration is urging Americans to eat more “real” food, it has cut funding that enabled schools to buy from local farmers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March of last year, the \u003ca href=\"https://schoolnutrition.org/sna-news/proposed-school-meal-cuts-prompt-nationwide-advocacy/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">School Nutrition Association reported\u003c/a> that the USDA ended the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), erasing an estimated $660 million in funding. LFS provided money that schools could use to buy “unprocessed or minimally processed foods, such as meat, poultry, fruit, vegetables, seafood, and dairy” from local or regional producers, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/lfs/faqs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to the program’s website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was a big loss,” said Stephanie Dillard, SNA president and the nutrition director of an Alabama school district, “because we lost the money we could spend on local farmers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The USDA said in an emailed statement that the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program — as well as the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), which supports feeding programs such as food banks — are being “sunsetted at the end of their performance periods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department said that it released more than half a billion dollars in funding through the two programs last year and that, as of March, $100 million remained in LFPA funding and more than $17 million remained in LFS funding for states to use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5472x3648+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3a%2Ff4%2Fbec0c7a247e1a60e918dce3299f9%2Fschoolnutrition-033.JPG\" alt=\"Great Valley School District students eat lunch in their cafeteria. Cafeteria staff sometimes make vegetarian entrees upon request.\">\u003cfigcaption>Great Valley School District students eat lunch in their cafeteria. Cafeteria staff sometimes make vegetarian entrees upon request. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The USDA also paused funding from the Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant program for the 2025 fiscal year, which a spokesperson said was in response to \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trump’s executive order\u003c/a> targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in January 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>However, the program reopened for the 2026 fiscal year and offered up to $18 million in awards. The department said it “streamlined the Farm to School Grant application process and removed Biden-era DEI components to ensure equal treatment, not preferential treatment, of applicants.” Rollins said in a statement that the grants are “one of the best ways we can deliver nutritious, high-quality meals to children, while also strengthening local agriculture.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Schools have long called for more money for meals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For years, education administrators and child nutrition advocates have been saying that school cafeterias — often called the biggest restaurants in town — operate on tight budgets due in part to inadequate reimbursements from the federal government. Federal initiatives such as the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program provide billions of dollars in funding each year to schools across the U.S. to keep their meal programs afloat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reimbursement rates are adjusted annually based on the consumer price index, but school nutrition directors say that the increases are not enough and that Congress needs to revisit the reimbursement formula altogether, as meal programs become more expensive to operate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It all comes down to funding,” said Dillard, of the SNA. “The sky would be the limit if we had the funding. We could cook all day long.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4030x3000+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1f%2F7b%2Fdbc68d364e8ebaa5023e6c12c958%2Fschool-lunch-duo2.jpg\" alt=\"Taylor, of the Great Valley School District, said students have given feedback on menu changes.\">\u003cfigcaption>Taylor, of the Great Valley School District, said students have given feedback on menu changes. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In an \u003ca href=\"https://schoolnutrition.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SY-25-26-School-Nutrition-Trends-Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SNA survey\u003c/a> released in January, nearly 95% of school nutrition directors said they were concerned about the financial sustainability of their programs three years from now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The current reimbursement rate isn’t even quite enough for the current status quo,” said Jennifer Gaddis, a University of Wisconsin-Madison associate professor of civil society and community studies who studies school food systems, “let alone to do the holistic transformation that we need in order to make school meals really important engines of public health and economic vitality in our communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, Gaddis said, the heat-and-serve model of the past allowed schools to spend less money by hiring fewer workers for shorter shifts. Preparing meals from scratch would require workers to be present longer and kitchens to be equipped for cooking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many school meal programs receive state funding in addition to federal dollars, but the amounts vary. \u003ca href=\"https://schoolnutrition.org/about-school-meals/school-meal-statistics/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">According to SNA\u003c/a>, nine states have dedicated state funds to provide universal free school meals.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>“If a kid is hungry, they’re not studying”\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Despite the budget and logistical constraints, more schools are finding ways to expand their efforts to cook meals from scratch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Chef Ann Foundation, for example, offers an online database of recipes and guides for districts that want to prepare fresher meals, as well as apprenticeships, fellowships and other programs for nutritional staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Great Valley School District hired a chef in December to help source more local ingredients, expand the district’s freshly prepared offerings and train staff members on new kitchen skills. Jenifer Halin, the district’s new culinary coordinator, said she found frozen, precut vegetables in the cafeteria kitchen when she arrived. “And I have already transitioned everybody over to cutting fresh vegetables. It’s been simple.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5139x3426+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F41%2F50%2F978a0f2549a6b0ad2d4f31efe727%2Fschoolnutrition-063.JPG\" alt=\"Culinary coordinator Jenifer Halin has been expanding the Great Valley School District's freshly prepared offerings and training staff members on new kitchen skills.\">\u003cfigcaption>Culinary coordinator Jenifer Halin has been expanding the Great Valley School District’s freshly prepared offerings and training staff members on new kitchen skills. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Taylor, the district’s supervisor of food and nutrition services, has even tried to reformulate some of those meals suggested by students to meet federal nutrition standards, and she said she still hopes to cook more meals from scratch, which would mean giving more staff members full-time status and culinary training. (The cost of cheaper raw ingredients might make the overall financial math even out, she said.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to be able to offer our students our own muffins, our own French toast sticks,” Taylor said, standing in Great Valley High School’s walk-in freezer next to boxes of frozen chicken breasts and banana chocolate chip breakfast bars. “I want to be able to produce our own pizza, so that we’re not having to buy out from other vendors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her efforts have not gone unnoticed by the students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It started with like one day randomly they had this grilled cheese and tomato bisque, and it was like ancient-grain bread, and everyone was like, ‘It tasted like Panera,'” said Varun Kartick, a Great Valley High School senior.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More new dishes followed. Kartick, who doesn’t eat pork or beef, said the vegetables have been fresher and the cafeteria staff often makes entrees vegetarian upon request. On a given day, he may opt for a seasonal chicken wrap or fill up a plate with pasta and vegetables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4188x2792+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F46%2F22%2Fa46a9dbe4e9b87adf28bcace5e0d%2Fschoolnutrition-072.JPG\" alt=\"Sixth-grade students arrive for lunch in the cafeteria of the Great Valley 5/6 Center.\">\u003cfigcaption>Sixth-grade students arrive for lunch in the cafeteria of the Great Valley 5/6 Center. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s been very convenient and very nice to see that change, that we’re not disgusted [by the food] or having to pack a lunch,” he said. “There’s an option that we can have at school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among the items on offer in the cafeteria that day were pizza and chicken fingers, as well as avocado toast and a salad made with Pennsylvania sweet potatoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor said getting more students to eat breakfast and lunch at school would mean more federal reimbursements that could help her expand the district’s nutrition program. But it would also ensure that — most importantly to her — more students are fed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a kid is hungry, they’re not studying. They can’t learn. They’re acting out,” Taylor said. “But if you build this into part of their school day to where they feel like this is the norm for them, then you’ve knocked down that hurdle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Grocery prices got you down? Learn how to cut your food bill with NPR’s 4-part newsletter. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/newsletter/food-budget\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Sign up here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for budgeting tips, meal planning and more.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "U.S. school districts worry it could get even more expensive to prepare a meal under new federal dietary guidelines, as they also contend with cuts to programs that helped them buy local food.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>MALVERN, Pa. — In a social media era rife with mouthwatering food content, kids will no longer settle for a drab school meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t have a TikTok account, but they’re telling me, ‘Hey, I saw this on TikTok. Can you make this? Can we do this?'” said Nichole Taylor, supervisor of food and nutrition services at the Great Valley School District in Malvern, Pennsylvania.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would have never asked my lunch lady to make something special for me. I would’ve just ate what they told me,” she said, adding that the students are “very engaged.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor has been working to refresh the suburban Philadelphia district’s meal program since she took over a year and a half ago, trying to balance a desire to cook more fresh food from scratch with budget constraints and a lack of skilled labor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, districts like Taylor’s and others across the U.S. are waiting to see whether it will become even more expensive to prepare a meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3648x5472+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F26%2F70%2F4cac19d64e7c88b85105e3e045bd%2Fschoolnutrition-108.JPG\" alt=\"Nichole Taylor is the supervisor of food and nutrition services at the Great Valley School District.\">\u003cfigcaption>Nichole Taylor is the supervisor of food and nutrition services at the Great Valley School District. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That’s because in January, the Trump administration overhauled the national dietary guidelines. Announced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., they follow the Make America Healthy Again blueprint, urging Americans to avoid highly processed foods and prioritize “high-quality, nutrient-dense” protein at every meal. Those guidelines form the basis of federal nutrition standards that schools participating in federal meal programs must follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet many districts rely on processed, premade foods to feed their students, and protein is already the most expensive ingredient on the cafeteria plate, school nutrition experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s reimbursement rate for schools in the contiguous 48 states is about $4.60 per meal for a student who is eligible for a free lunch, according to the School Nutrition Association (SNA). The rate is $4.20 for students eligible for a reduced-price lunch and $0.44 for students who pay full price, SNA said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4000x4000+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F79%2F51%2Ff4e454ef47a38cf4d3beb399e21c%2Fschool-lunch-trio.jpg\" alt=\"Budget concerns aside, the Great Valley School District is finding ways to enhance its meal program and get more students into the breakfast and lunch lines.\">\u003cfigcaption>Budget concerns aside, the Great Valley School District is finding ways to enhance its meal program and get more students into the breakfast and lunch lines. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Federal and state funding are the largest revenue streams in Taylor’s district, and they help pay for everything from staff wages and kitchen equipment to food and utility costs. She said she supports the nutritional goals of the new federal standards but wonders how they’ll affect schools already struggling to operate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to follow the guidelines, because we are that voice that says, ‘No, you can eat healthy and still eat really well,'” Taylor said. “But we also have to be realistic and say we need the funding for it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, the Trump administration has cut funding programs that allowed schools to buy local food from farmers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How dietary guidelines can affect schools\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5418x3611+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb9%2Fe3%2F1f5753cc416eb69f2125832ad005%2Fgettyimages-2255262632.jpg\" alt=\"Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Jan. 8 announces new dietary guidelines, including an emphasis on proteins and full-fat dairy, as well as limits on processed foods.\">\u003cfigcaption>Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Jan. 8 announces new dietary guidelines, including an emphasis on proteins and full-fat dairy, as well as limits on processed foods. \u003ccite> (Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at a press conference for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5667021/dietary-guidelines-rfk-jr-nutrition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">updated guidelines\u003c/a> in January that she was particularly interested in how they could improve child nutrition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now, that is going to be the single most important, from my perspective, move forward — is the school lunches and making sure that we’re getting the right amount, the best amount and the most nutrient-dense foods into the schools,” Rollins said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Yet some in the medical community have objected to the new food pyramid, specifically the placement of saturated fat sources such as red meat and full-fat dairy at the top. “It does go against decades and decades of evidence and research,” Stanford University nutrition expert Christopher Gardner \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5667021/dietary-guidelines-rfk-jr-nutrition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told NPR\u003c/a> this year. Gardner was a member of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exactly how the government’s new dietary guidelines will impact schools is unclear. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it is still working to update the nutrition standards it requires of institutions taking part in the National School Lunch Program, which fed 30 million children last year, and the School Breakfast Program. The department said in an email that the new guidelines are a “pivotal step to Make America Healthy Again through real, nutrient-dense foods” and that the guidelines’ release “kicks off a multi-year effort” to update the rules of the department’s nutrition programs through a formal rule-making process, which will include public comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4030x3000+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4d%2F24%2Fe9ce4d2a4208837804f0b9ad4823%2Fschool-lunch-duo1.jpg\" alt=\"Schools in the federal meal programs are already beginning to reduce added sugar in certain items to align with new federal rules.\">\u003cfigcaption>Schools in the federal meal programs are already beginning to reduce added sugar in certain items to align with new federal rules. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mara Fleishman, CEO of the Chef Ann Foundation, which works to help schools cook more meals from scratch, applauded the move away from highly processed foods but said the shift wouldn’t be easy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The conundrum is that often animal protein in school food is one of the most highly processed components,” she said. Fleishman used chicken nuggets as an example, which she said appear in some form in just about every school district in the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The primary chicken nuggets that are served come cooked frozen. So you get it cooked, you put it in your freezer, take it out, put it in the retherm [ovens], put it on the line. And it’s got about 35 ingredients in it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fleishman said districts that want to cook chicken strips from scratch could make them fresh using six or seven ingredients. “But it’s hard, because you go from buying a chicken nugget, which is totally contained,” to having to consider the financial, labor and waste implications of cooking it from scratch, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>USDA cut funding that helped schools buy local food\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At the same time as the Trump administration is urging Americans to eat more “real” food, it has cut funding that enabled schools to buy from local farmers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March of last year, the \u003ca href=\"https://schoolnutrition.org/sna-news/proposed-school-meal-cuts-prompt-nationwide-advocacy/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">School Nutrition Association reported\u003c/a> that the USDA ended the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), erasing an estimated $660 million in funding. LFS provided money that schools could use to buy “unprocessed or minimally processed foods, such as meat, poultry, fruit, vegetables, seafood, and dairy” from local or regional producers, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/lfs/faqs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to the program’s website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was a big loss,” said Stephanie Dillard, SNA president and the nutrition director of an Alabama school district, “because we lost the money we could spend on local farmers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The USDA said in an emailed statement that the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program — as well as the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), which supports feeding programs such as food banks — are being “sunsetted at the end of their performance periods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department said that it released more than half a billion dollars in funding through the two programs last year and that, as of March, $100 million remained in LFPA funding and more than $17 million remained in LFS funding for states to use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5472x3648+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3a%2Ff4%2Fbec0c7a247e1a60e918dce3299f9%2Fschoolnutrition-033.JPG\" alt=\"Great Valley School District students eat lunch in their cafeteria. Cafeteria staff sometimes make vegetarian entrees upon request.\">\u003cfigcaption>Great Valley School District students eat lunch in their cafeteria. Cafeteria staff sometimes make vegetarian entrees upon request. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The USDA also paused funding from the Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant program for the 2025 fiscal year, which a spokesperson said was in response to \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trump’s executive order\u003c/a> targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in January 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>However, the program reopened for the 2026 fiscal year and offered up to $18 million in awards. The department said it “streamlined the Farm to School Grant application process and removed Biden-era DEI components to ensure equal treatment, not preferential treatment, of applicants.” Rollins said in a statement that the grants are “one of the best ways we can deliver nutritious, high-quality meals to children, while also strengthening local agriculture.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Schools have long called for more money for meals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For years, education administrators and child nutrition advocates have been saying that school cafeterias — often called the biggest restaurants in town — operate on tight budgets due in part to inadequate reimbursements from the federal government. Federal initiatives such as the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program provide billions of dollars in funding each year to schools across the U.S. to keep their meal programs afloat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reimbursement rates are adjusted annually based on the consumer price index, but school nutrition directors say that the increases are not enough and that Congress needs to revisit the reimbursement formula altogether, as meal programs become more expensive to operate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It all comes down to funding,” said Dillard, of the SNA. “The sky would be the limit if we had the funding. We could cook all day long.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4030x3000+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1f%2F7b%2Fdbc68d364e8ebaa5023e6c12c958%2Fschool-lunch-duo2.jpg\" alt=\"Taylor, of the Great Valley School District, said students have given feedback on menu changes.\">\u003cfigcaption>Taylor, of the Great Valley School District, said students have given feedback on menu changes. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In an \u003ca href=\"https://schoolnutrition.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SY-25-26-School-Nutrition-Trends-Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SNA survey\u003c/a> released in January, nearly 95% of school nutrition directors said they were concerned about the financial sustainability of their programs three years from now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The current reimbursement rate isn’t even quite enough for the current status quo,” said Jennifer Gaddis, a University of Wisconsin-Madison associate professor of civil society and community studies who studies school food systems, “let alone to do the holistic transformation that we need in order to make school meals really important engines of public health and economic vitality in our communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, Gaddis said, the heat-and-serve model of the past allowed schools to spend less money by hiring fewer workers for shorter shifts. Preparing meals from scratch would require workers to be present longer and kitchens to be equipped for cooking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many school meal programs receive state funding in addition to federal dollars, but the amounts vary. \u003ca href=\"https://schoolnutrition.org/about-school-meals/school-meal-statistics/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">According to SNA\u003c/a>, nine states have dedicated state funds to provide universal free school meals.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>“If a kid is hungry, they’re not studying”\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Despite the budget and logistical constraints, more schools are finding ways to expand their efforts to cook meals from scratch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Chef Ann Foundation, for example, offers an online database of recipes and guides for districts that want to prepare fresher meals, as well as apprenticeships, fellowships and other programs for nutritional staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Great Valley School District hired a chef in December to help source more local ingredients, expand the district’s freshly prepared offerings and train staff members on new kitchen skills. Jenifer Halin, the district’s new culinary coordinator, said she found frozen, precut vegetables in the cafeteria kitchen when she arrived. “And I have already transitioned everybody over to cutting fresh vegetables. It’s been simple.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5139x3426+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F41%2F50%2F978a0f2549a6b0ad2d4f31efe727%2Fschoolnutrition-063.JPG\" alt=\"Culinary coordinator Jenifer Halin has been expanding the Great Valley School District's freshly prepared offerings and training staff members on new kitchen skills.\">\u003cfigcaption>Culinary coordinator Jenifer Halin has been expanding the Great Valley School District’s freshly prepared offerings and training staff members on new kitchen skills. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Taylor, the district’s supervisor of food and nutrition services, has even tried to reformulate some of those meals suggested by students to meet federal nutrition standards, and she said she still hopes to cook more meals from scratch, which would mean giving more staff members full-time status and culinary training. (The cost of cheaper raw ingredients might make the overall financial math even out, she said.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to be able to offer our students our own muffins, our own French toast sticks,” Taylor said, standing in Great Valley High School’s walk-in freezer next to boxes of frozen chicken breasts and banana chocolate chip breakfast bars. “I want to be able to produce our own pizza, so that we’re not having to buy out from other vendors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her efforts have not gone unnoticed by the students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It started with like one day randomly they had this grilled cheese and tomato bisque, and it was like ancient-grain bread, and everyone was like, ‘It tasted like Panera,'” said Varun Kartick, a Great Valley High School senior.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More new dishes followed. Kartick, who doesn’t eat pork or beef, said the vegetables have been fresher and the cafeteria staff often makes entrees vegetarian upon request. On a given day, he may opt for a seasonal chicken wrap or fill up a plate with pasta and vegetables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4188x2792+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F46%2F22%2Fa46a9dbe4e9b87adf28bcace5e0d%2Fschoolnutrition-072.JPG\" alt=\"Sixth-grade students arrive for lunch in the cafeteria of the Great Valley 5/6 Center.\">\u003cfigcaption>Sixth-grade students arrive for lunch in the cafeteria of the Great Valley 5/6 Center. \u003ccite> (Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s been very convenient and very nice to see that change, that we’re not disgusted [by the food] or having to pack a lunch,” he said. “There’s an option that we can have at school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among the items on offer in the cafeteria that day were pizza and chicken fingers, as well as avocado toast and a salad made with Pennsylvania sweet potatoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor said getting more students to eat breakfast and lunch at school would mean more federal reimbursements that could help her expand the district’s nutrition program. But it would also ensure that — most importantly to her — more students are fed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a kid is hungry, they’re not studying. They can’t learn. They’re acting out,” Taylor said. “But if you build this into part of their school day to where they feel like this is the norm for them, then you’ve knocked down that hurdle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Grocery prices got you down? Learn how to cut your food bill with NPR’s 4-part newsletter. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/newsletter/food-budget\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Sign up here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for budgeting tips, meal planning and more.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "public-school-kids-were-already-going-missing-theres-even-more-to-come",
"title": "Public School Kids Were Already Going Missing. There’s Even More to Come",
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"headTitle": "Public School Kids Were Already Going Missing. There’s Even More to Come | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>For many Americans, the specter of missing children evokes forlorn images on milk cartons or Amber alerts on cell phones. But a \u003ca href=\"https://www.brookings.edu/articles/declining-public-school-enrollment/\">new report\u003c/a> from the Brookings Institution suggests that the pandemic may have created a new generation of lost kids — this time, from classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Lost but not found\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The number of students who are not in school exploded in 2020 after the Covid outbreak, and many still aren’t back. The missing kids are not in private schools or being homeschooled. Many children are simply not enrolled anywhere, according to the Brookings’ analysis of federal data. Some are older teens, nearly at the end of their high school years, but many are younger. And no one knows whether these kids are getting an education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the 2021–22 school year, roughly 2 million additional students, ages 5 through 17, disappeared from both public and private school rolls, a 450 percent increase from 2019-20 in missing kids, according to the report. I would have guessed that families had relocated during the pandemic, temporarily or permanently, and administrative records were in too much disarray to track down everyone. But even by 2023–24, a normal school year, the share of children unaccounted for (not in public or private school) still totaled 2.1 million or almost 4 percent of the nation’s 54 million kids, ages 5 to 17, nearly five times the number before the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To calculate the number of missing children, the Brookings researchers subtracted school enrollment figures from U.S. population data. It’s possible that there’s some statistical discrepancy between data from the U.S. Census Department and the National Center for Education Statistics that will be sorted out in the future. But it’s also possible that these missing children are not learning to read and do math, and that doesn’t portend well for the nation’s future. \u003ca href=\"https://www.urban.org/research/publication/where-kids-went-nonpublic-schooling-and-demographic-change-during-pandemic\">Analysis of state data\u003c/a> by Stanford University professor Thomas Dee in 2023 first revealed the pandemic increase in missing children, and was \u003ca href=\"https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-children/index.html\">publicized by the Associated Press\u003c/a>. This Brookings report confirms that it is an enduring mystery.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Percentage of school-aged children who are not enrolled in traditional public schools, 2016-17 to 2023-24\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-65803\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-1.png\" alt=\"A graph shows an increased proportion of unknown whereabouts of kids who are not enrolled in traditional public school.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1253\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-1.png 512w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-1-160x104.png 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Source: Brookings, “Declining public school enrollment,” August 2025\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Private school enrollment flat\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Before the pandemic, the share of students in traditional public schools held steady, hovering near 85 percent between 2016 and 2020. After the pandemic, traditional public school enrollment plummeted to below 80 percent and hasn’t rebounded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mysterious missing children account for a big chunk of the decline. But families also switched to charter and virtual schools. Charter school enrollment rose from 5 percent of students in 2016-17 to 6 percent in 2023-24. The number of children attending virtual schools almost doubled from 0.7 percent before the pandemic in 2019-20 to 1.2 percent in 2020-21 and has remained elevated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Surprisingly, private school enrollment has stayed steady at almost 9 percent of school-age children between 2016-17 and 2023-24, according to this Brookings estimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had expected private school enrollment to skyrocket, as families soured on public school disruptions during the pandemic, and as 11 states, including Arizona and Florida, launched their own educational savings account or new voucher programs to help pay the tuition. But \u003ca href=\"https://reachcentered.org/publications/the-effects-of-universal-school-vouchers-on-private-school-tuition-and-enrollment-a-national-analysis\">another analysis\u003c/a>, released this month by researchers at Tulane University, echoed the Brookings numbers. It found that private school enrollments had increased by only 3 to 4 percent between 2021 and 2024, compared to states without vouchers. A \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/whats-a-tax-credit-scholarship-the-details-behind-the-first-national-school-voucher-program/\">new federal tax credit\u003c/a> to fund private school scholarships is still more than a year away from going into effect on Jan. 1, 2027, and perhaps a greater shift into private education is still ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Defections from traditional public schools are largest in Black and high-poverty districts\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I would have guessed that wealthier families who can afford private school tuition would be more likely to seek alternatives. But high-poverty districts had the largest share of students outside the traditional public-school sector. In addition to private school, they were enrolled in charters, virtual schools, specialized schools for students with disabilities or other alternative schools, or were homeschooling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 1 in 4 students in high-poverty districts aren’t enrolled in a traditional public school, compared with 1 in 6 students in low-poverty school districts. The steepest public school enrollment losses are concentrated in predominantly Black school districts. A third of students in predominantly Black districts are not in traditional public schools, double the share of white and Hispanic students.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Share of student enrollment outside of traditional public schools, by district poverty\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-65804\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-2.png\" alt=\"A graph shows the percentage of kids out of traditional public school based on income.\" width=\"512\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-2.png 512w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-2-160x94.png 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Source: Brookings, “Declining public school enrollment,” August 2025\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Share of students not enrolled in traditional public schools by race and ethnicity\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-65805\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-3.png\" alt=\"Graph showing percentage of kids not in traditional public school by race.\" width=\"512\" height=\"303\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-3.png 512w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-3-160x95.png 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Source: Brookings, “Declining public school enrollment,” August 2025\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These discrepancies matter for the students who remain in traditional public schools. Schools in low-income and Black neighborhoods are now losing the most students, forcing even steeper budget cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The demographic timebomb\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Before the pandemic, U.S. schools were already headed for a big contraction. The average American woman is now giving birth to only 1.7 children over her lifetime, well below the 2.1 fertility rate needed to replace the population. Fertility rates are projected to fall further still. The Brookings analysts assume more immigrants will continue to enter the country, despite current immigration restrictions, but not enough to offset the decline in births.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if families return to their pre-pandemic enrollment patterns, the population decline would mean 2.2 million fewer public school students by 2050. But if parents keep choosing other kinds of schools at the pace observed since 2020, traditional public schools could lose as many as 8.5 million students, shrinking from 43.06 million in 2023-24 to as few as 34.57 million by mid-century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between students gone missing, the choices some Black families and families in high-poverty districts are making and how many kids are being born, the public school landscape is shifting. Buckle up and get ready for mass \u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=619\">public school closures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-public-school-enrollment-decline/\">\u003cem>school enrollment declines\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003cem>Proof Points\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and other \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletters\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Public School Kids Were Already Going Missing. There’s Even More to Come | KQED",
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"headline": "Public School Kids Were Already Going Missing. There’s Even More to Come",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For many Americans, the specter of missing children evokes forlorn images on milk cartons or Amber alerts on cell phones. But a \u003ca href=\"https://www.brookings.edu/articles/declining-public-school-enrollment/\">new report\u003c/a> from the Brookings Institution suggests that the pandemic may have created a new generation of lost kids — this time, from classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Lost but not found\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The number of students who are not in school exploded in 2020 after the Covid outbreak, and many still aren’t back. The missing kids are not in private schools or being homeschooled. Many children are simply not enrolled anywhere, according to the Brookings’ analysis of federal data. Some are older teens, nearly at the end of their high school years, but many are younger. And no one knows whether these kids are getting an education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the 2021–22 school year, roughly 2 million additional students, ages 5 through 17, disappeared from both public and private school rolls, a 450 percent increase from 2019-20 in missing kids, according to the report. I would have guessed that families had relocated during the pandemic, temporarily or permanently, and administrative records were in too much disarray to track down everyone. But even by 2023–24, a normal school year, the share of children unaccounted for (not in public or private school) still totaled 2.1 million or almost 4 percent of the nation’s 54 million kids, ages 5 to 17, nearly five times the number before the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To calculate the number of missing children, the Brookings researchers subtracted school enrollment figures from U.S. population data. It’s possible that there’s some statistical discrepancy between data from the U.S. Census Department and the National Center for Education Statistics that will be sorted out in the future. But it’s also possible that these missing children are not learning to read and do math, and that doesn’t portend well for the nation’s future. \u003ca href=\"https://www.urban.org/research/publication/where-kids-went-nonpublic-schooling-and-demographic-change-during-pandemic\">Analysis of state data\u003c/a> by Stanford University professor Thomas Dee in 2023 first revealed the pandemic increase in missing children, and was \u003ca href=\"https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-children/index.html\">publicized by the Associated Press\u003c/a>. This Brookings report confirms that it is an enduring mystery.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Percentage of school-aged children who are not enrolled in traditional public schools, 2016-17 to 2023-24\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-65803\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-1.png\" alt=\"A graph shows an increased proportion of unknown whereabouts of kids who are not enrolled in traditional public school.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1253\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-1.png 512w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-1-160x104.png 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Source: Brookings, “Declining public school enrollment,” August 2025\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Private school enrollment flat\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Before the pandemic, the share of students in traditional public schools held steady, hovering near 85 percent between 2016 and 2020. After the pandemic, traditional public school enrollment plummeted to below 80 percent and hasn’t rebounded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mysterious missing children account for a big chunk of the decline. But families also switched to charter and virtual schools. Charter school enrollment rose from 5 percent of students in 2016-17 to 6 percent in 2023-24. The number of children attending virtual schools almost doubled from 0.7 percent before the pandemic in 2019-20 to 1.2 percent in 2020-21 and has remained elevated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Surprisingly, private school enrollment has stayed steady at almost 9 percent of school-age children between 2016-17 and 2023-24, according to this Brookings estimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had expected private school enrollment to skyrocket, as families soured on public school disruptions during the pandemic, and as 11 states, including Arizona and Florida, launched their own educational savings account or new voucher programs to help pay the tuition. But \u003ca href=\"https://reachcentered.org/publications/the-effects-of-universal-school-vouchers-on-private-school-tuition-and-enrollment-a-national-analysis\">another analysis\u003c/a>, released this month by researchers at Tulane University, echoed the Brookings numbers. It found that private school enrollments had increased by only 3 to 4 percent between 2021 and 2024, compared to states without vouchers. A \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/whats-a-tax-credit-scholarship-the-details-behind-the-first-national-school-voucher-program/\">new federal tax credit\u003c/a> to fund private school scholarships is still more than a year away from going into effect on Jan. 1, 2027, and perhaps a greater shift into private education is still ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Defections from traditional public schools are largest in Black and high-poverty districts\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I would have guessed that wealthier families who can afford private school tuition would be more likely to seek alternatives. But high-poverty districts had the largest share of students outside the traditional public-school sector. In addition to private school, they were enrolled in charters, virtual schools, specialized schools for students with disabilities or other alternative schools, or were homeschooling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 1 in 4 students in high-poverty districts aren’t enrolled in a traditional public school, compared with 1 in 6 students in low-poverty school districts. The steepest public school enrollment losses are concentrated in predominantly Black school districts. A third of students in predominantly Black districts are not in traditional public schools, double the share of white and Hispanic students.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Share of student enrollment outside of traditional public schools, by district poverty\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-65804\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-2.png\" alt=\"A graph shows the percentage of kids out of traditional public school based on income.\" width=\"512\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-2.png 512w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-2-160x94.png 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Source: Brookings, “Declining public school enrollment,” August 2025\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Share of students not enrolled in traditional public schools by race and ethnicity\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-65805\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-3.png\" alt=\"Graph showing percentage of kids not in traditional public school by race.\" width=\"512\" height=\"303\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-3.png 512w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/09/Hechinger-Declining-Enrollment-3-160x95.png 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Source: Brookings, “Declining public school enrollment,” August 2025\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These discrepancies matter for the students who remain in traditional public schools. Schools in low-income and Black neighborhoods are now losing the most students, forcing even steeper budget cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The demographic timebomb\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Before the pandemic, U.S. schools were already headed for a big contraction. The average American woman is now giving birth to only 1.7 children over her lifetime, well below the 2.1 fertility rate needed to replace the population. Fertility rates are projected to fall further still. The Brookings analysts assume more immigrants will continue to enter the country, despite current immigration restrictions, but not enough to offset the decline in births.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if families return to their pre-pandemic enrollment patterns, the population decline would mean 2.2 million fewer public school students by 2050. But if parents keep choosing other kinds of schools at the pace observed since 2020, traditional public schools could lose as many as 8.5 million students, shrinking from 43.06 million in 2023-24 to as few as 34.57 million by mid-century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between students gone missing, the choices some Black families and families in high-poverty districts are making and how many kids are being born, the public school landscape is shifting. Buckle up and get ready for mass \u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=619\">public school closures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-public-school-enrollment-decline/\">\u003cem>school enrollment declines\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003cem>Proof Points\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and other \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletters\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "when-students-repair-school-chromebooks-meaningful-skills-are-developed",
"title": "When Students Repair School Chromebooks, Meaningful Skills Are Developed",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Here’s how I describe what a Chromebook is to a group of people who don’t know what a Chromebook is,” said middle school teacher and comedian Jonathan Williams in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@bored_teachers/video/7289166867279744298\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a comedy set\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. “It’s like a laptop, but broken.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His joke and others about broken Chromebooks are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@ballardco/video/7265437431233514794\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">echoed by\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@thesidesofteaching/video/7228382553135369518\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">educators\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@treybrosemer/video/7179318729329610030\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and students\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> likely because Chromebooks are omnipresent at schools. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/technology/what-the-massive-shift-to-1-to-1-computing-means-for-schools-in-charts/2022/05\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">many schools adopted a “one-to-one” model\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, providing each student with a Chromebook. However, maintaining these devices has proven challenging.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“The kids are breaking them because, well, kids are kids,” said Allison Bacon, a tech coordinator at Ossining School District in New York. Chromebook repairs can take time due to limited staff. Sometimes, the devices must be sent out for repairs, further delaying their return.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We asked our tech guys, the network specialists, if they could come in and just teach the kids some of the basic things [about Chromebooks],” said Bacon when she presented at the \u003ca href=\"https://conference.iste.org/2024/registration/closed.php\">International Society for Technology in Education Conference\u003c/a>. For example, students may think their Chromebook is broken when really the battery is dead and it won’t hold a charge, according to Bacon. The network specialists showed students that there was a simple way to go into the settings and check if that was the issue. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The students felt empowered, Bacon said. “They were like, ‘What else can you show us?’” This \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55327/how-hands-on-projects-can-deepen-math-learning-for-teens\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hands-on learning approach\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> led to the creation of Ossining Middle School’s “Genius Bar,” inspired by Apple’s tech support model. Students met in the library during lunch to fix computers. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://pblworks.org/sites/default/files/2019-01/FreeBIE_Research_Summary.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62349/why-schoolyards-are-a-critical-space-for-teaching-about-and-fighting-extreme-heat-and-climate-change\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">project-based learning\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can improve students’ retention and engagement. Additionally, project-based learning is well-suited to support \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.battelleforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/P21_Framework_Brief.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">21st century skills, including critical thinking and self direction\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. “One of the most important 21st-century skills is learning to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52070/to-raise-confident-independent-kids-some-parents-are-trying-to-let-grow\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">figure things out independently\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,” Bacon emphasized. The Genius Bar at Ossining Middle School aligned with students’ interests while equipping them with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62734/when-parents-only-focus-on-college-admissions-essential-skills-can-slip-through-the-cracks\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">relevant skills\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to navigate and adapt to the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/61098/worried-about-chatgpt-and-cheating-here-are-4-things-teachers-should-know\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ever-changing technological landscape\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Encouraging agency and independent learning\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The learning didn’t stop at computer batteries, according to Bacon. Learning how to repair something they use every day with their own hands piqued students’ interest. Bacon and network specialists brought a few broken Chromebooks to one of the lunchtime training sessions and took them apart. “[The network specialist] actually showed every piece, every wire, what it is, what it does and how to unclip it,” Bacon said. The kids were able to take all of these broken devices and harvest the different parts and use them to repair other devices.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Genius Bar’s success evolved from an informal lunchtime group to an after-school club where students could learn more about and fix Chromebooks. Students recognized how to make hardware repairs for their peers. Students were learning to be independent, Bacon said. “Rather than it going upstairs to have somebody do it, they can do it right there in the library,” Bacon added. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last year, Bacon got a grant to get a 3D printer and Genius Bar students said that they’d meet after school to put it together. “I was like ‘They’re 11 and 12 [years old] and this is like $2000 worth of stuff,”’ said Bacon. “But the reality is that people will rise to the bar that is given to them.” With help from one of the technology instructors, the students put together their 3D printer. Since then, they have also assembled microphones for podcasting and a mixing board. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Engaging all students, not just the high achieving ones\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Students, regardless of academic standing, found value in the Genius Bar program, including those needing additional learning support and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57787/tools-that-help-english-language-learners-online-and-in-person\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">English language learners\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Bacon attributes this to the fact that technology doesn’t only impact high achieving students. “We’ve all been using technology,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some students learned to log into Chromebooks for the first time, while others eagerly disassembled computers.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> “[Hardware repair] is not a skill that we necessarily teach in school every day,” Bacon pointed out. “Unfortunately, kids have these wonderful skills that \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60978/new-climate-legislation-could-create-9-million-jobs-will-students-be-ready-to-fill-them\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">don’t always align academically\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the things we’re doing. So this space really lets kids shine in fixing and understanding and just seeing how things are put together.” As a result, some \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62913/the-job-market-is-changing-heres-how-educators-can-help-students-keep-up\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">students now aspire to tech-related careers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while others simply appreciate the practical knowledge.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>21st century skills and high school\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Genius Bar’s impact was so significant that students advocated for a similar program at the high school level. They proposed an elective to the high school principal, who agreed to offer an accredited course. Bacon helped the students present their proposal to the Board of Education, leading to the launch of the Ossining High School Genius Bar class for the 2023-24 school year.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We want them to be able to run the help desk — a student help desk,” said Oumar Sarr, who teaches the high school Genius Bar class. “We are also working in partnership with the tech department to get the students to learn the basics of troubleshooting computers, fixing some little problems that students and some teachers even have with their technology devices.” The class also includes a Google Level 1 certification that teaches students proficiency in Google Classroom tools like Gmail, Drive, and Calendar.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sarr’s goal is to encourage students to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58624/how-parents-and-educators-can-support-healthy-teen-use-of-social-media\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">think creatively about technology\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not just as consumers but as critical thinkers who can shape it. “We started talking about \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64014/teens-are-looking-to-ai-for-answers-about-their-personal-lives-not-just-homework-help\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI technology and the impact it can have on students\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and our communities,” Sarr explained. “They are discovering that technology, like everything else, needs to be channeled. It needs to be put into a route that will help, because if not, technology can be destructive.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the Genius Bar class, students guide discussions and work on projects that interest them. The class “puts the learning into the hands of the students,” said Sarr. “I want it to be a place where students are independent and they can drive the class where they need to take it. And I will be there to assist them and to facilitate their learning.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "When Students Repair School Chromebooks, Meaningful Skills Are Developed | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Here’s how I describe what a Chromebook is to a group of people who don’t know what a Chromebook is,” said middle school teacher and comedian Jonathan Williams in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@bored_teachers/video/7289166867279744298\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a comedy set\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. “It’s like a laptop, but broken.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His joke and others about broken Chromebooks are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@ballardco/video/7265437431233514794\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">echoed by\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@thesidesofteaching/video/7228382553135369518\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">educators\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@treybrosemer/video/7179318729329610030\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and students\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> likely because Chromebooks are omnipresent at schools. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/technology/what-the-massive-shift-to-1-to-1-computing-means-for-schools-in-charts/2022/05\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">many schools adopted a “one-to-one” model\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, providing each student with a Chromebook. However, maintaining these devices has proven challenging.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“The kids are breaking them because, well, kids are kids,” said Allison Bacon, a tech coordinator at Ossining School District in New York. Chromebook repairs can take time due to limited staff. Sometimes, the devices must be sent out for repairs, further delaying their return.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We asked our tech guys, the network specialists, if they could come in and just teach the kids some of the basic things [about Chromebooks],” said Bacon when she presented at the \u003ca href=\"https://conference.iste.org/2024/registration/closed.php\">International Society for Technology in Education Conference\u003c/a>. For example, students may think their Chromebook is broken when really the battery is dead and it won’t hold a charge, according to Bacon. The network specialists showed students that there was a simple way to go into the settings and check if that was the issue. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The students felt empowered, Bacon said. “They were like, ‘What else can you show us?’” This \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55327/how-hands-on-projects-can-deepen-math-learning-for-teens\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hands-on learning approach\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> led to the creation of Ossining Middle School’s “Genius Bar,” inspired by Apple’s tech support model. Students met in the library during lunch to fix computers. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://pblworks.org/sites/default/files/2019-01/FreeBIE_Research_Summary.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62349/why-schoolyards-are-a-critical-space-for-teaching-about-and-fighting-extreme-heat-and-climate-change\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">project-based learning\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can improve students’ retention and engagement. Additionally, project-based learning is well-suited to support \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.battelleforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/P21_Framework_Brief.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">21st century skills, including critical thinking and self direction\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. “One of the most important 21st-century skills is learning to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52070/to-raise-confident-independent-kids-some-parents-are-trying-to-let-grow\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">figure things out independently\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,” Bacon emphasized. The Genius Bar at Ossining Middle School aligned with students’ interests while equipping them with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62734/when-parents-only-focus-on-college-admissions-essential-skills-can-slip-through-the-cracks\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">relevant skills\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to navigate and adapt to the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/61098/worried-about-chatgpt-and-cheating-here-are-4-things-teachers-should-know\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ever-changing technological landscape\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Encouraging agency and independent learning\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The learning didn’t stop at computer batteries, according to Bacon. Learning how to repair something they use every day with their own hands piqued students’ interest. Bacon and network specialists brought a few broken Chromebooks to one of the lunchtime training sessions and took them apart. “[The network specialist] actually showed every piece, every wire, what it is, what it does and how to unclip it,” Bacon said. The kids were able to take all of these broken devices and harvest the different parts and use them to repair other devices.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Genius Bar’s success evolved from an informal lunchtime group to an after-school club where students could learn more about and fix Chromebooks. Students recognized how to make hardware repairs for their peers. Students were learning to be independent, Bacon said. “Rather than it going upstairs to have somebody do it, they can do it right there in the library,” Bacon added. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last year, Bacon got a grant to get a 3D printer and Genius Bar students said that they’d meet after school to put it together. “I was like ‘They’re 11 and 12 [years old] and this is like $2000 worth of stuff,”’ said Bacon. “But the reality is that people will rise to the bar that is given to them.” With help from one of the technology instructors, the students put together their 3D printer. Since then, they have also assembled microphones for podcasting and a mixing board. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Engaging all students, not just the high achieving ones\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Students, regardless of academic standing, found value in the Genius Bar program, including those needing additional learning support and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57787/tools-that-help-english-language-learners-online-and-in-person\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">English language learners\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Bacon attributes this to the fact that technology doesn’t only impact high achieving students. “We’ve all been using technology,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some students learned to log into Chromebooks for the first time, while others eagerly disassembled computers.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> “[Hardware repair] is not a skill that we necessarily teach in school every day,” Bacon pointed out. “Unfortunately, kids have these wonderful skills that \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60978/new-climate-legislation-could-create-9-million-jobs-will-students-be-ready-to-fill-them\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">don’t always align academically\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the things we’re doing. So this space really lets kids shine in fixing and understanding and just seeing how things are put together.” As a result, some \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62913/the-job-market-is-changing-heres-how-educators-can-help-students-keep-up\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">students now aspire to tech-related careers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while others simply appreciate the practical knowledge.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>21st century skills and high school\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Genius Bar’s impact was so significant that students advocated for a similar program at the high school level. They proposed an elective to the high school principal, who agreed to offer an accredited course. Bacon helped the students present their proposal to the Board of Education, leading to the launch of the Ossining High School Genius Bar class for the 2023-24 school year.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We want them to be able to run the help desk — a student help desk,” said Oumar Sarr, who teaches the high school Genius Bar class. “We are also working in partnership with the tech department to get the students to learn the basics of troubleshooting computers, fixing some little problems that students and some teachers even have with their technology devices.” The class also includes a Google Level 1 certification that teaches students proficiency in Google Classroom tools like Gmail, Drive, and Calendar.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sarr’s goal is to encourage students to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58624/how-parents-and-educators-can-support-healthy-teen-use-of-social-media\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">think creatively about technology\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not just as consumers but as critical thinkers who can shape it. “We started talking about \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64014/teens-are-looking-to-ai-for-answers-about-their-personal-lives-not-just-homework-help\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI technology and the impact it can have on students\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and our communities,” Sarr explained. “They are discovering that technology, like everything else, needs to be channeled. It needs to be put into a route that will help, because if not, technology can be destructive.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the Genius Bar class, students guide discussions and work on projects that interest them. The class “puts the learning into the hands of the students,” said Sarr. “I want it to be a place where students are independent and they can drive the class where they need to take it. And I will be there to assist them and to facilitate their learning.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "its-not-too-late-to-read-that-entire-book-with-your-students",
"title": "It’s Not Too Late to Read That Entire Book With Your Students",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When former educator \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.daniellebayardjackson.com/home\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Danielle Bayard Jackson\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was called into the principal’s office, she was told to stop reading whole books with her students. She was advised to focus on chapters and summaries instead, in preparation for upcoming standardized tests that emphasized shorter passages. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I knew I was being asked to do something that would be a disservice to my kids,” Jackson recalled. She continued to read full books with her students, who later scored well on the standardized tests. Jackson’s experience is common; many teachers face pressure to use excerpts rather than complete works, which aligns with test formats but \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/11/the-elite-college-students-who-cant-read-books/679945/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">may impact students’ reading endurance and comprehension\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, according to journalist Rose Horowitch in The Atlantic.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Horowitch’s interviews with college professors reveal concerns about students’ reading skills, even at elite institutions. “Professors were clear-eyed about the fact that students have probably never done all of the reading,” she said. Yet today’s students struggle with vocabulary and understanding a book’s overarching structure, often losing track of plots and complex narratives.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/61018/want-kids-to-love-reading-authors-grace-lin-and-kate-messner-share-how-to-find-wonder-in-books\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">well-documented benefits of reading\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the focus on testing has pushed many to bypass the unique advantages of full-length books. However, reintroducing full-length texts may unlock the rewards of sustained reading.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Making connections and Cultivating Empathy\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Full books are particularly effective at fostering empathy in readers and students may miss out on developing these qualities when they only read shorter passages. Additionally, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3559433/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">research shows\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that fiction elicits emotions from readers, who are likely to get “lost” in the narrative and identify with characters. “You could read about somebody and connect with them even if they lived a thousand years ago or far away or had such a different life,” Horowitch said. Discussions about characters and storylines, experts noted, can nurture these skills.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reading also enables students to make broader connections to the world, whether it has to do with global events, personal conflicts, or societal dynamics. These connections to real life events are called \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/text-text-text-self-text-world-0\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">text-to-world connections\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. According to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://firstbook.org/solutions/diverse-books-study/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a recent study\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, students engage more deeply when books have \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55039/how-the-disrupttexts-movement-can-help-english-teachers-be-more-inclusive\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">diverse characters and relatable topics\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jackson recalled teaching \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lord of the Flies\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to her high schoolers. “It’s just such a cool and very important book about governing and groupthink,” she said. Through class discussions about personal experiences and acting out sections from the book, her students saw parallels between the characters’ experiences and situations they observe around them.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Books also teach students to recognize how events unfold. “You’re noticing foreshadowing from chapter one, and then seeing it all come together in chapter 16,” Jackson noted as she recalled the excitement students will feel when they recognize a connection. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This emotional engagement helps students develop skills beyond reading, such as navigating nuanced arguments and reflecting on their own experiences, Horowitch said. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://virginialibrariesjournal.org/articles/10.21061/valib.v63i1.1474\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reading fiction is shown to make people more open to changing their minds\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> —a valuable trait, especially as empathy-related activities like volunteerism decline and issues such as bullying increase.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Building Endurance\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reading entire books strengthens students’ endurance and focus, according to Horowitch. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It’s really a skill to stay on one task for an extended period,” she said, sharing a professor’s observation that some students even struggle to focus on a 14-line sonnet.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While technology’s role in diminishing attention spans isn’t definitive, studies suggest people \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/59602/paper-books-linked-to-stronger-readers-in-an-international-study\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">read more deeply in physical books\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> than on digital devices, which can \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57734/distracted-these-four-learning-strategies-can-help\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">distract with notifications\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Although students might \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/61287/beyond-reading-logs-and-lexile-levels-supporting-students-multifaceted-reading-lives\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">read more than ever through social media\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the fragmented format doesn’t build reading stamina. “I don’t think anybody’s deep-reading Twitter comments,” Horowitch said. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“You’re good at what you practice. And the more time you spend reading these really small snippets of little words, whether it’s an Instagram comment or watching a TikTok video, that’s just what you’re used to,” said Horowitch. She added that sometimes it can be hard to read something that isn’t immediately rewarding the way that social media is. Students also spend \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/well/family/child-social-media-use.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">more time on social media than they ever have before\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, leaving less time for reading for fun. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is possible to gain that reading stamina back. Horowitch said that some people have experimented with committing to read a certain amount of pages and then steadily increasing the number of pages they read in one sitting. Danielle also said that it could be helpful for teachers to relate to students’ experiences when they struggle with a text. “When I read this in school, it kind of threw me off, too,” she would say, “But I’ve got you. I’m here with you.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC2189171731\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Welcome to MindShift. Where we discuss the future of learning and how we raise our kids. I’m Nimah Gobir. You might’ve heard about The Atlantic article making waves lately. The headline? Some students—even those at elite universities—are struggling to read entire books. Whether you’ve read it yourself or just caught bits of the buzz, we’re here to break it down and get to the core of what’s really going on. Is this a crisis we need to worry about? Or is it just headline hype? Rose Horowitch wrote the article.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> I write primarily about education with some politics and general interest stories mixed in. I kept hearing scattered reports from professors that they were really noticing a change in their students reading habits over the past decade. And I was curious to see, you know, whether this was something that just a few people were experiencing or whether it was a much broader phenomenon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Rose talked to professors and learned that it wasn’t that college students don’t know how to read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> Their students are literate, you know, they can decode words and read sentences, but they have much narrower vocabularies than they used to. They really struggle digging into a text, getting through a text that might, you know, be sort of challenging that they kind of reached their limit much earlier, that they struggle to and even deal sort of with the architecture of a book and focus on small details while keeping in mind the overall plot and how they fit together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And surprisingly, it’s not just books that students are struggling with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> One thing that was sort of jaw-dropping for me was speaking with the chair of Georgetown University’s English department, and he was saying that he really notices these changes even when students are reading a sonnet and that, you know, it can be you can be reading something that’s 14 lines and it’s still just can be really hard for them to focus on it and get through it and really wrestle with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> I asked Rose about the possible causes, and one was a usual suspect: digital media and technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> In speaking with experts, you know, they definitely did think that smartphones and social media played a role. You know, it seems that there was some disagreement over whether smartphones are really kind of rewiring people’s brains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> There are so many things that affect a person’s attention span, that it’s hard to definitively say tech hurts learning. However, research by the National Library of Medicine shows that some tech is designed to draw people’s attention. These are known as persuasive technologies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch: \u003c/strong> It’s always engaging, always fun. And so it’s very hard to to kind of read something that’s not immediately rewarding. And another aspect of that is just that it’s like being on your smartphone just takes up so much time that, you know, people also seem to be reading a lot less just for fun because, you know, they’re spending their time on social media instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> But, on the other hand, some literacy experts say we’re reading more than ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> Just in shorter bursts and, you know, with less kind of care. I mean, I don’t think anybody’s like deep reading their Twitter comments. Um There’s a lot of research that people sort of do tend to read more deeply when they’re reading on a print page instead of on a screen. Because it is really a skill to just stay on one task for an extended period of time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> While it’s easy to blame technology, it’s not the only factor here.There’s also the role of schools and teaching. We’re going to take a quick break, and when we’re back, we’ll look at how education might be playing a part in this trend and what teachers can do to help. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nimah Gobir: I thought we could just blame everything on tech and call it a day, but high schools and middle school play a role in students’ reading abilities too. The subtitle on Rose Horowitch’s article in the Atlantic says, “To read a book in college, it helps to have read a book in high school.” And when I saw that I got a little chill because It’s like when the character in a scary movie realizes the call is coming from inside the house… or should i say inside our grade school buildings?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> Professors that I spoke with also thought that the preparation that students were getting was, you know, an equally large, if not, you know, even more significant factor in it. There was a lot of emphasis, too, on, you know, preparing students for these standardized tests, you know, instead and just, you know, reading wasn’t something that was valued as much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> For decades, standardized testing has emphasized shorter passages, encouraging teachers to focus on excerpts rather than full texts. But while this may boost test scores, it may also erode the endurance students need for book-length reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Bayard Jackson: \u003c/strong> It started because a teacher came to observe my classroom. She called me down the next day. She told me that she noticed I was reading full books with the students. She asked politely that I not do that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This is Danielle Bayard Jackson, talking about her experience as an English teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Bayard Jackson: \u003c/strong>She suggested, “How about you read a chapter with the students and just summarize the rest? Because we’ve really got to focus on that test.” I think what’s so disturbing is you have teachers who are oftentimes not being treated like the experts that they are. I went to school for that. My degree is in that I know best practices. I know about how to maximize and optimize things for students’ learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Danielle decided to push back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Bayard Jackson:\u003c/strong> And it became a matter of personal integrity for me in that moment because I knew I was being asked to do something that would be that would be a disservice to my kids. I began to go to the library on campus and and ask the, you know, media center, you know, librarian, if I could get class sets of different books, one of them being \u003cem>Lord of the Flies\u003c/em>. I mean, that is a classic. And it’s so much fun to read. And so I did that a couple times for months. And she was in on it with me. And I’m pushing the cart to the room and pushing it back so they don’t see class sets in my classroom. And a couple of months later, they called me down and they let me know that my students scored the highest in the school on that assessment. And they asked me, “What did you do? What’s the secret?” And I have goosebumps now even recalling the moment because I told them, I said, “We’ve been reading.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This raises the question: what’s lost when students can’t engage with full books? Is it really such a big deal?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Bayard Jackson:\u003c/strong> They don’t get a chance to develop a certain endurance, right, to stick with something over time. So that skill in and of itself is really important and is transferable to a lot of other spaces. It’s not about the book. It’s about all the things that come with journeying through a book. So the first is a certain mental endurance because it’s mentally laborious sometimes to read through a text. They also miss making exciting connections, you know, because maybe it takes us, you know, couple of weeks to read through a book, but it’s really settling in with you more deeply. You’re starting to make connections to it. To the outside world. You can think about things more deeply. You’re noticing foreshadowing from chapter one, something felt a little a little odd. And then we see it all come together in Chapter 16. Character development, right? So we’re watching this person, this character over time and how they change. And we can unpack that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> It’s possible that the shift in reading habits has less to do with skills and more to do with values. Students today are more focused on getting ready to enter the workforce and may feel like they have less time for reading for reading sake. Danielle now has a job that is coveted by young people. She’s a TikTok influencer who makes videos about how women can develop better communication practices. I asked her if reading plays a role in her current work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Bayard Jackson:\u003c/strong> I’m surprised to see that, you know, a lot of my after coming out of the classroom to see the way that my personal career journey has developed, you know, coaching people through friendships, studying friendship research, I didn’t see that for myself. I’m traveling across the country speaking and getting paid for videos on TikTok. I mean, that’s a part of it as a content creator, I suppose. I have to read those contracts, which are lengthy. I have to, you know, read through the research papers that I’m then going and sharing with people. Reading is a part of everything that we do. And you have to have a certain stamina to get through hearty things. You have to have the skill of pausing and to go back and to review and to make sure you’ve got clarity. It’s great that some things are coming in a bite size way, but then other things are are are not going to come in that way. But we need the skill to do both. And a lot of times what we don’t realize is a lot of these things that are coming in these bite sized packages are excerpts from larger things. So even teaching young people about context. So maybe you saw this TikTok video or this little essay or this little article. But a lot of times it’s being pulled from larger texts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> It seems like reading can only benefit students when they enter the workforce, whether they are trying to be a content creator or an educator. Here’s Rose again\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> Reading kind of trains you to deal with more nuanced arguments and also to reflect on yourself and and learn lessons about yourself through, you know, reading about someone else. What the professors that I spoke with were most worried about who was just what would what, if anything, would kind of take the place of reading in, in giving us these, you know, kind of, I guess, values or lessons that so far sort of reading has. And it’s not readily clear what what could be a substitute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> It is worth remembering that people have been concerned about students’ academic skills for centuries. Even Socrates in 400 BC warned that writing would weaken memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> A lot of people brought up that that example of Socrates talking about how writing would destroy memory because people wouldn’t need to use it anymore. Socrates was right. Like I could never memorize \u003cem>The Iliad\u003c/em>, you know, in the way that people who were used to memorizing things all the time could. But at the same time, like, I think it shows that, you know, the way that we read or write, you know, and kind of interface with information really does change. But, you know, you can still find a way to pass those ideas down. No matter what, we’ll potentially adapt to something new but there maybe is room for hope in that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> That was Rose Horowitch and Danielle Bayard Jackson. We’ll have more minisodes coming down the pipeline to bring you ideas and innovations from experts in education and beyond. Hit follow on your favorite podcast app so you don’t miss a thing.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When former educator \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.daniellebayardjackson.com/home\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Danielle Bayard Jackson\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was called into the principal’s office, she was told to stop reading whole books with her students. She was advised to focus on chapters and summaries instead, in preparation for upcoming standardized tests that emphasized shorter passages. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I knew I was being asked to do something that would be a disservice to my kids,” Jackson recalled. She continued to read full books with her students, who later scored well on the standardized tests. Jackson’s experience is common; many teachers face pressure to use excerpts rather than complete works, which aligns with test formats but \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/11/the-elite-college-students-who-cant-read-books/679945/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">may impact students’ reading endurance and comprehension\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, according to journalist Rose Horowitch in The Atlantic.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Horowitch’s interviews with college professors reveal concerns about students’ reading skills, even at elite institutions. “Professors were clear-eyed about the fact that students have probably never done all of the reading,” she said. Yet today’s students struggle with vocabulary and understanding a book’s overarching structure, often losing track of plots and complex narratives.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/61018/want-kids-to-love-reading-authors-grace-lin-and-kate-messner-share-how-to-find-wonder-in-books\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">well-documented benefits of reading\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the focus on testing has pushed many to bypass the unique advantages of full-length books. However, reintroducing full-length texts may unlock the rewards of sustained reading.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Making connections and Cultivating Empathy\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Full books are particularly effective at fostering empathy in readers and students may miss out on developing these qualities when they only read shorter passages. Additionally, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3559433/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">research shows\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that fiction elicits emotions from readers, who are likely to get “lost” in the narrative and identify with characters. “You could read about somebody and connect with them even if they lived a thousand years ago or far away or had such a different life,” Horowitch said. Discussions about characters and storylines, experts noted, can nurture these skills.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reading also enables students to make broader connections to the world, whether it has to do with global events, personal conflicts, or societal dynamics. These connections to real life events are called \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/text-text-text-self-text-world-0\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">text-to-world connections\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. According to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://firstbook.org/solutions/diverse-books-study/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a recent study\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, students engage more deeply when books have \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55039/how-the-disrupttexts-movement-can-help-english-teachers-be-more-inclusive\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">diverse characters and relatable topics\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jackson recalled teaching \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lord of the Flies\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to her high schoolers. “It’s just such a cool and very important book about governing and groupthink,” she said. Through class discussions about personal experiences and acting out sections from the book, her students saw parallels between the characters’ experiences and situations they observe around them.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Books also teach students to recognize how events unfold. “You’re noticing foreshadowing from chapter one, and then seeing it all come together in chapter 16,” Jackson noted as she recalled the excitement students will feel when they recognize a connection. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This emotional engagement helps students develop skills beyond reading, such as navigating nuanced arguments and reflecting on their own experiences, Horowitch said. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://virginialibrariesjournal.org/articles/10.21061/valib.v63i1.1474\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reading fiction is shown to make people more open to changing their minds\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> —a valuable trait, especially as empathy-related activities like volunteerism decline and issues such as bullying increase.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Building Endurance\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reading entire books strengthens students’ endurance and focus, according to Horowitch. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It’s really a skill to stay on one task for an extended period,” she said, sharing a professor’s observation that some students even struggle to focus on a 14-line sonnet.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While technology’s role in diminishing attention spans isn’t definitive, studies suggest people \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/59602/paper-books-linked-to-stronger-readers-in-an-international-study\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">read more deeply in physical books\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> than on digital devices, which can \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57734/distracted-these-four-learning-strategies-can-help\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">distract with notifications\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Although students might \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/61287/beyond-reading-logs-and-lexile-levels-supporting-students-multifaceted-reading-lives\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">read more than ever through social media\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the fragmented format doesn’t build reading stamina. “I don’t think anybody’s deep-reading Twitter comments,” Horowitch said. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“You’re good at what you practice. And the more time you spend reading these really small snippets of little words, whether it’s an Instagram comment or watching a TikTok video, that’s just what you’re used to,” said Horowitch. She added that sometimes it can be hard to read something that isn’t immediately rewarding the way that social media is. Students also spend \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/well/family/child-social-media-use.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">more time on social media than they ever have before\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, leaving less time for reading for fun. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is possible to gain that reading stamina back. Horowitch said that some people have experimented with committing to read a certain amount of pages and then steadily increasing the number of pages they read in one sitting. Danielle also said that it could be helpful for teachers to relate to students’ experiences when they struggle with a text. “When I read this in school, it kind of threw me off, too,” she would say, “But I’ve got you. I’m here with you.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC2189171731\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Welcome to MindShift. Where we discuss the future of learning and how we raise our kids. I’m Nimah Gobir. You might’ve heard about The Atlantic article making waves lately. The headline? Some students—even those at elite universities—are struggling to read entire books. Whether you’ve read it yourself or just caught bits of the buzz, we’re here to break it down and get to the core of what’s really going on. Is this a crisis we need to worry about? Or is it just headline hype? Rose Horowitch wrote the article.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> I write primarily about education with some politics and general interest stories mixed in. I kept hearing scattered reports from professors that they were really noticing a change in their students reading habits over the past decade. And I was curious to see, you know, whether this was something that just a few people were experiencing or whether it was a much broader phenomenon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Rose talked to professors and learned that it wasn’t that college students don’t know how to read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> Their students are literate, you know, they can decode words and read sentences, but they have much narrower vocabularies than they used to. They really struggle digging into a text, getting through a text that might, you know, be sort of challenging that they kind of reached their limit much earlier, that they struggle to and even deal sort of with the architecture of a book and focus on small details while keeping in mind the overall plot and how they fit together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> And surprisingly, it’s not just books that students are struggling with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> One thing that was sort of jaw-dropping for me was speaking with the chair of Georgetown University’s English department, and he was saying that he really notices these changes even when students are reading a sonnet and that, you know, it can be you can be reading something that’s 14 lines and it’s still just can be really hard for them to focus on it and get through it and really wrestle with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> I asked Rose about the possible causes, and one was a usual suspect: digital media and technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> In speaking with experts, you know, they definitely did think that smartphones and social media played a role. You know, it seems that there was some disagreement over whether smartphones are really kind of rewiring people’s brains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> There are so many things that affect a person’s attention span, that it’s hard to definitively say tech hurts learning. However, research by the National Library of Medicine shows that some tech is designed to draw people’s attention. These are known as persuasive technologies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch: \u003c/strong> It’s always engaging, always fun. And so it’s very hard to to kind of read something that’s not immediately rewarding. And another aspect of that is just that it’s like being on your smartphone just takes up so much time that, you know, people also seem to be reading a lot less just for fun because, you know, they’re spending their time on social media instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> But, on the other hand, some literacy experts say we’re reading more than ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> Just in shorter bursts and, you know, with less kind of care. I mean, I don’t think anybody’s like deep reading their Twitter comments. Um There’s a lot of research that people sort of do tend to read more deeply when they’re reading on a print page instead of on a screen. Because it is really a skill to just stay on one task for an extended period of time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> While it’s easy to blame technology, it’s not the only factor here.There’s also the role of schools and teaching. We’re going to take a quick break, and when we’re back, we’ll look at how education might be playing a part in this trend and what teachers can do to help. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nimah Gobir: I thought we could just blame everything on tech and call it a day, but high schools and middle school play a role in students’ reading abilities too. The subtitle on Rose Horowitch’s article in the Atlantic says, “To read a book in college, it helps to have read a book in high school.” And when I saw that I got a little chill because It’s like when the character in a scary movie realizes the call is coming from inside the house… or should i say inside our grade school buildings?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> Professors that I spoke with also thought that the preparation that students were getting was, you know, an equally large, if not, you know, even more significant factor in it. There was a lot of emphasis, too, on, you know, preparing students for these standardized tests, you know, instead and just, you know, reading wasn’t something that was valued as much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> For decades, standardized testing has emphasized shorter passages, encouraging teachers to focus on excerpts rather than full texts. But while this may boost test scores, it may also erode the endurance students need for book-length reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Bayard Jackson: \u003c/strong> It started because a teacher came to observe my classroom. She called me down the next day. She told me that she noticed I was reading full books with the students. She asked politely that I not do that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This is Danielle Bayard Jackson, talking about her experience as an English teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Bayard Jackson: \u003c/strong>She suggested, “How about you read a chapter with the students and just summarize the rest? Because we’ve really got to focus on that test.” I think what’s so disturbing is you have teachers who are oftentimes not being treated like the experts that they are. I went to school for that. My degree is in that I know best practices. I know about how to maximize and optimize things for students’ learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Danielle decided to push back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Bayard Jackson:\u003c/strong> And it became a matter of personal integrity for me in that moment because I knew I was being asked to do something that would be that would be a disservice to my kids. I began to go to the library on campus and and ask the, you know, media center, you know, librarian, if I could get class sets of different books, one of them being \u003cem>Lord of the Flies\u003c/em>. I mean, that is a classic. And it’s so much fun to read. And so I did that a couple times for months. And she was in on it with me. And I’m pushing the cart to the room and pushing it back so they don’t see class sets in my classroom. And a couple of months later, they called me down and they let me know that my students scored the highest in the school on that assessment. And they asked me, “What did you do? What’s the secret?” And I have goosebumps now even recalling the moment because I told them, I said, “We’ve been reading.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This raises the question: what’s lost when students can’t engage with full books? Is it really such a big deal?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Bayard Jackson:\u003c/strong> They don’t get a chance to develop a certain endurance, right, to stick with something over time. So that skill in and of itself is really important and is transferable to a lot of other spaces. It’s not about the book. It’s about all the things that come with journeying through a book. So the first is a certain mental endurance because it’s mentally laborious sometimes to read through a text. They also miss making exciting connections, you know, because maybe it takes us, you know, couple of weeks to read through a book, but it’s really settling in with you more deeply. You’re starting to make connections to it. To the outside world. You can think about things more deeply. You’re noticing foreshadowing from chapter one, something felt a little a little odd. And then we see it all come together in Chapter 16. Character development, right? So we’re watching this person, this character over time and how they change. And we can unpack that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> It’s possible that the shift in reading habits has less to do with skills and more to do with values. Students today are more focused on getting ready to enter the workforce and may feel like they have less time for reading for reading sake. Danielle now has a job that is coveted by young people. She’s a TikTok influencer who makes videos about how women can develop better communication practices. I asked her if reading plays a role in her current work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Bayard Jackson:\u003c/strong> I’m surprised to see that, you know, a lot of my after coming out of the classroom to see the way that my personal career journey has developed, you know, coaching people through friendships, studying friendship research, I didn’t see that for myself. I’m traveling across the country speaking and getting paid for videos on TikTok. I mean, that’s a part of it as a content creator, I suppose. I have to read those contracts, which are lengthy. I have to, you know, read through the research papers that I’m then going and sharing with people. Reading is a part of everything that we do. And you have to have a certain stamina to get through hearty things. You have to have the skill of pausing and to go back and to review and to make sure you’ve got clarity. It’s great that some things are coming in a bite size way, but then other things are are are not going to come in that way. But we need the skill to do both. And a lot of times what we don’t realize is a lot of these things that are coming in these bite sized packages are excerpts from larger things. So even teaching young people about context. So maybe you saw this TikTok video or this little essay or this little article. But a lot of times it’s being pulled from larger texts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> It seems like reading can only benefit students when they enter the workforce, whether they are trying to be a content creator or an educator. Here’s Rose again\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> Reading kind of trains you to deal with more nuanced arguments and also to reflect on yourself and and learn lessons about yourself through, you know, reading about someone else. What the professors that I spoke with were most worried about who was just what would what, if anything, would kind of take the place of reading in, in giving us these, you know, kind of, I guess, values or lessons that so far sort of reading has. And it’s not readily clear what what could be a substitute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> It is worth remembering that people have been concerned about students’ academic skills for centuries. Even Socrates in 400 BC warned that writing would weaken memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rose Horowitch:\u003c/strong> A lot of people brought up that that example of Socrates talking about how writing would destroy memory because people wouldn’t need to use it anymore. Socrates was right. Like I could never memorize \u003cem>The Iliad\u003c/em>, you know, in the way that people who were used to memorizing things all the time could. But at the same time, like, I think it shows that, you know, the way that we read or write, you know, and kind of interface with information really does change. But, you know, you can still find a way to pass those ideas down. No matter what, we’ll potentially adapt to something new but there maybe is room for hope in that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> That was Rose Horowitch and Danielle Bayard Jackson. We’ll have more minisodes coming down the pipeline to bring you ideas and innovations from experts in education and beyond. Hit follow on your favorite podcast app so you don’t miss a thing.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp>Last year, Roosevelt Middle School in San Francisco, California introduced a campus-wide cellphone and smartphone ban. That meant devices are “off and away at all times while you’re on campus,” said Emily Leicham, Roosevelt Middle School’s principal. Among those in favor of the policy was Marta Lindsey, whose child started sixth grade at Roosevelt in fall 2024. She said that the phone policy was the reason her family chose the school as their first pick in the district’s lottery system. “I just feel super lucky that we got into this school…I don’t even care about anything else about this school except for this policy,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cellphone bans aren’t new to K-12 schools across the nation, but the past year has seen growing momentum for district and statewide bans. In a Pew Research survey, nearly three quarters of high school teachers and a third of middle school teachers said that \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/06/12/72-percent-of-us-high-school-teachers-say-cellphone-distraction-is-a-major-problem-in-the-classroom/\">cellphones are a major distraction in the classroom\u003c/a>. In media appearances related to his \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/04/14/1244000143/anxious-generation-kids-autonomy-freedom\">bestselling book, \u003cem>Anxious Generation\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has called for \u003ca href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/06/ban-smartphones-phone-free-schools-social-media/674304/\">phone-free schools\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/mental-health/issue-brief/a-look-at-state-efforts-to-ban-cellphones-in-schools-and-implications-for-youth-mental-health/\">seven states have banned or restricted cellphone use\u003c/a> in schools for the 2024-25 school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, not everyone is enthusiastic about cellphone and electronics bans in middle schools. \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/RCulatta\">Richard Culatta\u003c/a>, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and \u003ca href=\"https://www.tannerhiggin.com/\">Tanner Higgin\u003c/a>, a senior educational technology researcher at WestEd, support a more nuanced approach to technology use in schools. Instead of a permanent ban on cellphones, Culatta and Higgin suggested that schools teach digital citizenship and develop technology policies that foster healthy electronic use among students.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Implementing a cellphone ban\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At Roosevelt Middle School, the policy worked immediately, according to Leicham. She said she confiscated 40 to 50 phones, airpods and smartwatches on the first day of the cellphone ban in 2023. The second day, she only confiscated two devices. The new system and school policy took years to develop, with parents initiating the conversation during Leicham’s first year as principal in the 2021-22 school year. While parents drove a lot of the interest in a cellphone free school campus, Leicham made sure to include students and teachers in the conversation. Students were given the opportunity to discuss the potential of a cellphone policy during their advisory periods, and teachers had ongoing conversations during staff meetings about their concerns and anticipated challenges, said Leicham.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, Roosevelt expanded the policy to cover all electronics, including Google Chromebooks when not directly in use in a classroom. Additionally, the policy allows no room for warnings. Once a student’s electronic is spotted by a teacher or administrator, it is placed in the front office for the day. Students collect confiscated phones after school. This eliminates power struggles between teachers and students, according to Leicham.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Math teacher Melanie Buntichai said that it was a challenge for individual teachers to enforce their own classroom cellphone policies before the ban. If she engaged with a student who was using their phone inappropriately in class it could take up to ten minutes away from class time. Since Roosevelt implemented a schoolwide policy, “the students don’t fight back as much,” and interruptions became less time consuming, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leicham said students interact with each other more during lunchtime now. “It’s nice to see them, you know, being kids; hanging out with each other,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roosevelt requires \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship\">Common Sense Media’s digital citizenship\u003c/a> lessons for students during advisory classes. According to Leicham, for the 2024-25 school year, Roosevelt aims to have students complete four lessons. The school also provides Common Sense Media resources for parents that covers appropriate and responsible tech use.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Student and parent responses\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While parents have been on board with the electronics policy at Roosevelt, students have been harder to win over. Leicham said that transparency helps when explaining to students why smartphones and other devices don’t belong on campus. “Middle school is the time to build relationships with others,” and middle schoolers “need less screen time and more interaction with others,” Leicham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Psychologist Jacqueline Nesi thinks there is some truth to this. But “it’s not always the case that when students are using screens in general, that they are not socializing at all,” said Nesi, who studies the effects of technology on children. Increased focus on social interactions is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/59687/middle-schoolers-are-social-what-opportunity-does-that-create-for-learning\">hallmark of early adolescent development\u003c/a>, according to Nesi. However, when it comes to fitting in, smartphones can be both a source of disconnection and connection for middle schoolers. On one hand, a student can feel left out if they don’t have access to the same technology that their peers do. On the other hand, a student who feels “marginalized in their offline community” might find belonging through technology “even if it’s in an online environment,” said Nesi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like it did for Lindsey, Roosevelt’s cellphone policy attracted Eiko Sugano to the school. She also hoped to enroll her child there for sixth grade, but he ended up at another school further down on their lottery list. For Sugano, a full cellphone and electronics ban is what initially drew her to Roosevelt. “It was definitely one of my top factors,” she said. Sugano’s son does not have a cellphone. She prefers that he engages in-person rather than on a device, and learns to navigate everyday challenges, like missing a bus, without the help of a smartphone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kids need “increasing independence as they age [and] there’s value in giving them opportunities to solve problems,” said Nesi. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to parenting decisions about which devices to allow adolescents to use and when, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lindsey held an on-campus and online community conversation for families about cellphone and electronics policies at her child’s elementary school last year. “Parents are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63497/parents-make-mistakes-when-setting-screen-time-rules-for-their-kids-thats-ok\">feeling so alone in this\u003c/a>,” she said. Coming together as a school community provided a much needed space for “information sharing between parents about how they’re navigating things or what they’re worried about,” she continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Lindsey is hopeful for the future of students’ cellphone use both in school and outside of school, she wants these conversations and electronics to happen at a more rapid pace because kids are struggling right now. “I can’t even think of a bigger issue right now that parents are having to navigate,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>No to outright bans, yes to guided practice\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Bans on cellphones and electronic devices are taking off beyond Roosevelt. Some large school districts like Los Angeles Unified School District and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64133/new-york-city-is-moving-to-ban-phones-from-school-will-it-work\">New York City Public Schools\u003c/a> are looking to or have already implemented \u003ca href=\"https://www.k12dive.com/news/safety-concerns-school-cell-phone-bans-mental-health/726668/#:~:text=According%20to%20KFF%2C%20seven%20states,restrict%20both%20use%20and%20possession\">district-wide cellphone bans\u003c/a>. But Culatta, the ISTE CEO, thinks these bans are too hasty. He said banning phones removes students’ opportunities to learn appropriate and effective use of technology. While a ban might feel like a satisfying solution, “it doesn’t actually prepare kids to be successful down the road,” he said. If students aren’t learning digital etiquette in school, “where will they ever learn it?” Culatta asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, Culatta advocates for school electronics policies that consult students and “create healthy conditions” for technology use. Writing these expectations in plain and positive language is important. Instead of telling students all the things they can’t do, Culatta suggested that schools clearly lay out norms that students \u003cem>can\u003c/em> follow. At the bottom of these technology guidelines, there should also be clear guidance on what the expectations are when students have broken the code of conduct, said Culatta. The policy should be age-specific, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Culatta, having technology guidelines in place of a ban opens the opportunity for learning moments to remind students about responsible and appropriate technology use. No ban doesn’t mean no consequences, said Culatta. He also said that a temporary ban can help to jumpstart a more robust and nuanced technology policy. “It is totally appropriate to pause and say ‘timeout for a second, we need all the devices to go away for a minute while we talk about what the norms are, while we talk about what this looks like’ and then start to bring them back,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Higgin, the WestEd researcher, believes that educators can incorporate conversations about technology use without necessarily bringing those technologies into the classroom. “Encourage students to think about their habits and uses of technology [and] how those uses align with their values and goals,” he said. To help with those conversations, he pointed teachers toward free resources provided by \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsense.org/education/back-to-school\">Common Sense Media\u003c/a> – where he used to work – and their partner \u003ca href=\"https://digitalthriving.gse.harvard.edu/\">The Center For Digital Thriving at Harvard\u003c/a>, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://iste.org/digital-citizenship\">ISTE’s digital citizenship curriculum\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Do Cellphone Bans in Middle School Work? It’s Complicated. | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Last year, Roosevelt Middle School in San Francisco, California introduced a campus-wide cellphone and smartphone ban. That meant devices are “off and away at all times while you’re on campus,” said Emily Leicham, Roosevelt Middle School’s principal. Among those in favor of the policy was Marta Lindsey, whose child started sixth grade at Roosevelt in fall 2024. She said that the phone policy was the reason her family chose the school as their first pick in the district’s lottery system. “I just feel super lucky that we got into this school…I don’t even care about anything else about this school except for this policy,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cellphone bans aren’t new to K-12 schools across the nation, but the past year has seen growing momentum for district and statewide bans. In a Pew Research survey, nearly three quarters of high school teachers and a third of middle school teachers said that \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/06/12/72-percent-of-us-high-school-teachers-say-cellphone-distraction-is-a-major-problem-in-the-classroom/\">cellphones are a major distraction in the classroom\u003c/a>. In media appearances related to his \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/04/14/1244000143/anxious-generation-kids-autonomy-freedom\">bestselling book, \u003cem>Anxious Generation\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has called for \u003ca href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/06/ban-smartphones-phone-free-schools-social-media/674304/\">phone-free schools\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/mental-health/issue-brief/a-look-at-state-efforts-to-ban-cellphones-in-schools-and-implications-for-youth-mental-health/\">seven states have banned or restricted cellphone use\u003c/a> in schools for the 2024-25 school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, not everyone is enthusiastic about cellphone and electronics bans in middle schools. \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/RCulatta\">Richard Culatta\u003c/a>, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and \u003ca href=\"https://www.tannerhiggin.com/\">Tanner Higgin\u003c/a>, a senior educational technology researcher at WestEd, support a more nuanced approach to technology use in schools. Instead of a permanent ban on cellphones, Culatta and Higgin suggested that schools teach digital citizenship and develop technology policies that foster healthy electronic use among students.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Implementing a cellphone ban\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At Roosevelt Middle School, the policy worked immediately, according to Leicham. She said she confiscated 40 to 50 phones, airpods and smartwatches on the first day of the cellphone ban in 2023. The second day, she only confiscated two devices. The new system and school policy took years to develop, with parents initiating the conversation during Leicham’s first year as principal in the 2021-22 school year. While parents drove a lot of the interest in a cellphone free school campus, Leicham made sure to include students and teachers in the conversation. Students were given the opportunity to discuss the potential of a cellphone policy during their advisory periods, and teachers had ongoing conversations during staff meetings about their concerns and anticipated challenges, said Leicham.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, Roosevelt expanded the policy to cover all electronics, including Google Chromebooks when not directly in use in a classroom. Additionally, the policy allows no room for warnings. Once a student’s electronic is spotted by a teacher or administrator, it is placed in the front office for the day. Students collect confiscated phones after school. This eliminates power struggles between teachers and students, according to Leicham.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Math teacher Melanie Buntichai said that it was a challenge for individual teachers to enforce their own classroom cellphone policies before the ban. If she engaged with a student who was using their phone inappropriately in class it could take up to ten minutes away from class time. Since Roosevelt implemented a schoolwide policy, “the students don’t fight back as much,” and interruptions became less time consuming, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leicham said students interact with each other more during lunchtime now. “It’s nice to see them, you know, being kids; hanging out with each other,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roosevelt requires \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship\">Common Sense Media’s digital citizenship\u003c/a> lessons for students during advisory classes. According to Leicham, for the 2024-25 school year, Roosevelt aims to have students complete four lessons. The school also provides Common Sense Media resources for parents that covers appropriate and responsible tech use.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Student and parent responses\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While parents have been on board with the electronics policy at Roosevelt, students have been harder to win over. Leicham said that transparency helps when explaining to students why smartphones and other devices don’t belong on campus. “Middle school is the time to build relationships with others,” and middle schoolers “need less screen time and more interaction with others,” Leicham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Psychologist Jacqueline Nesi thinks there is some truth to this. But “it’s not always the case that when students are using screens in general, that they are not socializing at all,” said Nesi, who studies the effects of technology on children. Increased focus on social interactions is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/59687/middle-schoolers-are-social-what-opportunity-does-that-create-for-learning\">hallmark of early adolescent development\u003c/a>, according to Nesi. However, when it comes to fitting in, smartphones can be both a source of disconnection and connection for middle schoolers. On one hand, a student can feel left out if they don’t have access to the same technology that their peers do. On the other hand, a student who feels “marginalized in their offline community” might find belonging through technology “even if it’s in an online environment,” said Nesi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like it did for Lindsey, Roosevelt’s cellphone policy attracted Eiko Sugano to the school. She also hoped to enroll her child there for sixth grade, but he ended up at another school further down on their lottery list. For Sugano, a full cellphone and electronics ban is what initially drew her to Roosevelt. “It was definitely one of my top factors,” she said. Sugano’s son does not have a cellphone. She prefers that he engages in-person rather than on a device, and learns to navigate everyday challenges, like missing a bus, without the help of a smartphone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kids need “increasing independence as they age [and] there’s value in giving them opportunities to solve problems,” said Nesi. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to parenting decisions about which devices to allow adolescents to use and when, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lindsey held an on-campus and online community conversation for families about cellphone and electronics policies at her child’s elementary school last year. “Parents are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63497/parents-make-mistakes-when-setting-screen-time-rules-for-their-kids-thats-ok\">feeling so alone in this\u003c/a>,” she said. Coming together as a school community provided a much needed space for “information sharing between parents about how they’re navigating things or what they’re worried about,” she continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Lindsey is hopeful for the future of students’ cellphone use both in school and outside of school, she wants these conversations and electronics to happen at a more rapid pace because kids are struggling right now. “I can’t even think of a bigger issue right now that parents are having to navigate,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>No to outright bans, yes to guided practice\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Bans on cellphones and electronic devices are taking off beyond Roosevelt. Some large school districts like Los Angeles Unified School District and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64133/new-york-city-is-moving-to-ban-phones-from-school-will-it-work\">New York City Public Schools\u003c/a> are looking to or have already implemented \u003ca href=\"https://www.k12dive.com/news/safety-concerns-school-cell-phone-bans-mental-health/726668/#:~:text=According%20to%20KFF%2C%20seven%20states,restrict%20both%20use%20and%20possession\">district-wide cellphone bans\u003c/a>. But Culatta, the ISTE CEO, thinks these bans are too hasty. He said banning phones removes students’ opportunities to learn appropriate and effective use of technology. While a ban might feel like a satisfying solution, “it doesn’t actually prepare kids to be successful down the road,” he said. If students aren’t learning digital etiquette in school, “where will they ever learn it?” Culatta asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, Culatta advocates for school electronics policies that consult students and “create healthy conditions” for technology use. Writing these expectations in plain and positive language is important. Instead of telling students all the things they can’t do, Culatta suggested that schools clearly lay out norms that students \u003cem>can\u003c/em> follow. At the bottom of these technology guidelines, there should also be clear guidance on what the expectations are when students have broken the code of conduct, said Culatta. The policy should be age-specific, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Culatta, having technology guidelines in place of a ban opens the opportunity for learning moments to remind students about responsible and appropriate technology use. No ban doesn’t mean no consequences, said Culatta. He also said that a temporary ban can help to jumpstart a more robust and nuanced technology policy. “It is totally appropriate to pause and say ‘timeout for a second, we need all the devices to go away for a minute while we talk about what the norms are, while we talk about what this looks like’ and then start to bring them back,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Higgin, the WestEd researcher, believes that educators can incorporate conversations about technology use without necessarily bringing those technologies into the classroom. “Encourage students to think about their habits and uses of technology [and] how those uses align with their values and goals,” he said. To help with those conversations, he pointed teachers toward free resources provided by \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsense.org/education/back-to-school\">Common Sense Media\u003c/a> – where he used to work – and their partner \u003ca href=\"https://digitalthriving.gse.harvard.edu/\">The Center For Digital Thriving at Harvard\u003c/a>, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://iste.org/digital-citizenship\">ISTE’s digital citizenship curriculum\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "How Can the Community School Model Support Newcomer Education? ",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When global events unfold, the ripple effects often land in unexpected places — like a classroom in Oakland, California. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cis.org/Report/Remaking-US-Refugee-Resettlement-Program\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Increased refugee resettlement\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/07/22/nx-s1-5048025/kamala-harris-immigration-policy-border-central-america\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">immigration at the U.S. southern border\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/20/us/abbott-texas-migrant-buses.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">buses sent by Texas to cities like New York\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> have created a growing need for more support for newcomer students in schools. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/mpi-recent-immigrant-children-2023_final.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to the Migration Policy Institute National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, nearly one million immigrant students enrolled in U.S. schools in the 2020-21 school year. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63539/how-schools-can-better-support-teachers-of-newcomer-students\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Newcomer students\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are typically immigrants, refugees or asylum seekers who have recently arrived in a new country and are entering the school system for the first time. At \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandinternational.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakland International High School\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (OIHS), welcoming and supporting these students isn’t a new challenge; it’s the very foundation of their mission.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since its inception in 2007, OIHS, which is part of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), has served newcomer students from over 20 different countries, according to Lauren Markham, a founding member and Learning Lab Co-director at OIHS. Newcomer students \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63539/how-schools-can-better-support-teachers-of-newcomer-students\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">may face language barriers, cultural differences and other challenges\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in adapting to a new educational environment. They often require additional support to succeed academically and socially in their new surroundings. “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://edpolicyinca.org/publications/guidance-district-administrators-serving-newcomer-students\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Newcomer students fail at wildly disproportionate rates\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> throughout the country. And we know that when any one population is failing, it’s a function of the system and not the students,” Markham said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"260\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kNg4b/8/\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/dcGwM/7/\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Students at OIHS drop out at nearly \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://edpolicyinca.org/publications/community-school-service-newcomer-students\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">half the rate that newcomers students do at other Oakland high schools\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The school’s success comes largely from the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/59903/when-students-basic-needs-are-met-by-community-schools-learning-can-flourish\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">community school model\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which co-locates essential services on campus, ensuring easy access for students and families. The model adheres to the principle of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-maslow-bloom-all-day-long/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Maslow before Bloom,”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> which suggests that students must have their basic needs met before they can fully engage in learning. “If someone has an abscessed tooth, they’re not going to be able to focus on math,” Markham said. “And if someone has a pending deportation hearing and no immigration lawyer, they’re not going to be working on their group project.” OIHS has leveraged the community school model to build a comprehensive support system, providing food, medical, legal, and mental health services, so that newcomer students can not only adapt but thrive in their new environment.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"355\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/dkNHQ/6/\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Food services\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://groundworkcollaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/24.02.01-Whats-Driving-the-Rise-in-Grocery-Prices-and-What-the-Government-Can-Do-About-It.pdf?utm_source=press&utm_medium=embargo&utm_campaign=24.02.01\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">food prices spiking over the past year\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, many families struggle to afford \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64470/5-ways-the-black-panthers-shaped-u-s-schools\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nutritious meals\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Immigrant families, especially if they are undocumented, often experience food insecurity because they are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://groundworkcollaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/24.02.01-Whats-Driving-the-Rise-in-Grocery-Prices-and-What-the-Government-Can-Do-About-It.pdf?utm_source=press&utm_medium=embargo&utm_campaign=24.02.01\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">excluded from federal programs\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. OIHS partners with a local food bank to provide food to students and their families. Recently, the school increased its food bank services from bi-weekly to weekly, with one food bank exclusively for students on campus and another serving the local community, including recent graduates.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Madenh Ali Hassan, OIHS’s community school manager, emphasized the importance of providing culturally relevant food. The food bank ensures that the food provided reflects the dietary needs and cultural preferences of the school’s diverse families. “It’s always sweet because everybody’s taking what they need, and nobody feels ashamed,” Hassan said. “It feels good to feed people and to see them feel a sense of community here.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Medical services\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many newcomer students arrive with unmet medical needs, particularly asylum seekers and refugees who fled countries in turmoil. “A lot of our students need immunizations, physicals, or have other health issues,” Hassan noted. OIHS tries to eliminate barriers to students and families getting medical care. For instance, the school hosts yearly flu clinics and brings in mobile vision companies to assess and fit students for eyeglasses.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Language barriers often prevent families from accessing social services, so OIHS staff connect families with medical services, often helping them translate and fill out necessary documents. Karen Moya, an OIHS graduate, recalled how her parents struggled to navigate new systems after immigrating from Guatemala. “They didn’t have the support because they didn’t know where to ask,” she said. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Moya now works as a case manager at OIHS, helping students navigate similar challenges. “If they need a dental or vision appointment and don’t have insurance, or if they receive a letter in the mail they don’t understand, they bring it to us, and we help.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To someone who has lived in the U.S. for most of their life, accessing medical care may seem straightforward, Moya said. But that’s not true for everyone. “We keep in mind that these are new families coming to the country. And so we try to explain and provide every little thing that can be beneficial to them.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Legal services\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Newcomer students may face complex legal proceedings due to their immigrant status. The district’s newcomer office conducts a formal intake when students first arrive, assessing whether they or their families have been detained, are unaccompanied, or are undocumented. OIHS then connects students and families with the appropriate legal services. The majority of students do not have lawyers, meaning there is no one to explain a legal document they might get in the mail. Bilingual case managers work with families to translate documents and figure out next steps whether it’s making families aware of a future court date or connecting them with a lawyer.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Mental health services\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Newcomer students may have left their home countries under traumatic circumstances. “There’s a lot of grief around leaving your country, let alone the grief caused by war, violence or other events that displace people,” Hassan said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At OIHS, students with severe \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58404/how-to-improve-mental-health-at-school\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">mental health needs\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are connected with specialists. “By the end of the year, we’ll have 90 kids connected to mental health services, but that’s never enough,” Hassan said, noting the need for more bilingual clinicians of color.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The school also tries to address mental health needs through other on-campus services. They have a wellness center where students can relax with a cup of tea and connect with case managers. They also partner with an organization called \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://beyondsport.org/articles/soccer-without-borders-oakland-project/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Soccer Without Borders\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where soccer coaches double as case managers to offer additional support to students.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While the arrival of newcomer students can pose challenges for some districts, it also presents a unique opportunity to improve educational outcomes through community-based resources. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2024/03/11/community-hubs-denver-public-schools-migrant-families/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Denver Public Schools\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> has established specialized community hubs for over 3,500 newcomer students and their families. Similarly, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cps.edu/press-releases/chicago-public-schools-welcome-center-pilot/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chicago Public Schools\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is piloting a welcome center to offer vital services to newly arrived students. Hassan is encouraged by those efforts. “We need people dedicated to doing that work outside of the classroom to better support the work happening in the classroom,” he said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC5911938534\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Welcome to MindShift, where we explore the future of learning and how we raise our kids. I’m Nimah Gobir. The 1960s was a decade of social and cultural change. There was the civil rights movement…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Martin Luther King, Jr. We will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood].\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Women’s liberation…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[May Craig question to John F. Kennedy (clip): …for equal rights for women, including equal pay…]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Vietnam war…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[President Nixon Vietnam speech (clip): There were some who urged that I end the war at once… this would have been a popular and easy course to follow…]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> A moon landing \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Neil Armstrong (clip): …one giant leap for mankind]. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> It was a time when the very fabric of society was being questioned, and people were having big ideas about how people think and how people are taught. It was also when the black power movement was getting traction.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Malcolm X (clip): We are oppressed. We are exploited. We are downtrodden. We are denied not only civil rights but even human rights]. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The emphasis wasn’t on being free or access to white spaces, it was about empowerment and self-sufficiency even as widely accepted racist practices were trying to keep Black people down. It was during this era, in1966 that the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense started in Oakland. They believed in Black nationalism, socialism, and armed self-defense against police brutality. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> The first thing that drew me to the Black Panther Party that I always remember about it, it said the Black Panther Party for Self-defense and Self-defense, people get their hackles up about that. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This is Ericka Huggins. She joined the Black Panther Party in 1968. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> People think that self-defense is physical. It can be and needs to be when necessary. However, this was about supporting people who live poor and/or oppressed.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> We said you cannot continue to kill us. You can’t break down our doors to our homes and shoot at us. You cannot arrest us, wrongly incarcerate us and beat and murder us while we are incarcerated. You cannot deprive us of food, housing, clothing and peace. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Some of the more popular images of the Black Panthers are photos of armed men in berets looking out from behind these dark sunglasses. Or women – like Ericka – with afros waving flags and raising their fists. Even the United States FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover saw the Panther’s stance on protecting and empowering themselves as dangerous.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> J. Edgar Hoover said the Black Panther Party is the greatest threat to the internal security of the United States. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The Black Panthers had a reputation as a militant group but they did way more than challenge the police and protest against racist policies.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> If you look up pictures of the Panthers– yes you’ll see guns and berets, but there are other images too. And the one that sticks with me is this photo of a Black Panther Party member putting down plates of food in front of young children. It’s a photo of their free breakfast program\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> Children were expected to go to school and learn without any food. We knew because we were those children. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> They had a founding charter which included a 10 point platform. I won’t go into all of the points but it basically said that our people – Black people– need to be able to eat, find work and feel safe. This episode we’ll talk about point 5, a focus on a fulfilling and effective education system \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Bobby Seale Speech at Oakland Auditorium (clip): We want decent education for our Black people in our community that teaches us the true nature of this decadent racist society and to teach Black people and our young Black brothers and sisters their place in this society because if they don’t know their place in society and in the world, they can’t relate to anything else].\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angela LeBlanc-Ernest:\u003c/strong> Education was always important in the party. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Angela LeBlanc-Ernest is a documentarian and community archivist from Texas. She has studied and written books about the Panthers pursuit of education.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angela LeBlanc-Ernest:\u003c/strong> Whether it be the study sessions they had reading the different books by revolutionaries – political education classes is what they would call them – that were required, or whether it was party members tutoring kids in the local community.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> She told me the idea to create a school came about when party members saw how their own kids were mistreated in mainstream schools \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angela LeBlanc-Ernest:\u003c/strong> You had to start envisioning what society needed to look like for your child if they survived. Right? There is a sense so many of them didn’t think they would survive\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Party members started to conceive of a community-based alternative to the poor educational experiences they had as children. They were often disciplined harder and discouraged from asking questions. Their schools lacked supplies and books, and the curriculum rarely included stories of people who looked like them.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> So in response to this they opened the Intercommunal Youth Institute in east Oakland in 1971\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angela LeBlanc-Ernest:\u003c/strong> It was an old church that they converted into a school and so it was a small space. They decided that they wanted to start with the number they had, which was 50 students. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Gradually, other people noticed that the students and families were being treated well at this scrappy little home school where they used mindfulness practices and restorative justice. Students were engaged, respected, and learning in an environment that valued their heritage and experiences.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angela LeBlanc-Ernest:\u003c/strong> When the community approached the Black Panther Party, when it was just the insular home school to say, “Hey, can you make this available to the community, to children in the community?” That was a prompt for them to think more broadly.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> As new people joined from outside of the party, they began outgrowing the space and so they had to look for something more permanent. They changed the name to Oakland Community School and Black Panther Party member Ericka Huggins became the director. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> We opened the Oakland Community School in the school year of 1973-74.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Students were ages 5 -12, so it was basically an elementary school, but there were no grades. They were grouped according to their academic abilities. They also had childcare for kids who were younger than five.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Many of the students came from the Oakland area but some were coming from the greater bay area too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> We had more than party members on staff. Not only did the people take their children out of public school, the public school teachers left, too, to work at… as it used to be, nicknamed the Panther School. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>This school is special for a lot of reasons, but one of the big reasons is that it was one of the earliest versions of community schools in the country. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> The school was community based, child centered, tuition free, parent friendly and we paid special attention to children whose families had trouble with clothing and food.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Nowadays when we talk about community schools, we’re talking about schools like this one, that provide for the whole child beyond academics. Often these schools have the things that families need located at or provided by the school. Oakland Community School provided groceries to families in the community and food throughout the school day. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> Three meals a day and I said it was tuition free. The meals were also for the students and staff of the school. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> If parents couldn’t afford the city bus. A bus from Oakland Community School would come pick their kids up. They used curriculum that actually reflected the students that were going to the school\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> Our motto was “the world is a child’s classroom.” Which is a little different than the United States is the center of the universe. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> We talked about the enslavement of Africans. We talked about the indigenous people. We talked about the resilience and brightness of our ancestors and our generations up to them and how beautiful and bright they are. We always affirmed the children. We wanted them to know about history. We wanted them to know about themselves as people coming from great ancestry no matter their race or ethnicity. We didn’t ever turn away a student because they were not Black. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Students at the so-called Panther school were Black –but they were also Latino they were white students they were Asian students and biracial students\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> When people see this, they’re shocked, like, oh, why are you shocked? We were the Black Panther Party and they have to think about what they’ve been told.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> We were just brave and committed because it wasn’t easy. I want everybody to understand that it didn’t just appear itself as one community school with all angels floating around making things happen. No, it was hard work and. But the reward was in the faces of those parents and grandparents and aunties and uncles. The faces of the staff. And most importantly, the lives of the children. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> After about ten years of operation, The school closed in 1982 — This was around the time when The Black Panther Party officially dissolved after years of government surveillance and attacks. The free breakfast program is believed to have paved the way for expanding the government’s School Breakfast Program, which still exists today. And the Black Panther legacy is still in Oakland. For one thing, many members of the Black Panthers are alive today and physical sites across the city bear the Panthers’ name. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Now, if we fast forward 40 years, what are Oakland Schools doing with that legacy? We’ll get into that after the break.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Let’s jump ahead to present day Oakland. Angelica was enrolling in 10th grade at Oakland International High School.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> She was 18 years old and so nervous. Originally from Guatemala, she didn’t speak a word of English. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angélica:\u003c/strong> Mi hermana me inscribió en esta escuela porque ella estuvo en esta escuela y se graduó aquí y pues me sentí nerviosa porque pues no sabía nada del inglés, nada, no entendía nada, nada. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> But her sister, who she was staying with at the time, was adamant about her going to school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angélica:\u003c/strong> Tienes que estudiar. Tienes que aprender. Es te necesito que tú llegas a otro nivel más que yo. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Shortly after enrolling, circumstances for their family changed. All of the sudden, Angélica’s sister was providing for her kids,2 nephews, and Angelica. It was too much. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angélica:\u003c/strong> Mi hermana ya no podía con muchos gastos porque ella tiene hijos también y ella tuvo que tuvo que mantenerme a mí y a mis dos sobrinos. Pero luego ella me dijo tú ya estás grande y pues ya no sé qué voy a hacer contigo y así lo siento mucho. Y pues ella se mudó y yo me quedé sola\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Her sister moved away and Angélica had to support herself, which meant she had to make a choice that so many students make: should she keep going to school or should she leave school to work? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angélica:\u003c/strong> Tuve que salir de la escuela, tuve que irme y no tenía otra opción más que como mantenerme a mi misma.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> She decided to work. She didn’t feel like she had much of a choice. According to a report by the Urban Institute, nearly a third of students ages 16-19 are working and not in school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> I want to take a moment to zoom out on Angelica and talk about the school district she’s in. Oakland Unified School District. It’s credited with being the first full service community school district in the nation. That means in all of their public schools they don’t just going to focus on academics, they provide other services students and families might need like food and social services. Is this starting to sound familiar? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The superintendent Tony Smith who rolled out the plan for the community school district said that it has echoes of the Panthers and their deep care for kids. There are great examples of how Oakland Schools are drawing on the Panther legacy. And one of them is Oakland International School. The school that Angelica goes to. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> Oakland International High School is a public school in the Oakland Unified School District that serves all newly arrived immigrant students, all of whom are English language learners.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Here is Lauren Markham, one of Oakland International’s founding members.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> Not all, but a lot of our students are coming from conditions of poverty. We have the highest poverty rate of any Oakland high school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> When I walked through the school I could hear a bunch of different languages all at once. Spanish and Arabic are the ones you’ll hear most. It reminded me of the way Ericka Huggins from the Black Panther Party talked about the diversity of students and educators at the Oakland community school\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> We have students from about 20 different countries. I often describe our school as a delayed mirror of world events. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> What she means by this is that if something happens in a country far away. For example, if there’s political turmoil in Central America and it leads to a lot of refugees or asylum seekers, Oakland international will have an influx of these students a year or so later. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> More refugees arrived in the United States in the first eight months of 2023 than any year since 2017. Many schools across the country are trying to figure out how to accommodate an influx of migrant students.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> Newcomer students fail at wildly disproportionate rates throughout the country. And we know that when any one population is failing, it’s a function of the system and not the students. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The community school model is what enables Oakland International to support their diverse student population.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> School Is not just a place where like learning and education and academics happen, but that all of these services that are around the classroom, that that connect to and support students lives, be it mental health services or health care or immigration legal services, which are all things that I think we do particularly well and that are particularly vital at Oakland International.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> I always use this example, but like if someone has an abscess tooth, they’re not going to be able to focus on math. Right? And if somebody has a pending deportation hearing coming up and they don’t have an immigration lawyer, like, yeah, they’re not working on their group project.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Working with newcomers makes the community school model really necessary \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> Because so many students are coming with limited not all, but a number of our students are coming, not necessarily entering like established communities or having like established social networks and therefore like don’t necessarily know where to go to get X, Y, Z thing, or the language that they speak isn’t represented at the social services office where they would apply for Medi-Cal or Cal Fresh.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Madenh Ali Hassan:\u003c/strong> Everybody’s taking what they need and nobody feels ashamed. I think sometimes there’s a stigma. Like, it’s free food, I don’t need to take that. But food scarcity is real.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> That’s Madenh Ali Hassan Oakland International’s Community School Manager, which means she oversees all the services the school offers in addition to academics. When I asked her what the school does really well. She said giving students and families food is their jam. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Madenh Ali Hassan: \u003c/strong>It’s a little bit of creative chaos but if you come out and see it it’s always just kind of sweet because everyone’s just taking what they need. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> In order to offset skyrocketing food prices, the school offers two separate food banks once a week. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Just like how The Panthers saw a need in their community and provided free meals to children and families. Today we see Madenh and Oakland International doing something similar. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Madenh Ali Hassan:\u003c/strong> We typically set up right in front of the school. And so this is open for the public. So when the community sees it, there’s a line around the block. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> They also want to make sure they are serving their current students, so they have another food bank set up in the cafeteria. That one is just for their students.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Madenh Ali Hassan:\u003c/strong> Everybody’s taking what they need and filling their bags and students are doing the same in the cafeteria.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Students who have dropped out of Oakland International also come to the weekly Food Bank. It’s relatively common for a newcomer to turn 18 and leave school to work. Oftentimes, working is necessary to pay back the people who helped them migrate to the US or to help out their families. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> We understand, like this is the reality of your life and you have to tend to that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This is Lauren again, talking about students who drop out.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> I also think that it’s reflective of our school, sort of not. Like understanding that what’s happening now is not a student’s fate forever. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> If a student needs help translating a document about a court hearing or filling out a paperwork. They know they will still be supported at Oakland International. Angélica felt that way too. When Angelica dropped out of school she got a job making sandwiches. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Even though her circumstances made it so that she to work closing shifts. She knew she didn’t want to work in the same sandwich shop forever. So she had a conversation with her boss who let her work closing shifts so she could attend school again during the day.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angélica:\u003c/strong> Entonces. Y mis maestros también se alegraron mucho porque yo había. Yo había ido cuatro meses y ellos me ayudaron también. Con todo. Todo. Animarme. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> When she returned to school she was welcomed with open arms. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> I found it really fascinating the way that staff and teachers at the school hold on to these two distinct realities. One being that students do better when they’re in school and the other is that some of them can’t make the decision to be there.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> When I went to Oakland International’s open house — it’s an event where they open up the campus to educators who are interested in seeing how they run things — I heard Lauren say something at the Open House assembly that I thought was profound.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham at the Open House assembly: \u003c/strong>A lot of what we do here is like, okay, we see the perfect version. We can whine for a little bit about not having that, but how do we get how do we approximate? That’s what we do as educators. How do we get closer to that given the resources that we have? And that’s the sort of scrappiness that is built into education.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> As someone who reports on education and talks to a lot of teachers and worked in education, this felt true and this reminds me of the panthers too in a sense. Because schools are essentially a group of people that are committed to striving for a really hard to get ideal. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Many of the students who went to Oakland International come back to work there as adults because they see the way the community school model helps them support students better. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Yasser Alwan came to Oakland international as a student in 2010\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Yasser Alwan:\u003c/strong> We immigrated from Yemen, right before the conflict, the revolution, known as the Arab Spring.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Now he’s a Newcomer assistant. It’s a position that started at Oakland International, where they’ll have specific people who are in classrooms like paraprofessionals to help students who are struggling. When I asked him why he came back and why he stays he said yeah sometimes there are really hard days. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Yasser Alwan:\u003c/strong> But I, I remember mostly the good ones. And for the most part it was mostly good days. And it’s just like that community is very strong and you’re like, very welcome in and like. I’m like, happier when I’m not around. And I think that’s what brings me back. Even through challenging times, I remember the good days. And I’m like, there’s going to be more good days. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Karen Moya came to Oakland International as a student in 2010 also. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Karen Moya:\u003c/strong> We came from El Salvador.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> As an adult she joined the staff as a case manager\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Karen Moya:\u003c/strong> I’m basically supporting students and their families to navigate the new systems in the country.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> When she is overwhelmed, She returns to something a colleague told her.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Karen Moya:\u003c/strong> Something that one of my colleagues said it’s like you can do anything and … You might feel that you’re not doing anything because you’re not seeing the results, but you are actually doing something. You are impacting their lives, you know, and helping them navigate the, the, the systems and the struggles of being, you know, an immigrant in this country. So I take that with me. And, and I think about it sometimes too, when I’m like, I’m helping this student and I don’t see the results that I want to see on my way, but I’m doing everything that I can in my hands to better support them and their families. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Prior to this episode we did two other stories about community schools.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí:\u003c/strong> I’m Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí and I’m the community engagement reporter at KQED. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> So Carlos is someone who has been with me throughout my community school reporting at KQED. He was with me during interviews translating Spanish. We’re coming to the end of our community school reporting this season and I wanted to reflect what it was like to really sit in these stories \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí:\u003c/strong> Angelica was a little a little shy at first, a little nervous, which I, you know, completely normal reaction. The thing that stuck with me for just the whole day was just her, her, just like the like that she for her this whole, you know, like her leaving school and coming back. This decision. She really made it for herself. She understands the value of education. The things she was repeating again and again was like, I wanna learn English. When I first came to the U.S., you know, the first place that we came to was Oakland and I think that, when you’re in a school that sees a lot of kids come and go, you kind of feel like you’re, you know, you’re kind of like in the fight by yourself. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> I was talking to the community school coordinator and then also, one of the founders, and they were saying, like, it’s such a weird thing to do at a school where you like, see kids leaving, but you understand that, like, their realities are things that they have to deal with. And so you have to kind of let them go. But your job is just to be like when you’re ready to come back, like, come back here and like you’ll be okay. And it seems like they do a really good job of that versus like a school that would either be like, don’t leave and then like as soon as the student leaves, it’s kind of like, yeah, if I see you, i see you.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí:\u003c/strong> Totally, yeah. And that’s why, I really loved being able to accompany you on these trips because it just shows many ways you can interpret the community model. Where it could be a thousand factors that could, you know, change the outcome.That goes to the point we’re making that there is no perfect quote unquote perfect community school. There’s no perfect way to establish or create a community school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Thank you for talking to me Carlos.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí:\u003c/strong> Yeah, Thank you Nimah, this was awesome.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> it’s really always a pleasure to work with you.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí:\u003c/strong> Likewise.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Whether a school is based in Oakland pursuing the legacy of the Panther School or elsewhere, educators can relate to the desire for systems that serve young people better. In the meantime, they keep tracking down quick-fixes, proven strategies and those hard-to-find sustainable solutions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This episode would not have been possible without Ericka Huggins, Angela LeBlanc Ernest, Madenh Ali Hassan, Lauren Markham, Yassar Alwan, Karen Moya, and Angelica. Thank you to folks at Oakland International.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When global events unfold, the ripple effects often land in unexpected places — like a classroom in Oakland, California. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cis.org/Report/Remaking-US-Refugee-Resettlement-Program\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Increased refugee resettlement\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/07/22/nx-s1-5048025/kamala-harris-immigration-policy-border-central-america\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">immigration at the U.S. southern border\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/20/us/abbott-texas-migrant-buses.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">buses sent by Texas to cities like New York\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> have created a growing need for more support for newcomer students in schools. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/mpi-recent-immigrant-children-2023_final.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to the Migration Policy Institute National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, nearly one million immigrant students enrolled in U.S. schools in the 2020-21 school year. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63539/how-schools-can-better-support-teachers-of-newcomer-students\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Newcomer students\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are typically immigrants, refugees or asylum seekers who have recently arrived in a new country and are entering the school system for the first time. At \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandinternational.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakland International High School\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (OIHS), welcoming and supporting these students isn’t a new challenge; it’s the very foundation of their mission.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since its inception in 2007, OIHS, which is part of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), has served newcomer students from over 20 different countries, according to Lauren Markham, a founding member and Learning Lab Co-director at OIHS. Newcomer students \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63539/how-schools-can-better-support-teachers-of-newcomer-students\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">may face language barriers, cultural differences and other challenges\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in adapting to a new educational environment. They often require additional support to succeed academically and socially in their new surroundings. “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://edpolicyinca.org/publications/guidance-district-administrators-serving-newcomer-students\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Newcomer students fail at wildly disproportionate rates\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> throughout the country. And we know that when any one population is failing, it’s a function of the system and not the students,” Markham said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"260\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kNg4b/8/\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/dcGwM/7/\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Students at OIHS drop out at nearly \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://edpolicyinca.org/publications/community-school-service-newcomer-students\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">half the rate that newcomers students do at other Oakland high schools\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The school’s success comes largely from the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/59903/when-students-basic-needs-are-met-by-community-schools-learning-can-flourish\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">community school model\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which co-locates essential services on campus, ensuring easy access for students and families. The model adheres to the principle of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-maslow-bloom-all-day-long/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Maslow before Bloom,”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> which suggests that students must have their basic needs met before they can fully engage in learning. “If someone has an abscessed tooth, they’re not going to be able to focus on math,” Markham said. “And if someone has a pending deportation hearing and no immigration lawyer, they’re not going to be working on their group project.” OIHS has leveraged the community school model to build a comprehensive support system, providing food, medical, legal, and mental health services, so that newcomer students can not only adapt but thrive in their new environment.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"355\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/dkNHQ/6/\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Food services\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://groundworkcollaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/24.02.01-Whats-Driving-the-Rise-in-Grocery-Prices-and-What-the-Government-Can-Do-About-It.pdf?utm_source=press&utm_medium=embargo&utm_campaign=24.02.01\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">food prices spiking over the past year\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, many families struggle to afford \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64470/5-ways-the-black-panthers-shaped-u-s-schools\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nutritious meals\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Immigrant families, especially if they are undocumented, often experience food insecurity because they are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://groundworkcollaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/24.02.01-Whats-Driving-the-Rise-in-Grocery-Prices-and-What-the-Government-Can-Do-About-It.pdf?utm_source=press&utm_medium=embargo&utm_campaign=24.02.01\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">excluded from federal programs\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. OIHS partners with a local food bank to provide food to students and their families. Recently, the school increased its food bank services from bi-weekly to weekly, with one food bank exclusively for students on campus and another serving the local community, including recent graduates.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Madenh Ali Hassan, OIHS’s community school manager, emphasized the importance of providing culturally relevant food. The food bank ensures that the food provided reflects the dietary needs and cultural preferences of the school’s diverse families. “It’s always sweet because everybody’s taking what they need, and nobody feels ashamed,” Hassan said. “It feels good to feed people and to see them feel a sense of community here.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Medical services\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many newcomer students arrive with unmet medical needs, particularly asylum seekers and refugees who fled countries in turmoil. “A lot of our students need immunizations, physicals, or have other health issues,” Hassan noted. OIHS tries to eliminate barriers to students and families getting medical care. For instance, the school hosts yearly flu clinics and brings in mobile vision companies to assess and fit students for eyeglasses.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Language barriers often prevent families from accessing social services, so OIHS staff connect families with medical services, often helping them translate and fill out necessary documents. Karen Moya, an OIHS graduate, recalled how her parents struggled to navigate new systems after immigrating from Guatemala. “They didn’t have the support because they didn’t know where to ask,” she said. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Moya now works as a case manager at OIHS, helping students navigate similar challenges. “If they need a dental or vision appointment and don’t have insurance, or if they receive a letter in the mail they don’t understand, they bring it to us, and we help.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To someone who has lived in the U.S. for most of their life, accessing medical care may seem straightforward, Moya said. But that’s not true for everyone. “We keep in mind that these are new families coming to the country. And so we try to explain and provide every little thing that can be beneficial to them.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Legal services\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Newcomer students may face complex legal proceedings due to their immigrant status. The district’s newcomer office conducts a formal intake when students first arrive, assessing whether they or their families have been detained, are unaccompanied, or are undocumented. OIHS then connects students and families with the appropriate legal services. The majority of students do not have lawyers, meaning there is no one to explain a legal document they might get in the mail. Bilingual case managers work with families to translate documents and figure out next steps whether it’s making families aware of a future court date or connecting them with a lawyer.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Mental health services\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Newcomer students may have left their home countries under traumatic circumstances. “There’s a lot of grief around leaving your country, let alone the grief caused by war, violence or other events that displace people,” Hassan said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At OIHS, students with severe \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58404/how-to-improve-mental-health-at-school\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">mental health needs\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are connected with specialists. “By the end of the year, we’ll have 90 kids connected to mental health services, but that’s never enough,” Hassan said, noting the need for more bilingual clinicians of color.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The school also tries to address mental health needs through other on-campus services. They have a wellness center where students can relax with a cup of tea and connect with case managers. They also partner with an organization called \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://beyondsport.org/articles/soccer-without-borders-oakland-project/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Soccer Without Borders\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where soccer coaches double as case managers to offer additional support to students.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While the arrival of newcomer students can pose challenges for some districts, it also presents a unique opportunity to improve educational outcomes through community-based resources. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2024/03/11/community-hubs-denver-public-schools-migrant-families/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Denver Public Schools\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> has established specialized community hubs for over 3,500 newcomer students and their families. Similarly, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cps.edu/press-releases/chicago-public-schools-welcome-center-pilot/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chicago Public Schools\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is piloting a welcome center to offer vital services to newly arrived students. Hassan is encouraged by those efforts. “We need people dedicated to doing that work outside of the classroom to better support the work happening in the classroom,” he said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC5911938534\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Welcome to MindShift, where we explore the future of learning and how we raise our kids. I’m Nimah Gobir. The 1960s was a decade of social and cultural change. There was the civil rights movement…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Martin Luther King, Jr. We will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood].\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Women’s liberation…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[May Craig question to John F. Kennedy (clip): …for equal rights for women, including equal pay…]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Vietnam war…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[President Nixon Vietnam speech (clip): There were some who urged that I end the war at once… this would have been a popular and easy course to follow…]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> A moon landing \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Neil Armstrong (clip): …one giant leap for mankind]. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> It was a time when the very fabric of society was being questioned, and people were having big ideas about how people think and how people are taught. It was also when the black power movement was getting traction.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Malcolm X (clip): We are oppressed. We are exploited. We are downtrodden. We are denied not only civil rights but even human rights]. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The emphasis wasn’t on being free or access to white spaces, it was about empowerment and self-sufficiency even as widely accepted racist practices were trying to keep Black people down. It was during this era, in1966 that the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense started in Oakland. They believed in Black nationalism, socialism, and armed self-defense against police brutality. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> The first thing that drew me to the Black Panther Party that I always remember about it, it said the Black Panther Party for Self-defense and Self-defense, people get their hackles up about that. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This is Ericka Huggins. She joined the Black Panther Party in 1968. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> People think that self-defense is physical. It can be and needs to be when necessary. However, this was about supporting people who live poor and/or oppressed.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> We said you cannot continue to kill us. You can’t break down our doors to our homes and shoot at us. You cannot arrest us, wrongly incarcerate us and beat and murder us while we are incarcerated. You cannot deprive us of food, housing, clothing and peace. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Some of the more popular images of the Black Panthers are photos of armed men in berets looking out from behind these dark sunglasses. Or women – like Ericka – with afros waving flags and raising their fists. Even the United States FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover saw the Panther’s stance on protecting and empowering themselves as dangerous.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> J. Edgar Hoover said the Black Panther Party is the greatest threat to the internal security of the United States. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The Black Panthers had a reputation as a militant group but they did way more than challenge the police and protest against racist policies.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> If you look up pictures of the Panthers– yes you’ll see guns and berets, but there are other images too. And the one that sticks with me is this photo of a Black Panther Party member putting down plates of food in front of young children. It’s a photo of their free breakfast program\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> Children were expected to go to school and learn without any food. We knew because we were those children. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> They had a founding charter which included a 10 point platform. I won’t go into all of the points but it basically said that our people – Black people– need to be able to eat, find work and feel safe. This episode we’ll talk about point 5, a focus on a fulfilling and effective education system \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Bobby Seale Speech at Oakland Auditorium (clip): We want decent education for our Black people in our community that teaches us the true nature of this decadent racist society and to teach Black people and our young Black brothers and sisters their place in this society because if they don’t know their place in society and in the world, they can’t relate to anything else].\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angela LeBlanc-Ernest:\u003c/strong> Education was always important in the party. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Angela LeBlanc-Ernest is a documentarian and community archivist from Texas. She has studied and written books about the Panthers pursuit of education.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angela LeBlanc-Ernest:\u003c/strong> Whether it be the study sessions they had reading the different books by revolutionaries – political education classes is what they would call them – that were required, or whether it was party members tutoring kids in the local community.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> She told me the idea to create a school came about when party members saw how their own kids were mistreated in mainstream schools \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angela LeBlanc-Ernest:\u003c/strong> You had to start envisioning what society needed to look like for your child if they survived. Right? There is a sense so many of them didn’t think they would survive\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Party members started to conceive of a community-based alternative to the poor educational experiences they had as children. They were often disciplined harder and discouraged from asking questions. Their schools lacked supplies and books, and the curriculum rarely included stories of people who looked like them.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> So in response to this they opened the Intercommunal Youth Institute in east Oakland in 1971\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angela LeBlanc-Ernest:\u003c/strong> It was an old church that they converted into a school and so it was a small space. They decided that they wanted to start with the number they had, which was 50 students. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Gradually, other people noticed that the students and families were being treated well at this scrappy little home school where they used mindfulness practices and restorative justice. Students were engaged, respected, and learning in an environment that valued their heritage and experiences.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angela LeBlanc-Ernest:\u003c/strong> When the community approached the Black Panther Party, when it was just the insular home school to say, “Hey, can you make this available to the community, to children in the community?” That was a prompt for them to think more broadly.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> As new people joined from outside of the party, they began outgrowing the space and so they had to look for something more permanent. They changed the name to Oakland Community School and Black Panther Party member Ericka Huggins became the director. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> We opened the Oakland Community School in the school year of 1973-74.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Students were ages 5 -12, so it was basically an elementary school, but there were no grades. They were grouped according to their academic abilities. They also had childcare for kids who were younger than five.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Many of the students came from the Oakland area but some were coming from the greater bay area too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> We had more than party members on staff. Not only did the people take their children out of public school, the public school teachers left, too, to work at… as it used to be, nicknamed the Panther School. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/strong>This school is special for a lot of reasons, but one of the big reasons is that it was one of the earliest versions of community schools in the country. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> The school was community based, child centered, tuition free, parent friendly and we paid special attention to children whose families had trouble with clothing and food.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Nowadays when we talk about community schools, we’re talking about schools like this one, that provide for the whole child beyond academics. Often these schools have the things that families need located at or provided by the school. Oakland Community School provided groceries to families in the community and food throughout the school day. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> Three meals a day and I said it was tuition free. The meals were also for the students and staff of the school. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> If parents couldn’t afford the city bus. A bus from Oakland Community School would come pick their kids up. They used curriculum that actually reflected the students that were going to the school\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> Our motto was “the world is a child’s classroom.” Which is a little different than the United States is the center of the universe. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> We talked about the enslavement of Africans. We talked about the indigenous people. We talked about the resilience and brightness of our ancestors and our generations up to them and how beautiful and bright they are. We always affirmed the children. We wanted them to know about history. We wanted them to know about themselves as people coming from great ancestry no matter their race or ethnicity. We didn’t ever turn away a student because they were not Black. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Students at the so-called Panther school were Black –but they were also Latino they were white students they were Asian students and biracial students\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> When people see this, they’re shocked, like, oh, why are you shocked? We were the Black Panther Party and they have to think about what they’ve been told.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Huggins:\u003c/strong> We were just brave and committed because it wasn’t easy. I want everybody to understand that it didn’t just appear itself as one community school with all angels floating around making things happen. No, it was hard work and. But the reward was in the faces of those parents and grandparents and aunties and uncles. The faces of the staff. And most importantly, the lives of the children. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> After about ten years of operation, The school closed in 1982 — This was around the time when The Black Panther Party officially dissolved after years of government surveillance and attacks. The free breakfast program is believed to have paved the way for expanding the government’s School Breakfast Program, which still exists today. And the Black Panther legacy is still in Oakland. For one thing, many members of the Black Panthers are alive today and physical sites across the city bear the Panthers’ name. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Now, if we fast forward 40 years, what are Oakland Schools doing with that legacy? We’ll get into that after the break.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Let’s jump ahead to present day Oakland. Angelica was enrolling in 10th grade at Oakland International High School.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> She was 18 years old and so nervous. Originally from Guatemala, she didn’t speak a word of English. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angélica:\u003c/strong> Mi hermana me inscribió en esta escuela porque ella estuvo en esta escuela y se graduó aquí y pues me sentí nerviosa porque pues no sabía nada del inglés, nada, no entendía nada, nada. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> But her sister, who she was staying with at the time, was adamant about her going to school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angélica:\u003c/strong> Tienes que estudiar. Tienes que aprender. Es te necesito que tú llegas a otro nivel más que yo. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Shortly after enrolling, circumstances for their family changed. All of the sudden, Angélica’s sister was providing for her kids,2 nephews, and Angelica. It was too much. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angélica:\u003c/strong> Mi hermana ya no podía con muchos gastos porque ella tiene hijos también y ella tuvo que tuvo que mantenerme a mí y a mis dos sobrinos. Pero luego ella me dijo tú ya estás grande y pues ya no sé qué voy a hacer contigo y así lo siento mucho. Y pues ella se mudó y yo me quedé sola\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Her sister moved away and Angélica had to support herself, which meant she had to make a choice that so many students make: should she keep going to school or should she leave school to work? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angélica:\u003c/strong> Tuve que salir de la escuela, tuve que irme y no tenía otra opción más que como mantenerme a mi misma.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> She decided to work. She didn’t feel like she had much of a choice. According to a report by the Urban Institute, nearly a third of students ages 16-19 are working and not in school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> I want to take a moment to zoom out on Angelica and talk about the school district she’s in. Oakland Unified School District. It’s credited with being the first full service community school district in the nation. That means in all of their public schools they don’t just going to focus on academics, they provide other services students and families might need like food and social services. Is this starting to sound familiar? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The superintendent Tony Smith who rolled out the plan for the community school district said that it has echoes of the Panthers and their deep care for kids. There are great examples of how Oakland Schools are drawing on the Panther legacy. And one of them is Oakland International School. The school that Angelica goes to. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> Oakland International High School is a public school in the Oakland Unified School District that serves all newly arrived immigrant students, all of whom are English language learners.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Here is Lauren Markham, one of Oakland International’s founding members.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> Not all, but a lot of our students are coming from conditions of poverty. We have the highest poverty rate of any Oakland high school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> When I walked through the school I could hear a bunch of different languages all at once. Spanish and Arabic are the ones you’ll hear most. It reminded me of the way Ericka Huggins from the Black Panther Party talked about the diversity of students and educators at the Oakland community school\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> We have students from about 20 different countries. I often describe our school as a delayed mirror of world events. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> What she means by this is that if something happens in a country far away. For example, if there’s political turmoil in Central America and it leads to a lot of refugees or asylum seekers, Oakland international will have an influx of these students a year or so later. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> More refugees arrived in the United States in the first eight months of 2023 than any year since 2017. Many schools across the country are trying to figure out how to accommodate an influx of migrant students.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> Newcomer students fail at wildly disproportionate rates throughout the country. And we know that when any one population is failing, it’s a function of the system and not the students. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> The community school model is what enables Oakland International to support their diverse student population.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> School Is not just a place where like learning and education and academics happen, but that all of these services that are around the classroom, that that connect to and support students lives, be it mental health services or health care or immigration legal services, which are all things that I think we do particularly well and that are particularly vital at Oakland International.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> I always use this example, but like if someone has an abscess tooth, they’re not going to be able to focus on math. Right? And if somebody has a pending deportation hearing coming up and they don’t have an immigration lawyer, like, yeah, they’re not working on their group project.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Working with newcomers makes the community school model really necessary \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> Because so many students are coming with limited not all, but a number of our students are coming, not necessarily entering like established communities or having like established social networks and therefore like don’t necessarily know where to go to get X, Y, Z thing, or the language that they speak isn’t represented at the social services office where they would apply for Medi-Cal or Cal Fresh.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Madenh Ali Hassan:\u003c/strong> Everybody’s taking what they need and nobody feels ashamed. I think sometimes there’s a stigma. Like, it’s free food, I don’t need to take that. But food scarcity is real.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> That’s Madenh Ali Hassan Oakland International’s Community School Manager, which means she oversees all the services the school offers in addition to academics. When I asked her what the school does really well. She said giving students and families food is their jam. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Madenh Ali Hassan: \u003c/strong>It’s a little bit of creative chaos but if you come out and see it it’s always just kind of sweet because everyone’s just taking what they need. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> In order to offset skyrocketing food prices, the school offers two separate food banks once a week. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Just like how The Panthers saw a need in their community and provided free meals to children and families. Today we see Madenh and Oakland International doing something similar. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Madenh Ali Hassan:\u003c/strong> We typically set up right in front of the school. And so this is open for the public. So when the community sees it, there’s a line around the block. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> They also want to make sure they are serving their current students, so they have another food bank set up in the cafeteria. That one is just for their students.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Madenh Ali Hassan:\u003c/strong> Everybody’s taking what they need and filling their bags and students are doing the same in the cafeteria.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Students who have dropped out of Oakland International also come to the weekly Food Bank. It’s relatively common for a newcomer to turn 18 and leave school to work. Oftentimes, working is necessary to pay back the people who helped them migrate to the US or to help out their families. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> We understand, like this is the reality of your life and you have to tend to that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This is Lauren again, talking about students who drop out.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham:\u003c/strong> I also think that it’s reflective of our school, sort of not. Like understanding that what’s happening now is not a student’s fate forever. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> If a student needs help translating a document about a court hearing or filling out a paperwork. They know they will still be supported at Oakland International. Angélica felt that way too. When Angelica dropped out of school she got a job making sandwiches. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Even though her circumstances made it so that she to work closing shifts. She knew she didn’t want to work in the same sandwich shop forever. So she had a conversation with her boss who let her work closing shifts so she could attend school again during the day.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Angélica:\u003c/strong> Entonces. Y mis maestros también se alegraron mucho porque yo había. Yo había ido cuatro meses y ellos me ayudaron también. Con todo. Todo. Animarme. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> When she returned to school she was welcomed with open arms. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> I found it really fascinating the way that staff and teachers at the school hold on to these two distinct realities. One being that students do better when they’re in school and the other is that some of them can’t make the decision to be there.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> When I went to Oakland International’s open house — it’s an event where they open up the campus to educators who are interested in seeing how they run things — I heard Lauren say something at the Open House assembly that I thought was profound.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Lauren Markham at the Open House assembly: \u003c/strong>A lot of what we do here is like, okay, we see the perfect version. We can whine for a little bit about not having that, but how do we get how do we approximate? That’s what we do as educators. How do we get closer to that given the resources that we have? And that’s the sort of scrappiness that is built into education.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> As someone who reports on education and talks to a lot of teachers and worked in education, this felt true and this reminds me of the panthers too in a sense. Because schools are essentially a group of people that are committed to striving for a really hard to get ideal. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Many of the students who went to Oakland International come back to work there as adults because they see the way the community school model helps them support students better. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Yasser Alwan came to Oakland international as a student in 2010\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Yasser Alwan:\u003c/strong> We immigrated from Yemen, right before the conflict, the revolution, known as the Arab Spring.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Now he’s a Newcomer assistant. It’s a position that started at Oakland International, where they’ll have specific people who are in classrooms like paraprofessionals to help students who are struggling. When I asked him why he came back and why he stays he said yeah sometimes there are really hard days. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Yasser Alwan:\u003c/strong> But I, I remember mostly the good ones. And for the most part it was mostly good days. And it’s just like that community is very strong and you’re like, very welcome in and like. I’m like, happier when I’m not around. And I think that’s what brings me back. Even through challenging times, I remember the good days. And I’m like, there’s going to be more good days. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Karen Moya came to Oakland International as a student in 2010 also. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Karen Moya:\u003c/strong> We came from El Salvador.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> As an adult she joined the staff as a case manager\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Karen Moya:\u003c/strong> I’m basically supporting students and their families to navigate the new systems in the country.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> When she is overwhelmed, She returns to something a colleague told her.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Karen Moya:\u003c/strong> Something that one of my colleagues said it’s like you can do anything and … You might feel that you’re not doing anything because you’re not seeing the results, but you are actually doing something. You are impacting their lives, you know, and helping them navigate the, the, the systems and the struggles of being, you know, an immigrant in this country. So I take that with me. And, and I think about it sometimes too, when I’m like, I’m helping this student and I don’t see the results that I want to see on my way, but I’m doing everything that I can in my hands to better support them and their families. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Prior to this episode we did two other stories about community schools.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí:\u003c/strong> I’m Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí and I’m the community engagement reporter at KQED. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> So Carlos is someone who has been with me throughout my community school reporting at KQED. He was with me during interviews translating Spanish. We’re coming to the end of our community school reporting this season and I wanted to reflect what it was like to really sit in these stories \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí:\u003c/strong> Angelica was a little a little shy at first, a little nervous, which I, you know, completely normal reaction. The thing that stuck with me for just the whole day was just her, her, just like the like that she for her this whole, you know, like her leaving school and coming back. This decision. She really made it for herself. She understands the value of education. The things she was repeating again and again was like, I wanna learn English. When I first came to the U.S., you know, the first place that we came to was Oakland and I think that, when you’re in a school that sees a lot of kids come and go, you kind of feel like you’re, you know, you’re kind of like in the fight by yourself. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> I was talking to the community school coordinator and then also, one of the founders, and they were saying, like, it’s such a weird thing to do at a school where you like, see kids leaving, but you understand that, like, their realities are things that they have to deal with. And so you have to kind of let them go. But your job is just to be like when you’re ready to come back, like, come back here and like you’ll be okay. And it seems like they do a really good job of that versus like a school that would either be like, don’t leave and then like as soon as the student leaves, it’s kind of like, yeah, if I see you, i see you.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí:\u003c/strong> Totally, yeah. And that’s why, I really loved being able to accompany you on these trips because it just shows many ways you can interpret the community model. Where it could be a thousand factors that could, you know, change the outcome.That goes to the point we’re making that there is no perfect quote unquote perfect community school. There’s no perfect way to establish or create a community school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Thank you for talking to me Carlos.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí:\u003c/strong> Yeah, Thank you Nimah, this was awesome.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> it’s really always a pleasure to work with you.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí:\u003c/strong> Likewise.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Whether a school is based in Oakland pursuing the legacy of the Panther School or elsewhere, educators can relate to the desire for systems that serve young people better. In the meantime, they keep tracking down quick-fixes, proven strategies and those hard-to-find sustainable solutions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> This episode would not have been possible without Ericka Huggins, Angela LeBlanc Ernest, Madenh Ali Hassan, Lauren Markham, Yassar Alwan, Karen Moya, and Angelica. Thank you to folks at Oakland International.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"slug": "unhoused-students-face-unique-challenges-how-can-schools-help",
"title": "Unhoused Students Face Unique Challenges. How Can Schools Help?",
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"headTitle": "Unhoused Students Face Unique Challenges. How Can Schools Help? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Kaitlyn walked to school with her siblings in fourth grade, they’d spend the entire walk coming up with a game plan to keep other students from finding out their family was homeless. They figured out what to say and what to leave out, and they adjusted their hair and clothes along the way. They feared being treated \u003c/span>differently if their peers knew about their situation. As a result, school staff didn’t know they were experiencing housing insecurity or the challenges that come with it. “If we needed something, we were all scared to ask,” said Kaitlyn, who is now 18.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In San Diego, where Kaitlyn lives, an estimated \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sdcoe.net/special-populations/homeless-education\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">20,000 youth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are experiencing homelessness. Nationally, the number of public school students experiencing homelessness was 1.2 million in the 2021-22 school year, according to the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://profiles.nche.seiservices.com/ConsolidatedStateProfile.aspx\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">most recent data\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from the United States Department of Education. Unhoused students are more likely to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64107/how-postcards-to-parents-can-help-schools-get-kids-back-to-class\">chronically absent\u003c/a> and less likely to graduate in four years than their peers, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Students_Experiencing_Homelessness_BRIEF.pdf\">analysis\u003c/a> of California school enrollment and assessment data from the Learning Policy Institute\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The same report also found that homelessness is correlated with lower student achievement. Not finishing high school can \u003ca href=\"https://www.chapinhall.org/research/education-youth-homelessness/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">increase the risk\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of ending up unhoused later in life. \u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Without stable housing, it is difficult to tackle the other challenging issues families face. According to a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://oshi-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cts-state-of-crisis-report.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">report by the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the problems that unhoused families face are too complex for one system to address alone. However, schools can be service hubs that bring educational services, healthcare providers and social services to students and families in ways that welfare and housing agencies can’t do on their own.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Kaitlyn enrolled at San Diego’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://monarchschools.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Monarch School\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as a fifth grader, she and her siblings began getting the help they needed. “We could ask, and there were always resources for us,” she said. Monarch is a K-12 school dedicated to serving unhoused students and their families. It uses the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/59903/when-students-basic-needs-are-met-by-community-schools-learning-can-flourish\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">community school model\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to support students and families by providing services on school grounds. With over 35 years of experience, Monarch’s practices are an example for other schools, which often \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://publicintegrity.org/education/unhoused-and-undercounted/homeless-and-suspended-in-california/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">are not serving unhoused students well\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Monarch’s approach falls into three areas: meeting students’ basic needs, improving students’ ability to focus on academic milestones, and cultivating students’ sense of belief. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Meeting basic needs \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unhoused students may need extra support because they are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2022/liaisons-play-pivotal-role-in-connecting-california-homeless-children-to-services/667682\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">less likely to have their needs met while navigating unstable housing\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. At Monarch, an organization called The Monarch School Project is located on campus to help families access social services and housing. The organization partners with food banks, the housing authority and health centers to serve families.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diana Rodriguez, a parent with three kids enrolled at Monarch, said it was important to feel like she mattered to the school as much as her kids do. “When you’re homeless, you see the cruelness of the world outside because everybody’s kind of shutting you down and you don’t have resources,” she said. “I cannot provide the best for my children if I’m not at my best.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Afira DeVries, CEO of The Monarch School Project, recommended that educators and administrators lead with curiosity, rather than judgment, to discover \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63920/building-parent-teacher-relationships-can-be-hard-positive-phone-calls-home-can-help\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">what assets parents bring to the table\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and how they can be leveraged. Monarch has a dedicated area on the school grounds where caregivers can receive comprehensive support, including access to laundry facilities and health services. The center connects parents with staff members who can assist with everything from meeting with case managers or social workers to resume support and learning about job opportunities. It also offers a safe space for parents to regroup if they’ve had to leave their shelter early in the morning. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Improving students’ ability to focus \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Students experiencing homelessness often lack the support they need to fully engage in learning, from basic needs to emotional and physical safety, according to DeVries. Additionally, these students may be \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57982/trauma-is-a-lens-not-a-label-how-schools-can-support-all-students\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">dealing with trauma\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from life-threatening events or stressful environments. This often leads to interruptions in their schooling, requiring more support so that students have the mental space they need to focus on learning. “Each time they’re absent, each time they’re not staying in school consistently, they’re falling behind,” said Kristin Tanner, a literacy teacher at Monarch. Those interruptions can affect their ability to reach critical milestones, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.floridarti.usf.edu/resources/format/pdf/Chronic%20Absenteeism%20Lit%20Review%202018.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">like third-grade reading levels\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tanner remembers one student who had trouble adjusting to attending Monarch. “It would take her sometimes 20 minutes or half an hour to even get her inside the classroom. And then when she was here, it was head on her desk and crying or refusing to sit down or sitting somewhere else in the room on the floor,” Tanner said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC2522398386\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4139923/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Consistency and a nurturing environment are key\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to supporting unhoused students, especially since studies show that students experiencing homelessness often lack access to adults or mentors they can trust. According to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/su/su7201a4.htm?s_cid=su7201a4_w\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a recent survey by the CDC\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, students who experienced unstable housing had more persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the past year than their stably housed peers. For her student with adjustment difficulties, Tanner helped find a mental health therapist. Additionally, she said that Monarch students benefit from volunteers and tutors who offer extra classroom support. “Now I’m beginning to see the academic growth,” Tanner said of the student. “Now that we’ve dealt with those issues she was facing, she’s ready to learn.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cultivating students’ sense of belief\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Constant mobility and lack of control over their circumstances can affect students’ perception of their ability to change their situation, according to DeVries. When students have not been in an environment that nurtures their individuality, they are less likely to develop a strong sense of self-belief. “Once that happens, it’s a lot of hard work for a teacher, caregiver or anyone in that child’s life to help them believe that their circumstances are temporary, but their potential is permanent and forever,” DeVries said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Homeless students are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://publicintegrity.org/education/unhoused-and-undercounted/schools-fail-to-count-homeless-students/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">often undercounted\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. They may retreat and hide in school settings, according to DeVries, because they are focused on neutralizing their impact on the world instead of cultivating their skills or sense of self. Educators can encourage students’ self-belief \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://monarchschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Monarch-JI-2022-Promoting-Resilience.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">by exposing them to social programs and activities\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “Make space for a kid to identify their own skills and then empower them to cultivate them,” DeVries advised. When students realize they are good at something, they start to believe they can impact the world around them, which boosts their dignity.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Azaiah, a recent graduate from Monarch, formed a close relationship with the volleyball coach after playing throughout his high school years. He now serves as an assistant coach for the team while attending community college. He credited the ability to take college courses at school and college visits as the main reasons he decided to pursue a degree in psychology to become a mental health therapist. “Coming to Monarch helped me change the way I think,” Azaiah said. “It helped me gain more confidence.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Welcome to MindShift, where we explore the future of learning and how we raise our kids. I’m Nimah Gobir.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Diana Rodriguez was struggling with getting her son to school, but not for the reasons you might expect. It wasn’t traffic or that the alarm clock never went off, Diana and her family were experiencing homelessness. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Me and my kids dad and my kids were staying in a shelter. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She lives in San Diego, a city that has seen homelessness rise by 14% in the last year alone.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Insecure housing makes everything take longer. \u003c/span>\u003cb>\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It was kind of hard because I didn’t have a bus pass to take my son to National City. And we were like, literally walking from the from the trolley station.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The US has a law called the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">McKinney-Vento\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Act\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It was put in place to make sure\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">students experiencing homelessness get what they need so they can have access to education. That includes support with getting children to and from school. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I asked the principal there for a bus pass and she didn’t know what I was talking about. I said, no, I heard the case manager said that we’re able to get assistance if we need it. She didn’t really know, she wasn’t educated.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even with an \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">estimated \u003c/span>20,000 youth \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">experiencing homelessness in San Diego\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, that school did not have the tools to help families deal with the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">challenges\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that come with housing instability.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When you’re homeless, you see the cruelness of the world outside because everybody’s kind of shutting you down. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Diana’s story is not particularly unique, especially when California has experienced a 48% increase in unhoused students over the past decade.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s a \u003c/span>problem\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> when schools don’t know how to support these kids because\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> studies\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">show\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> they are more likely to struggle in school; They have lower chances of graduating; and they’re likely to fall behind because of chronic absenteeism. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Plus, not finishing high school can actually increase their risk of ending up unhoused later on in life. \u003c/span>It’s a cycle that’s really tough to break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Just when Diana was feeling hopeless about her situation, someone told her to check out Monarch School. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Monarch started in 1987 as a drop-in center for youth experiencing homelessness. It was and continues to be funded by the San Diego County Office of Education and the nonprofit Monarch School Project. Back then, it was staffed by just one teacher, but the need to support unhoused students in the county was so great that over about a decade it grew into a K12 public school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dyane Plumly:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So my full legal name is Dyane Plumly Nuñez, but at work I just go by Dyane Plumly. I am the principal at Monarch School.\u003c/span>\u003cb> \u003c/b>A\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ll the students who attend Monarch attend Monarch because they have experience or are experiencing being unhoused.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The school serves about 300 students every year. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dyane Plumly:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Students and families choose to attend Monarch. We’re not like the neighborhood school. So a very wide representation of kids that live all across the county have a wide variety of experiences and prior school experience as well. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Families find out about Monarch from shelters, social service agencies and by word of mouth. Students often leave Monarch to go to a traditional school when their living situations improve. However some students will stay enrolled for years and may attend until graduation.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dyane Plumly:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We have siblings and families at our school. So it really provides an opportunity to really get to know a kid, really get to know their family, and then thinking about that relationship that we have with their families and with our teachers and our partners to think about what it is that they want. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Monarch uses the \u003c/span>community school model\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to disrupt cycles of homelessness. That means it tries to meet the needs of families and students by having as many services as possible located on the school grounds – where they are easy to access. The school has a nonprofit organization on the school site to provide most of the services.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So my name is Afira DeVries…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Afira is the CEO and president of the nonprofit located at Monarch.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They have access to a full scope of supports and services that are intended to stabilize the student so that they can learn in their classroom, and also support the evolution of the family so that they’re no longer in a position of conditional need.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cem>[Intercom: Good morning, it’s a sunny morning…the only announcement that I have is we have Butterfly Boutique today, so you need to sign up if you want to go.\u003c/em>]\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Butterfly Boutique is where students pick out brand new clothes. The school even has showers with toiletries. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They also partner with other nonprofits in the community\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We have really, really tight partnerships with organizations like Family Health Center here in San Diego. They provide us with a nurse practitioner. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Partnerships with like Feeding San Diego and specialty foods to address food insecurity. The housing authority provides us with housing vouchers for our families.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> While community schools are popping up around the country. Schools like Monarch that are completely focused on students and families experiencing homelessness are pretty rare. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Afira said having a school just for students experiencing homelessness might not work everywhere.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> What’s essential are the practices and approaches that we utilize here.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">MUSIC\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The practices and resources implemented at Monarch could serve as valuable lessons for \u003c/span>all schools\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, since students in many districts experience homelessness. For example, partnering with parents can lead to stability and improvement for the whole family.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There is absolutely nobody more creative or resilient than an unhoused parent, because they will stop at nothing to protect their child and to come up with ways to make it feel better than it actually is. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Staff members are trained to assume each parent coming through their doors is doing the best they can with what they’ve got.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We don’t get in your way around things that we have no business getting in the way of. You need a bus pass. We got bus passes. Here’s the bus pass. Now what? Right now what? Because let’s talk about what you brought in the door with you. What are your strengths? What are your skills? What are you particularly good at? What have you tried that has worked for you? And everybody has an answer for those questions. And it feels completely different to be asked those questions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Remember Diana? The parent that was having trouble getting her son to school? When she came to Monarch, she had a completely different experience than the one she had at her son’s previous school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I went one day and I said, how can I enroll my son? and \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I met Ms. Carina in the front desk, and Ms. Carina was like, so, like, welcoming.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> She’s like don’t worry, like, we’ll take care of you here. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> She felt like a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The school did really important things for Diana right off the bat. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They help me with the bus pass. They they just they even asked me, like, does your son need clothes? Does your son need anything? Like, and I was just like, “Oh my gosh, for reals, like for free?” And it was really, I was really thankful because I wasn’t used to that kind of help. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I felt like very like, thankful. But but like this, like overwhelming sense of like, you know what, like I’m not by myself. There’s a school for my child.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They helped her get into stable housing and provided a safe place for her kids to be throughout the week. With those things taken care of Diana herself. could start to thrive.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In this day and age, especially living in San Diego, it’s very hard to make time for yourself because you’re too busy surviving. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The next benefit would probably be helping me as a mom grow, because I cannot provide the best for my children if I’m not at my best. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> She credits the school as being a huge part of her success as a parent.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Part of me becoming a better mom is trying to further my education so that I can also be better for my children. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Because of the resources that Monarch provided, I was able to get my associate’s degree with honors at City College, at San Diego City College, and then next year I’ll receive my bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Supporting unhoused students doesn’t stop with parental support. Coming up after the break, we’ll dive into strategies for supporting students’ academic development and agency. Stay with us.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir : \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When students step onto the school campus, they’re not just carrying textbooks and pencils; they’re bringing their entire selves, struggles and all. S\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">tudents who experience homelessness will often come to a school environment and feel an impulse to hide.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> What that initially means is I need to be as unseen as possible in this environment. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here’s Afira, again. She’s the CEO of the nonprofit at Monarch.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I need to fly under the radar or I need to be absent. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Classes and programs that connect students to the world outside of school can keep students invested in learning and help them build trusting relationships with adults or mentors.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So that they can have a concept of what their career might be and have direct access to feel and see what that might look like for them. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They are going to be the artist, the singer, the mathematician, the dancer, wha-the the athlete, the whatever they are naturally and organically, they’re going to pursue those, those skills because they’re in an environment that doesn’t force them or does not sort of organically make them feel like they need to hide under the radar. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some people are critical of having schools that are only for unhoused students. They say that students’ basic needs, like transportation and access to supplies, can and should be provided in a traditional school. They worry there is that keeping vulnerable students separated will increase stigma in the long run. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> But \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a report by UCLA revealed\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, students experiencing homelessness are often overlooked and misunderstood in mainstream schools. Typically, mainstream schools lack the specialized training and financial resources needed to support these students. On the other hand community-based organizations are able to get resources to families more quickly.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Kaitlyn is a student who graduated from Monarch last year. before she came to Monarch, she remembers feeling like she had to hide the fact that she and her siblings were not well off.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kaitlyn:\u003c/strong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We were, we should be embarrassed to like what we wore or how we did our hair.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the walk to school she would game plan with her siblings. Like, “How are we going to keep people from knowing our situation for as long as possible?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kaitlyn:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I felt like I was in a shell. Me and my siblings were like don’t tell people this and that. I\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">f we needed something, I was we were all scared to ask for something. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a school with tools to address homelessness, she made friends quickly.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kaitlyn:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> You could talk to everyone, like with open arms and I wouldn’t have to feel embarrassed about anything because we all had similar stories or like I remember we should do like story told my friends, all like I went through this to and this and that I don’t know, it was just like comforting to me. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> She can name adults from Monarch that she can go to for advice and help. One of which urged her to give college a try. Kaitlyn just started at Southwestern, a local community college. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When students’ basic needs are met, It frees up their brain space so that they’re able to learn. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> No matter what your style of learning is, you have to be able to focus. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> But if you’re coming to school exhausted because you haven’t slept in three days and haven’t showered in a week and haven’t seen your mom or dad or someone that’s important to you or your siblings, and you’re getting to school. The very, very last thing you want to have to do is be in the present, in the now, and focus on what’s in front of you. You’re generally looking for other ways to self-soothe.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Unhoused students may be experiencing trauma, a response to life-threatening events, harmful conditions or stressful environments.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Because they’re either born into or experiencing the circumstance of homelessness. That is, really… it will rob you of your sense of individuality and any sense of safety, right? Because that mobility is crushing and it does not allow a child to feel safe because there are no roots. Kids need roots to feel safe. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s likely that unhoused students experienced interruptions in their schooling and require more focused support as they fill gaps in their learning. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>So it helps to have small classes and aides in each room. Kristin Tanner is , a 1-3rd grade literacy teacher. She remembers one student who had a hard time adjusting when she first arrived at Monarch.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristin Tanner:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It would take her sometimes 20 minutes to a half an hour to even get her inside the classroom. And then when she was here, it was head on her desk and crying or refusing to sit down or sitting somewhere else in the room on the floor.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Things started to improve when the young girl was able to experience the consistency of the classroom and understand that it was a safe place. Kirsten used a few approaches focused on connection: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristin Tanner:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Building a relationship with her, with her mom, and then, additionally, really making sure that, having that connection with her therapist as well as with other support staff. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mental health services and building supportive relationships enabled the student to show up to the classroom differently. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristin Tanner:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I look at her now, I, and I tell her every day, I’m I this, always just blown away by the growth in her. H\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">er mental health and her emotional health and just her way, that she moves throughout the day because she’s not with me all day. She’s in other classes. And hearing that she’s doing well there is just a huge accomplishment for her.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Now that we’ve dealt with those, those issues that she was facing, now she’s ready to learn. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Creating a nurturing and stable environment within the school is essential for students who may be facing instability elsewhere in their lives. Here’s Afira.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A child begins to understand what their own capacity and potential is by the time they’re about ten years old. And that’s called the locus of control. And they either believe they’re in control of their lives, or they think that the world is in control of their lives.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Kids who have not been in an environment that’s nurturing their individuality as a person, as an individual human being, are not going to cultivate self-belief, and they’re not going to feel like they’re in control of their life. And once that happens, it’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of hard work for a teacher, for a caregiver, for anybody in that child’s life to get them to believe that their circumstances are temporary, but their potential is permanent and forever. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Azaiah is another recent graduate. His mom brought him to Monarch and used their services to find stable housing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Azaiah: \u003c/strong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That was that was a really big help because my mom had, like, health issues, so. And she wasn’t able to, like, work.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He remembers they helped him furnish his room.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Azaiah: \u003c/strong>W\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hen I got my room, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">they paid for, like all the stuff that I needed for, for like a bed, a TV and like a dresser and stuff like that. And they provided food and like, gift cards and stuff like that. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Many students experiencing homelessness often struggle to find mentors who understand their circumstances. Azaiah played volleyball for the school and formed a strong bond with his coach. And when he graduated…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Azaiah: \u003c/strong>They hired me for the boys volleyball team so I can assist my coach, my old coach, and learn from him, and then hopefully coach the girls if possible\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The school organized for folks from the Zoo to come and host interviews for any students interested in working there. So he was able to get a job at the San Diego Zoo. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>What’s your favorite animal there? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Azaiah: \u003c/strong>Red pandas. I love the red pandas. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Oh, my gosh, they are so cute. I watch videos of them when I am sad. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Azaiah: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I’m working there, coaching here and yeah, just taking care of my mom.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This year he started at Grossmont College.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Azaiah: \u003c/strong>My major is psychology, so I’m hoping to transfer after my two years and hopefully go to either Grand Canyon University, GCU or UCSD. I want to become a mental health therapist.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Stories like Kaitlyn and Azaiah’s show that great things can happen when students’ are connected to robust social services networks and have access to trusted adults. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Schools must learn how to serve unhoused students and their families because the likelihood of encountering a student whose family has fallen on hard times is high. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is especially true for schools in California, which has \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://oshi-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cts-state-of-crisis-report.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">more than half of the entire country’s unhoused population \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Monarch is a prime example of how the community school model can provide the students and families with easy access to basic needs. Once students have these needs, ongoing mental health support is crucial. And – and I know you all know this – educational opportunities that interest kids and connect them to the outside world can make learning worthwhile.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Every child deserves an opportunity to thrive. It’s not only about providing education; it’s about providing support, stability, and a hope for a brighter future.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Kaitlyn walked to school with her siblings in fourth grade, they’d spend the entire walk coming up with a game plan to keep other students from finding out their family was homeless. They figured out what to say and what to leave out, and they adjusted their hair and clothes along the way. They feared being treated \u003c/span>differently if their peers knew about their situation. As a result, school staff didn’t know they were experiencing housing insecurity or the challenges that come with it. “If we needed something, we were all scared to ask,” said Kaitlyn, who is now 18.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In San Diego, where Kaitlyn lives, an estimated \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sdcoe.net/special-populations/homeless-education\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">20,000 youth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are experiencing homelessness. Nationally, the number of public school students experiencing homelessness was 1.2 million in the 2021-22 school year, according to the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://profiles.nche.seiservices.com/ConsolidatedStateProfile.aspx\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">most recent data\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from the United States Department of Education. Unhoused students are more likely to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64107/how-postcards-to-parents-can-help-schools-get-kids-back-to-class\">chronically absent\u003c/a> and less likely to graduate in four years than their peers, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Students_Experiencing_Homelessness_BRIEF.pdf\">analysis\u003c/a> of California school enrollment and assessment data from the Learning Policy Institute\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The same report also found that homelessness is correlated with lower student achievement. Not finishing high school can \u003ca href=\"https://www.chapinhall.org/research/education-youth-homelessness/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">increase the risk\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of ending up unhoused later in life. \u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Without stable housing, it is difficult to tackle the other challenging issues families face. According to a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://oshi-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cts-state-of-crisis-report.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">report by the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the problems that unhoused families face are too complex for one system to address alone. However, schools can be service hubs that bring educational services, healthcare providers and social services to students and families in ways that welfare and housing agencies can’t do on their own.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Kaitlyn enrolled at San Diego’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://monarchschools.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Monarch School\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as a fifth grader, she and her siblings began getting the help they needed. “We could ask, and there were always resources for us,” she said. Monarch is a K-12 school dedicated to serving unhoused students and their families. It uses the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/59903/when-students-basic-needs-are-met-by-community-schools-learning-can-flourish\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">community school model\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to support students and families by providing services on school grounds. With over 35 years of experience, Monarch’s practices are an example for other schools, which often \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://publicintegrity.org/education/unhoused-and-undercounted/homeless-and-suspended-in-california/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">are not serving unhoused students well\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Monarch’s approach falls into three areas: meeting students’ basic needs, improving students’ ability to focus on academic milestones, and cultivating students’ sense of belief. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Meeting basic needs \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unhoused students may need extra support because they are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2022/liaisons-play-pivotal-role-in-connecting-california-homeless-children-to-services/667682\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">less likely to have their needs met while navigating unstable housing\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. At Monarch, an organization called The Monarch School Project is located on campus to help families access social services and housing. The organization partners with food banks, the housing authority and health centers to serve families.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diana Rodriguez, a parent with three kids enrolled at Monarch, said it was important to feel like she mattered to the school as much as her kids do. “When you’re homeless, you see the cruelness of the world outside because everybody’s kind of shutting you down and you don’t have resources,” she said. “I cannot provide the best for my children if I’m not at my best.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Afira DeVries, CEO of The Monarch School Project, recommended that educators and administrators lead with curiosity, rather than judgment, to discover \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63920/building-parent-teacher-relationships-can-be-hard-positive-phone-calls-home-can-help\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">what assets parents bring to the table\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and how they can be leveraged. Monarch has a dedicated area on the school grounds where caregivers can receive comprehensive support, including access to laundry facilities and health services. The center connects parents with staff members who can assist with everything from meeting with case managers or social workers to resume support and learning about job opportunities. It also offers a safe space for parents to regroup if they’ve had to leave their shelter early in the morning. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Improving students’ ability to focus \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Students experiencing homelessness often lack the support they need to fully engage in learning, from basic needs to emotional and physical safety, according to DeVries. Additionally, these students may be \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57982/trauma-is-a-lens-not-a-label-how-schools-can-support-all-students\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">dealing with trauma\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from life-threatening events or stressful environments. This often leads to interruptions in their schooling, requiring more support so that students have the mental space they need to focus on learning. “Each time they’re absent, each time they’re not staying in school consistently, they’re falling behind,” said Kristin Tanner, a literacy teacher at Monarch. Those interruptions can affect their ability to reach critical milestones, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.floridarti.usf.edu/resources/format/pdf/Chronic%20Absenteeism%20Lit%20Review%202018.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">like third-grade reading levels\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tanner remembers one student who had trouble adjusting to attending Monarch. “It would take her sometimes 20 minutes or half an hour to even get her inside the classroom. And then when she was here, it was head on her desk and crying or refusing to sit down or sitting somewhere else in the room on the floor,” Tanner said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC2522398386\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4139923/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Consistency and a nurturing environment are key\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to supporting unhoused students, especially since studies show that students experiencing homelessness often lack access to adults or mentors they can trust. According to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/su/su7201a4.htm?s_cid=su7201a4_w\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a recent survey by the CDC\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, students who experienced unstable housing had more persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the past year than their stably housed peers. For her student with adjustment difficulties, Tanner helped find a mental health therapist. Additionally, she said that Monarch students benefit from volunteers and tutors who offer extra classroom support. “Now I’m beginning to see the academic growth,” Tanner said of the student. “Now that we’ve dealt with those issues she was facing, she’s ready to learn.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cultivating students’ sense of belief\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Constant mobility and lack of control over their circumstances can affect students’ perception of their ability to change their situation, according to DeVries. When students have not been in an environment that nurtures their individuality, they are less likely to develop a strong sense of self-belief. “Once that happens, it’s a lot of hard work for a teacher, caregiver or anyone in that child’s life to help them believe that their circumstances are temporary, but their potential is permanent and forever,” DeVries said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Homeless students are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://publicintegrity.org/education/unhoused-and-undercounted/schools-fail-to-count-homeless-students/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">often undercounted\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. They may retreat and hide in school settings, according to DeVries, because they are focused on neutralizing their impact on the world instead of cultivating their skills or sense of self. Educators can encourage students’ self-belief \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://monarchschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Monarch-JI-2022-Promoting-Resilience.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">by exposing them to social programs and activities\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “Make space for a kid to identify their own skills and then empower them to cultivate them,” DeVries advised. When students realize they are good at something, they start to believe they can impact the world around them, which boosts their dignity.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Azaiah, a recent graduate from Monarch, formed a close relationship with the volleyball coach after playing throughout his high school years. He now serves as an assistant coach for the team while attending community college. He credited the ability to take college courses at school and college visits as the main reasons he decided to pursue a degree in psychology to become a mental health therapist. “Coming to Monarch helped me change the way I think,” Azaiah said. “It helped me gain more confidence.”\u003c/span>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Welcome to MindShift, where we explore the future of learning and how we raise our kids. I’m Nimah Gobir.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Diana Rodriguez was struggling with getting her son to school, but not for the reasons you might expect. It wasn’t traffic or that the alarm clock never went off, Diana and her family were experiencing homelessness. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Me and my kids dad and my kids were staying in a shelter. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She lives in San Diego, a city that has seen homelessness rise by 14% in the last year alone.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Insecure housing makes everything take longer. \u003c/span>\u003cb>\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It was kind of hard because I didn’t have a bus pass to take my son to National City. And we were like, literally walking from the from the trolley station.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The US has a law called the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">McKinney-Vento\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Act\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It was put in place to make sure\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">students experiencing homelessness get what they need so they can have access to education. That includes support with getting children to and from school. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I asked the principal there for a bus pass and she didn’t know what I was talking about. I said, no, I heard the case manager said that we’re able to get assistance if we need it. She didn’t really know, she wasn’t educated.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even with an \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">estimated \u003c/span>20,000 youth \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">experiencing homelessness in San Diego\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, that school did not have the tools to help families deal with the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">challenges\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that come with housing instability.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When you’re homeless, you see the cruelness of the world outside because everybody’s kind of shutting you down. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Diana’s story is not particularly unique, especially when California has experienced a 48% increase in unhoused students over the past decade.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s a \u003c/span>problem\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> when schools don’t know how to support these kids because\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> studies\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">show\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> they are more likely to struggle in school; They have lower chances of graduating; and they’re likely to fall behind because of chronic absenteeism. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Plus, not finishing high school can actually increase their risk of ending up unhoused later on in life. \u003c/span>It’s a cycle that’s really tough to break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Just when Diana was feeling hopeless about her situation, someone told her to check out Monarch School. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Monarch started in 1987 as a drop-in center for youth experiencing homelessness. It was and continues to be funded by the San Diego County Office of Education and the nonprofit Monarch School Project. Back then, it was staffed by just one teacher, but the need to support unhoused students in the county was so great that over about a decade it grew into a K12 public school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dyane Plumly:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So my full legal name is Dyane Plumly Nuñez, but at work I just go by Dyane Plumly. I am the principal at Monarch School.\u003c/span>\u003cb> \u003c/b>A\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ll the students who attend Monarch attend Monarch because they have experience or are experiencing being unhoused.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The school serves about 300 students every year. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dyane Plumly:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Students and families choose to attend Monarch. We’re not like the neighborhood school. So a very wide representation of kids that live all across the county have a wide variety of experiences and prior school experience as well. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Families find out about Monarch from shelters, social service agencies and by word of mouth. Students often leave Monarch to go to a traditional school when their living situations improve. However some students will stay enrolled for years and may attend until graduation.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dyane Plumly:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We have siblings and families at our school. So it really provides an opportunity to really get to know a kid, really get to know their family, and then thinking about that relationship that we have with their families and with our teachers and our partners to think about what it is that they want. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Monarch uses the \u003c/span>community school model\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to disrupt cycles of homelessness. That means it tries to meet the needs of families and students by having as many services as possible located on the school grounds – where they are easy to access. The school has a nonprofit organization on the school site to provide most of the services.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So my name is Afira DeVries…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Afira is the CEO and president of the nonprofit located at Monarch.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They have access to a full scope of supports and services that are intended to stabilize the student so that they can learn in their classroom, and also support the evolution of the family so that they’re no longer in a position of conditional need.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cem>[Intercom: Good morning, it’s a sunny morning…the only announcement that I have is we have Butterfly Boutique today, so you need to sign up if you want to go.\u003c/em>]\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Butterfly Boutique is where students pick out brand new clothes. The school even has showers with toiletries. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They also partner with other nonprofits in the community\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We have really, really tight partnerships with organizations like Family Health Center here in San Diego. They provide us with a nurse practitioner. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Partnerships with like Feeding San Diego and specialty foods to address food insecurity. The housing authority provides us with housing vouchers for our families.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> While community schools are popping up around the country. Schools like Monarch that are completely focused on students and families experiencing homelessness are pretty rare. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Afira said having a school just for students experiencing homelessness might not work everywhere.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> What’s essential are the practices and approaches that we utilize here.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">MUSIC\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The practices and resources implemented at Monarch could serve as valuable lessons for \u003c/span>all schools\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, since students in many districts experience homelessness. For example, partnering with parents can lead to stability and improvement for the whole family.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There is absolutely nobody more creative or resilient than an unhoused parent, because they will stop at nothing to protect their child and to come up with ways to make it feel better than it actually is. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Staff members are trained to assume each parent coming through their doors is doing the best they can with what they’ve got.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We don’t get in your way around things that we have no business getting in the way of. You need a bus pass. We got bus passes. Here’s the bus pass. Now what? Right now what? Because let’s talk about what you brought in the door with you. What are your strengths? What are your skills? What are you particularly good at? What have you tried that has worked for you? And everybody has an answer for those questions. And it feels completely different to be asked those questions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Remember Diana? The parent that was having trouble getting her son to school? When she came to Monarch, she had a completely different experience than the one she had at her son’s previous school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I went one day and I said, how can I enroll my son? and \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I met Ms. Carina in the front desk, and Ms. Carina was like, so, like, welcoming.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> She’s like don’t worry, like, we’ll take care of you here. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> She felt like a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The school did really important things for Diana right off the bat. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They help me with the bus pass. They they just they even asked me, like, does your son need clothes? Does your son need anything? Like, and I was just like, “Oh my gosh, for reals, like for free?” And it was really, I was really thankful because I wasn’t used to that kind of help. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I felt like very like, thankful. But but like this, like overwhelming sense of like, you know what, like I’m not by myself. There’s a school for my child.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They helped her get into stable housing and provided a safe place for her kids to be throughout the week. With those things taken care of Diana herself. could start to thrive.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In this day and age, especially living in San Diego, it’s very hard to make time for yourself because you’re too busy surviving. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The next benefit would probably be helping me as a mom grow, because I cannot provide the best for my children if I’m not at my best. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> She credits the school as being a huge part of her success as a parent.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Diana Rodriguez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Part of me becoming a better mom is trying to further my education so that I can also be better for my children. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Because of the resources that Monarch provided, I was able to get my associate’s degree with honors at City College, at San Diego City College, and then next year I’ll receive my bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Supporting unhoused students doesn’t stop with parental support. Coming up after the break, we’ll dive into strategies for supporting students’ academic development and agency. Stay with us.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir : \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When students step onto the school campus, they’re not just carrying textbooks and pencils; they’re bringing their entire selves, struggles and all. S\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">tudents who experience homelessness will often come to a school environment and feel an impulse to hide.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> What that initially means is I need to be as unseen as possible in this environment. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here’s Afira, again. She’s the CEO of the nonprofit at Monarch.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I need to fly under the radar or I need to be absent. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Classes and programs that connect students to the world outside of school can keep students invested in learning and help them build trusting relationships with adults or mentors.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So that they can have a concept of what their career might be and have direct access to feel and see what that might look like for them. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They are going to be the artist, the singer, the mathematician, the dancer, wha-the the athlete, the whatever they are naturally and organically, they’re going to pursue those, those skills because they’re in an environment that doesn’t force them or does not sort of organically make them feel like they need to hide under the radar. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some people are critical of having schools that are only for unhoused students. They say that students’ basic needs, like transportation and access to supplies, can and should be provided in a traditional school. They worry there is that keeping vulnerable students separated will increase stigma in the long run. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> But \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a report by UCLA revealed\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, students experiencing homelessness are often overlooked and misunderstood in mainstream schools. Typically, mainstream schools lack the specialized training and financial resources needed to support these students. On the other hand community-based organizations are able to get resources to families more quickly.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Kaitlyn is a student who graduated from Monarch last year. before she came to Monarch, she remembers feeling like she had to hide the fact that she and her siblings were not well off.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kaitlyn:\u003c/strong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We were, we should be embarrassed to like what we wore or how we did our hair.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the walk to school she would game plan with her siblings. Like, “How are we going to keep people from knowing our situation for as long as possible?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kaitlyn:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I felt like I was in a shell. Me and my siblings were like don’t tell people this and that. I\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">f we needed something, I was we were all scared to ask for something. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a school with tools to address homelessness, she made friends quickly.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kaitlyn:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> You could talk to everyone, like with open arms and I wouldn’t have to feel embarrassed about anything because we all had similar stories or like I remember we should do like story told my friends, all like I went through this to and this and that I don’t know, it was just like comforting to me. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> She can name adults from Monarch that she can go to for advice and help. One of which urged her to give college a try. Kaitlyn just started at Southwestern, a local community college. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When students’ basic needs are met, It frees up their brain space so that they’re able to learn. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> No matter what your style of learning is, you have to be able to focus. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> But if you’re coming to school exhausted because you haven’t slept in three days and haven’t showered in a week and haven’t seen your mom or dad or someone that’s important to you or your siblings, and you’re getting to school. The very, very last thing you want to have to do is be in the present, in the now, and focus on what’s in front of you. You’re generally looking for other ways to self-soothe.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Unhoused students may be experiencing trauma, a response to life-threatening events, harmful conditions or stressful environments.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Because they’re either born into or experiencing the circumstance of homelessness. That is, really… it will rob you of your sense of individuality and any sense of safety, right? Because that mobility is crushing and it does not allow a child to feel safe because there are no roots. Kids need roots to feel safe. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s likely that unhoused students experienced interruptions in their schooling and require more focused support as they fill gaps in their learning. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>So it helps to have small classes and aides in each room. Kristin Tanner is , a 1-3rd grade literacy teacher. She remembers one student who had a hard time adjusting when she first arrived at Monarch.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristin Tanner:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It would take her sometimes 20 minutes to a half an hour to even get her inside the classroom. And then when she was here, it was head on her desk and crying or refusing to sit down or sitting somewhere else in the room on the floor.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Things started to improve when the young girl was able to experience the consistency of the classroom and understand that it was a safe place. Kirsten used a few approaches focused on connection: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristin Tanner:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Building a relationship with her, with her mom, and then, additionally, really making sure that, having that connection with her therapist as well as with other support staff. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mental health services and building supportive relationships enabled the student to show up to the classroom differently. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristin Tanner:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I look at her now, I, and I tell her every day, I’m I this, always just blown away by the growth in her. H\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">er mental health and her emotional health and just her way, that she moves throughout the day because she’s not with me all day. She’s in other classes. And hearing that she’s doing well there is just a huge accomplishment for her.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Now that we’ve dealt with those, those issues that she was facing, now she’s ready to learn. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Creating a nurturing and stable environment within the school is essential for students who may be facing instability elsewhere in their lives. Here’s Afira.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Afira DeVries:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A child begins to understand what their own capacity and potential is by the time they’re about ten years old. And that’s called the locus of control. And they either believe they’re in control of their lives, or they think that the world is in control of their lives.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Kids who have not been in an environment that’s nurturing their individuality as a person, as an individual human being, are not going to cultivate self-belief, and they’re not going to feel like they’re in control of their life. And once that happens, it’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of hard work for a teacher, for a caregiver, for anybody in that child’s life to get them to believe that their circumstances are temporary, but their potential is permanent and forever. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Azaiah is another recent graduate. His mom brought him to Monarch and used their services to find stable housing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Azaiah: \u003c/strong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That was that was a really big help because my mom had, like, health issues, so. And she wasn’t able to, like, work.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He remembers they helped him furnish his room.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Azaiah: \u003c/strong>W\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hen I got my room, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">they paid for, like all the stuff that I needed for, for like a bed, a TV and like a dresser and stuff like that. And they provided food and like, gift cards and stuff like that. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Many students experiencing homelessness often struggle to find mentors who understand their circumstances. Azaiah played volleyball for the school and formed a strong bond with his coach. And when he graduated…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Azaiah: \u003c/strong>They hired me for the boys volleyball team so I can assist my coach, my old coach, and learn from him, and then hopefully coach the girls if possible\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The school organized for folks from the Zoo to come and host interviews for any students interested in working there. So he was able to get a job at the San Diego Zoo. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>What’s your favorite animal there? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Azaiah: \u003c/strong>Red pandas. I love the red pandas. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/strong> Oh, my gosh, they are so cute. I watch videos of them when I am sad. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Azaiah: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I’m working there, coaching here and yeah, just taking care of my mom.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This year he started at Grossmont College.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Azaiah: \u003c/strong>My major is psychology, so I’m hoping to transfer after my two years and hopefully go to either Grand Canyon University, GCU or UCSD. I want to become a mental health therapist.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Stories like Kaitlyn and Azaiah’s show that great things can happen when students’ are connected to robust social services networks and have access to trusted adults. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Schools must learn how to serve unhoused students and their families because the likelihood of encountering a student whose family has fallen on hard times is high. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is especially true for schools in California, which has \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://oshi-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cts-state-of-crisis-report.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">more than half of the entire country’s unhoused population \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Monarch is a prime example of how the community school model can provide the students and families with easy access to basic needs. Once students have these needs, ongoing mental health support is crucial. And – and I know you all know this – educational opportunities that interest kids and connect them to the outside world can make learning worthwhile.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Every child deserves an opportunity to thrive. It’s not only about providing education; it’s about providing support, stability, and a hope for a brighter future.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"slug": "how-to-strengthen-school-family-partnerships-with-proven-strategies",
"title": "How to Strengthen School-Family Partnerships With Proven Strategies",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“How many of you have been teachers?” \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://pll.harvard.edu/instructor/karen-l-mapp\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Karen Mapp\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> asked an audience at the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://web.cvent.com/event/eebbe1af-9e83-42bd-a491-ee5652c090a3\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">2024 National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Nearly every hand went into the air. But then came her next question: “How many of you in your pre-service training to be a teacher or an educator had a full course on family engagement?” Only one hand went up.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most educators do not have models for what good family engagement looks like, said Mapp, director of the Education Policy and Management master’s program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. She defines family engagement as a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/sde/publications/fe_definition_and_guiding_principles_handout.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">full and equal partnership between schools, communities and students\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Research shows that family engagement \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://education.jhu.edu/news/study-shows-home-visits-improved-school-attendance/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">benefits not only students\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> but also \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/23/03/case-strong-family-and-community-engagement-schools\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">teachers and families\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “When we engage with each other, our deficit-based mindsets about each other disappear,” Mapp said. Most schools think that they are engaging families when they are just involving them, but Mapp said that involvement only requires one-way communication. “Your families are your students’ first teachers. We need to treat them with that respect,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mapp developed the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.dualcapacity.org\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dual Capacity-Building Framework\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which outlines how to support family engagement strategies, policies and programs, including building trust, being culturally responsive and fostering collaboration. At the community schools conference, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.rvaschools.net/leadership/leadership-team\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shadae Harris\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Chief Engagement Officer at Richmond Public Schools, shared how she successfully used this framework \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63951/3-strategies-for-encouraging-dads-involvement-in-schools\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">to improve family engagement\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> around student attendance. After the COVID-19 pandemic, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63984/as-chronic-absenteeism-soars-in-schools-most-parents-arent-sure-what-it-is\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">chronic absenteeism\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> rates in Richmond averaged nearly \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.12onyourside.com/2023/11/22/rps-seeing-increased-attendance-engagement-among-students-this-year/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">40% – an all time high\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Using the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for guidance, Harris prioritized learning more about the district’s local history, building relationships with families based on mutual trust, and tracking metrics, such as home visits and phone calls. Harris said that when she moved from viewing “engagement as an add-on to something that was deeply rooted in teaching and learning” it led to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64107/how-postcards-to-parents-can-help-schools-get-kids-back-to-class\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">better attendance\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at most Richmond Public Schools. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The basic elements of this framework can be a roadmap for schools to improve family engagement and achieve goals. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Honor history\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Dual Capacity-Building Framework \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dualcapacity.org/framework-in-depth/the-challenge\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">identifies obstacles\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that get in the way of authentic family engagement, including educators’ deficit mindsets and families’ negative past experiences with schools. Harris, originally from Boston, Massachusetts, saw these challenges playing out in her district. To address them, she spent time learning local history so she could better understand the community beyond its negative narratives.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Harris learned about \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://venturerichmond.com/live-downtown/historic-neighborhoods/jackson-ward/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jackson Ward\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a thriving Black neighborhood known as the “Harlem of the South.” This community was home to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/maggie-lena-walker\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maggie Walker\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the first Black female president to charter a bank. While Harris started with the “beauty and brilliance” of the people in Richmond, she also recognized the historical harms done to those communities. For example, a highway was built through Jackson Ward that broke up its thriving middle class Black community. She noted that the people affected are grandparents of the students currently in school and that it makes sense that families have lingering distrust in institutions. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Learning local history isn’t about fixing past wrongs, Harris said. It’s about honoring history and acknowledging harm, which builds “community credibility” and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63920/building-parent-teacher-relationships-can-be-hard-positive-phone-calls-home-can-help\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">lays the groundwork for families to begin to trust schools\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"HARGSE4I2016-V000600\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/GAeovqwgfZ8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Prioritize relationships\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Practices that are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dualcapacity.org/framework-in-depth/essential-conditions\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">culturally responsive, collaborative and built on mutual trust\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are key to strengthening family engagement, according to Mapp. Harris put this into practice by assigning family liaison staff members to become “experts” in the district’s neighborhoods. “Communities already have very intricate systems of communication,” Harris said, but schools aren’t always tapped into them. By leveraging existing community assets, Harris and her colleagues adopted a strength-based perspective in their engagement efforts.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Harris hired family liaisons, she considered what structural barriers might prevent her from hiring people from the communities they would be serving. She found that the qualifications required for the roles, such as having a bachelor’s degree, were restrictive and deterred the candidates she wanted from applying. She revised the application so that it invited applicants to talk about their relationships and connections within the community. Additionally, she extended the position from an eight-month term to a year-round role. “The summer is pivotal, and I’m going to pay you for it,” Harris recalled saying. “You have to value the position.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With the family liaisons in place and trust built in the community, families felt more comfortable sharing their challenges. Harris discovered that thousands of parents were living in motels. While the \u003ca href=\"https://nche.ed.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ehcy_profile.pdf\">Mckinney-Vento Act\u003c/a> is in place to support families experiencing homelessness, families living in motels were exempt from these services. Harris secured a grant to provide direct financial assistance to those parents. To date Harris and staff at Richmond Public Schools have helped to secure housing for 130 families. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Quantify outreach and tell the story\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Harris, measuring the district’s engagement was critical to track progress and make necessary adjustments. She designed an engagement dashboard to monitor key metrics, such as \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/51967/can-inviting-teachers-over-to-your-home-improve-how-kids-learn\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">home visits\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and successful phone calls. The dashboard also allowed staff to record important notes about who they reached and whether the phone call was productive or not. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We were able to see these causal connections,” Harris explained. For example, 52% of students at Fairfield Court Elementary School were chronically absent in the years following the pandemic. After home visits, that number went down to 9%. According to Harris, increased learning time from students actually showing up to school is a powerful result of strong family engagement. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Over the past two years, we’ve increased almost 90,000 academic hours,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Richmond Public Schools’ story illustrates how the Dual Capacity-Building Framework helped one school district, but its application can and should vary according to community needs, according to Mapp. “You have to be intentional,” she said. “Family engagement is a strategy, not a goal.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“How many of you have been teachers?” \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://pll.harvard.edu/instructor/karen-l-mapp\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Karen Mapp\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> asked an audience at the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://web.cvent.com/event/eebbe1af-9e83-42bd-a491-ee5652c090a3\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">2024 National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Nearly every hand went into the air. But then came her next question: “How many of you in your pre-service training to be a teacher or an educator had a full course on family engagement?” Only one hand went up.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most educators do not have models for what good family engagement looks like, said Mapp, director of the Education Policy and Management master’s program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. She defines family engagement as a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/sde/publications/fe_definition_and_guiding_principles_handout.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">full and equal partnership between schools, communities and students\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Research shows that family engagement \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://education.jhu.edu/news/study-shows-home-visits-improved-school-attendance/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">benefits not only students\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> but also \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/23/03/case-strong-family-and-community-engagement-schools\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">teachers and families\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “When we engage with each other, our deficit-based mindsets about each other disappear,” Mapp said. Most schools think that they are engaging families when they are just involving them, but Mapp said that involvement only requires one-way communication. “Your families are your students’ first teachers. We need to treat them with that respect,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mapp developed the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.dualcapacity.org\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dual Capacity-Building Framework\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which outlines how to support family engagement strategies, policies and programs, including building trust, being culturally responsive and fostering collaboration. At the community schools conference, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.rvaschools.net/leadership/leadership-team\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shadae Harris\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Chief Engagement Officer at Richmond Public Schools, shared how she successfully used this framework \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63951/3-strategies-for-encouraging-dads-involvement-in-schools\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">to improve family engagement\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> around student attendance. After the COVID-19 pandemic, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63984/as-chronic-absenteeism-soars-in-schools-most-parents-arent-sure-what-it-is\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">chronic absenteeism\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> rates in Richmond averaged nearly \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.12onyourside.com/2023/11/22/rps-seeing-increased-attendance-engagement-among-students-this-year/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">40% – an all time high\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Using the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for guidance, Harris prioritized learning more about the district’s local history, building relationships with families based on mutual trust, and tracking metrics, such as home visits and phone calls. Harris said that when she moved from viewing “engagement as an add-on to something that was deeply rooted in teaching and learning” it led to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64107/how-postcards-to-parents-can-help-schools-get-kids-back-to-class\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">better attendance\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at most Richmond Public Schools. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The basic elements of this framework can be a roadmap for schools to improve family engagement and achieve goals. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Honor history\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Dual Capacity-Building Framework \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dualcapacity.org/framework-in-depth/the-challenge\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">identifies obstacles\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that get in the way of authentic family engagement, including educators’ deficit mindsets and families’ negative past experiences with schools. Harris, originally from Boston, Massachusetts, saw these challenges playing out in her district. To address them, she spent time learning local history so she could better understand the community beyond its negative narratives.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Harris learned about \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://venturerichmond.com/live-downtown/historic-neighborhoods/jackson-ward/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jackson Ward\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a thriving Black neighborhood known as the “Harlem of the South.” This community was home to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/maggie-lena-walker\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maggie Walker\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the first Black female president to charter a bank. While Harris started with the “beauty and brilliance” of the people in Richmond, she also recognized the historical harms done to those communities. For example, a highway was built through Jackson Ward that broke up its thriving middle class Black community. She noted that the people affected are grandparents of the students currently in school and that it makes sense that families have lingering distrust in institutions. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Learning local history isn’t about fixing past wrongs, Harris said. It’s about honoring history and acknowledging harm, which builds “community credibility” and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63920/building-parent-teacher-relationships-can-be-hard-positive-phone-calls-home-can-help\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">lays the groundwork for families to begin to trust schools\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"HARGSE4I2016-V000600\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/GAeovqwgfZ8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Prioritize relationships\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Practices that are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dualcapacity.org/framework-in-depth/essential-conditions\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">culturally responsive, collaborative and built on mutual trust\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are key to strengthening family engagement, according to Mapp. Harris put this into practice by assigning family liaison staff members to become “experts” in the district’s neighborhoods. “Communities already have very intricate systems of communication,” Harris said, but schools aren’t always tapped into them. By leveraging existing community assets, Harris and her colleagues adopted a strength-based perspective in their engagement efforts.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Harris hired family liaisons, she considered what structural barriers might prevent her from hiring people from the communities they would be serving. She found that the qualifications required for the roles, such as having a bachelor’s degree, were restrictive and deterred the candidates she wanted from applying. She revised the application so that it invited applicants to talk about their relationships and connections within the community. Additionally, she extended the position from an eight-month term to a year-round role. “The summer is pivotal, and I’m going to pay you for it,” Harris recalled saying. “You have to value the position.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With the family liaisons in place and trust built in the community, families felt more comfortable sharing their challenges. Harris discovered that thousands of parents were living in motels. While the \u003ca href=\"https://nche.ed.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ehcy_profile.pdf\">Mckinney-Vento Act\u003c/a> is in place to support families experiencing homelessness, families living in motels were exempt from these services. Harris secured a grant to provide direct financial assistance to those parents. To date Harris and staff at Richmond Public Schools have helped to secure housing for 130 families. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Quantify outreach and tell the story\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Harris, measuring the district’s engagement was critical to track progress and make necessary adjustments. She designed an engagement dashboard to monitor key metrics, such as \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/51967/can-inviting-teachers-over-to-your-home-improve-how-kids-learn\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">home visits\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and successful phone calls. The dashboard also allowed staff to record important notes about who they reached and whether the phone call was productive or not. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We were able to see these causal connections,” Harris explained. For example, 52% of students at Fairfield Court Elementary School were chronically absent in the years following the pandemic. After home visits, that number went down to 9%. According to Harris, increased learning time from students actually showing up to school is a powerful result of strong family engagement. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Over the past two years, we’ve increased almost 90,000 academic hours,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Richmond Public Schools’ story illustrates how the Dual Capacity-Building Framework helped one school district, but its application can and should vary according to community needs, according to Mapp. “You have to be intentional,” she said. “Family engagement is a strategy, not a goal.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "6-strategies-for-addressing-hate-speech-and-microaggressions-in-classrooms",
"title": "6 Strategies for Addressing Hate Speech and Microaggressions in Classrooms",
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"headTitle": "6 Strategies for Addressing Hate Speech and Microaggressions in Classrooms | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Excerpted from \u003ca href=\"https://us.corwin.com/books/equity-now-287755\">Equity Now: Justice, Repair, and Belonging in Schools\u003c/a> by Tyrone C. Howard. Copyright (c) 2024 by \u003ca href=\"https://us.corwin.com/\">Corwin Press, Inc.\u003c/a> All rights reserved.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/lowdown/30343/heres-the-deal-with-free-speech-and-hate-speech-on-campus\">Hate speech\u003c/a> is often deliberate and meant to be hurtful, while microaggressions are often more common, subtle everyday slights directed at someone’s identity. Microaggressions can be intentional or unintentional, and often perpetrators are unaware of the injury that they may have caused. Hate speech, on the other hand, is usually intentional and a direct attack on some aspect of a person’s individual or group identity. Both are problematic at schools and happen far too often, especially to minoritized students. Educators can and must play a role to stop hate speech in schools. Here are some steps that can be taken to address racism and hate speech in schools and classrooms:\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1. Address the issue (do not ignore it!)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-64211 alignright\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/07/Equity-Now-cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"141\" height=\"202\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/07/Equity-Now-cover.jpg 392w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/07/Equity-Now-cover-160x229.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 141px) 100vw, 141px\">Far too often, when teachers hear hate speech, there is a tendency to ignore it because \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63250/politicians-love-to-talk-about-race-and-lgbtq-issues-in-school-teachers-and-teens-not-so-much\">they are not sure how to address it\u003c/a>. Teachers might think, “I am not sure what to say” or “How should I address a racially insensitive word?” or “It wasn’t my issue.” Whenever hearing hate speech, teachers and leaders should immediately speak out against it, tell students that such talk and actions will not be tolerated, and be firm in such a stance. Silence on these matters is complicity, does not protect students and only gives license for more hateful language to be used in the classroom or schoolyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>2. Research the topic or the offensive language\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When caught off guard with hate language, use it as a teachable moment, for yourself and for your students. But always keep in mind that we cannot teach what we do not know. If we do not know the history of hateful language used to demean different racial/ethnic groups, women, LGBTQ+ members, people of particular religious backgrounds or people who are born in another country, then we need to learn. It is incumbent for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60096/why-teachers-must-examine-their-own-ideologies-to-create-identity-affirming-classrooms\">teachers to educate themselves\u003c/a> and study about topics, issues and language that are divisive or hateful. Then share with students about the way hateful language has led to many people dying in our country and beyond.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>3. Increase your own racial literacy\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Demographers state that in the year 2042, our nation will be predominantly comprised of non-white people. Our country’s racial, ethnic and linguistic demography is changing rapidly. Thus, teachers need to increase their racial literacy to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63160/5-cognitive-biases-that-shape-classroom-interactions-and-how-to-overcome-them\">better understand, connect with and teach today’s learners\u003c/a>. Race-based hate crimes remain the number-one type of hate crime in the United States. Hate is learned, and all adults must speak out about it. Approximately 80% of our teaching population is white, and over half of our student population is non-white. All teachers must work to increase their racial literacy. Ignorance and indifference fuel hate. Much of the hate speech in schools today is focused on racial hatred or discrimination. Increase your literacy to inform your students.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>4. Examine content in the curriculum\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Frequently, school \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60793/gholdy-muhammad-wants-teachers-to-see-the-world-as-curriculum\">content and curriculum\u003c/a> can have language, examples or images that implicitly or explicitly convey hateful messages. Teachers must be diligent in examining anything that could be controversial in textbooks, literature or videos shared in the classroom. Such content should be excluded from what students are being taught, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58033/three-strategies-for-advancing-antiracist-practices\">skilled teachers may choose to have educative discussions\u003c/a> about why certain language is used in content and why it should be removed.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>5. Generate discussion in your class around hate language\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/54150/teaching-6-year-olds-about-privilege-and-power\">No matter the grade level\u003c/a> or subject matter, teachers need to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58551/a-framework-for-conversations-about-race-in-schools\">have conversations\u003c/a> early and often about the zero tolerance for hate speech in their classrooms and across the school. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57757/dr-sonja-cherry-paul-using-stamped-for-kids-to-have-age-appropriate-discussions-about-race\">Introduce concepts and lessons about the history\u003c/a> of certain words and how they were used to dehumanize people. I recall a middle school teacher I worked with in Ohio who was masterful in teaching a lesson about the death of Matthew Shepard and how hate, ignorance and violence toward members of the LGBTQ+ community were at the root of his tragic death. The discussion the lesson generated was powerful, insightful and emotional. Students talked about how they did not realize that phrases such as “that’s so gay” contribute to the mistreatment of people and learned not only that they need to stop using such language but also how they can speak up and be upstanders when they hear friends and peers using such language.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>6. Bring in guest speakers\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>One of the more powerful approaches that teachers can take to help students learn about diversity is to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58698/how-to-fend-off-educational-numbness-with-experiential-learning\">hear firsthand from people from different groups\u003c/a> who can talk about cultural practices, lived experiences or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/61095/how-a-virginia-educator-teaches-black-history-with-joy\">historical events\u003c/a> that are age appropriate and tied to particular subject matter. Ask colleagues or parents/caregivers about who might be ideal speakers to talk to your students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://x.com/TyroneCHoward\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-64212 alignleft\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/07/Howard-headshot.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"171\">Tyrone C. Howard\u003c/a> is the Pritzker Family Endowed Chair in the School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. Howard is the co-director of the UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Families and Children. He also is the co-director of the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Howard has published over 100 scholarly journal articles, book chapters, policy briefs and technical reports. He is the author of six books. Howard is the president and a fellow of the American Educational Research Association. In 2021 Howard was elected as a member of the National Academy of Education. Howard is considered one of the nation’s foremost thinkers on issues tied to racial inequality in education.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Excerpted from \u003ca href=\"https://us.corwin.com/books/equity-now-287755\">Equity Now: Justice, Repair, and Belonging in Schools\u003c/a> by Tyrone C. Howard. Copyright (c) 2024 by \u003ca href=\"https://us.corwin.com/\">Corwin Press, Inc.\u003c/a> All rights reserved.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/lowdown/30343/heres-the-deal-with-free-speech-and-hate-speech-on-campus\">Hate speech\u003c/a> is often deliberate and meant to be hurtful, while microaggressions are often more common, subtle everyday slights directed at someone’s identity. Microaggressions can be intentional or unintentional, and often perpetrators are unaware of the injury that they may have caused. Hate speech, on the other hand, is usually intentional and a direct attack on some aspect of a person’s individual or group identity. Both are problematic at schools and happen far too often, especially to minoritized students. Educators can and must play a role to stop hate speech in schools. Here are some steps that can be taken to address racism and hate speech in schools and classrooms:\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1. Address the issue (do not ignore it!)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-64211 alignright\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/07/Equity-Now-cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"141\" height=\"202\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/07/Equity-Now-cover.jpg 392w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/07/Equity-Now-cover-160x229.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 141px) 100vw, 141px\">Far too often, when teachers hear hate speech, there is a tendency to ignore it because \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63250/politicians-love-to-talk-about-race-and-lgbtq-issues-in-school-teachers-and-teens-not-so-much\">they are not sure how to address it\u003c/a>. Teachers might think, “I am not sure what to say” or “How should I address a racially insensitive word?” or “It wasn’t my issue.” Whenever hearing hate speech, teachers and leaders should immediately speak out against it, tell students that such talk and actions will not be tolerated, and be firm in such a stance. Silence on these matters is complicity, does not protect students and only gives license for more hateful language to be used in the classroom or schoolyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>2. Research the topic or the offensive language\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When caught off guard with hate language, use it as a teachable moment, for yourself and for your students. But always keep in mind that we cannot teach what we do not know. If we do not know the history of hateful language used to demean different racial/ethnic groups, women, LGBTQ+ members, people of particular religious backgrounds or people who are born in another country, then we need to learn. It is incumbent for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60096/why-teachers-must-examine-their-own-ideologies-to-create-identity-affirming-classrooms\">teachers to educate themselves\u003c/a> and study about topics, issues and language that are divisive or hateful. Then share with students about the way hateful language has led to many people dying in our country and beyond.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>3. Increase your own racial literacy\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Demographers state that in the year 2042, our nation will be predominantly comprised of non-white people. Our country’s racial, ethnic and linguistic demography is changing rapidly. Thus, teachers need to increase their racial literacy to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63160/5-cognitive-biases-that-shape-classroom-interactions-and-how-to-overcome-them\">better understand, connect with and teach today’s learners\u003c/a>. Race-based hate crimes remain the number-one type of hate crime in the United States. Hate is learned, and all adults must speak out about it. Approximately 80% of our teaching population is white, and over half of our student population is non-white. All teachers must work to increase their racial literacy. Ignorance and indifference fuel hate. Much of the hate speech in schools today is focused on racial hatred or discrimination. Increase your literacy to inform your students.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>4. Examine content in the curriculum\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Frequently, school \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60793/gholdy-muhammad-wants-teachers-to-see-the-world-as-curriculum\">content and curriculum\u003c/a> can have language, examples or images that implicitly or explicitly convey hateful messages. Teachers must be diligent in examining anything that could be controversial in textbooks, literature or videos shared in the classroom. Such content should be excluded from what students are being taught, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58033/three-strategies-for-advancing-antiracist-practices\">skilled teachers may choose to have educative discussions\u003c/a> about why certain language is used in content and why it should be removed.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>5. Generate discussion in your class around hate language\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/54150/teaching-6-year-olds-about-privilege-and-power\">No matter the grade level\u003c/a> or subject matter, teachers need to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58551/a-framework-for-conversations-about-race-in-schools\">have conversations\u003c/a> early and often about the zero tolerance for hate speech in their classrooms and across the school. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57757/dr-sonja-cherry-paul-using-stamped-for-kids-to-have-age-appropriate-discussions-about-race\">Introduce concepts and lessons about the history\u003c/a> of certain words and how they were used to dehumanize people. I recall a middle school teacher I worked with in Ohio who was masterful in teaching a lesson about the death of Matthew Shepard and how hate, ignorance and violence toward members of the LGBTQ+ community were at the root of his tragic death. The discussion the lesson generated was powerful, insightful and emotional. Students talked about how they did not realize that phrases such as “that’s so gay” contribute to the mistreatment of people and learned not only that they need to stop using such language but also how they can speak up and be upstanders when they hear friends and peers using such language.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>6. Bring in guest speakers\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>One of the more powerful approaches that teachers can take to help students learn about diversity is to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58698/how-to-fend-off-educational-numbness-with-experiential-learning\">hear firsthand from people from different groups\u003c/a> who can talk about cultural practices, lived experiences or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/61095/how-a-virginia-educator-teaches-black-history-with-joy\">historical events\u003c/a> that are age appropriate and tied to particular subject matter. Ask colleagues or parents/caregivers about who might be ideal speakers to talk to your students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://x.com/TyroneCHoward\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-64212 alignleft\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/07/Howard-headshot.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"171\">Tyrone C. Howard\u003c/a> is the Pritzker Family Endowed Chair in the School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. Howard is the co-director of the UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Families and Children. He also is the co-director of the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Howard has published over 100 scholarly journal articles, book chapters, policy briefs and technical reports. He is the author of six books. Howard is the president and a fellow of the American Educational Research Association. In 2021 Howard was elected as a member of the National Academy of Education. Howard is considered one of the nation’s foremost thinkers on issues tied to racial inequality in education.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "how-postcards-to-parents-can-help-schools-get-kids-back-to-class",
"title": "How Postcards to Parents Can Help Schools Get Kids Back to Class",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When students didn’t come back to Maple Elementary after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, Niki Espinoza, the school’s community school coordinator, noticed right away. “I live in the Shafter community, the community that I serve. I see these children out with their parents in the market, at recreational sports, games, at high school sports games and out at restaurants,” she said, emphasizing that the school community is small and close-knit. Situated in a rural district in California with nearly 300 students, Maple Elementary faced the concerning reality that nearly a third of their students were becoming chronically absent.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chronic absenteeism, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63984/as-chronic-absenteeism-soars-in-schools-most-parents-arent-sure-what-it-is\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">defined as students missing 10% or more of the school year\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, has long been a concern for educators, but the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/59968/a-third-of-public-school-children-were-chronically-absent-after-classrooms-re-opened-advocacy-group-says\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">challenges worsened during the pandemic\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Stanford economist Tom Dee’s research revealed that chronic absenteeism rates across the country nearly \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2312249121\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">doubled on average\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “People just fell out of the habit of going to school, and the experience of remote instruction may have diminished the perceived value of in-person learning,” he said. “This underscores a widespread failure of students to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://kqed.org/mindshift/61166/3-years-since-the-pandemic-wrecked-attendance-kids-still-arent-showing-up-to-school\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">reintegrate into their academic routines\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as they return to schools.” Other research on chronically absent students has shown that they are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/attendancedata/chapter1a.asp\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">less likely to graduate\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.attendanceworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Expanded-Learning-May-2022_final.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">more likely to struggle academically\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Determined not to let students slip through the cracks, Espinoza began to seek solutions. She found a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/todd_rogers/files/reducing_student_absenteeism.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">study by Stanford education researcher Carly Robinson\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that showed that sending mailers to parents about their child’s attendance could reduce absenteeism. Robinson acknowledged that it may seem like too simple of a solution to an issue that is affecting schools across the nation. “In many cases, schools are already communicating to parents in a variety of different ways,” she said, adding that the mailers helped parents better track missed days and understand the importance of regular attendance.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seeing that it was a low-cost solution, Espinoza decided to try it out. “I jumped into Canva, and I created two postcards,” she said. One postcard said “We Miss You. We Want You to Come Back to School,” while the other one plainly stated how many days of school the child has missed. Espinoza’s experimentation revealed three insights that are pivotal in addressing absenteeism: Parents aren’t informed about the effect absences have on their child’s education, parents often don’t know how many days of school their child has missed, and schools must be prepared to address the root causes of absences.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_64113\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-64113\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">School office secretary Patricia De Julian (left) and Elvia Morales work at the front desk at Maple Elementary School in Shafter, Calif., on Feb. 16, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Attendance in early grades matters\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parents may underestimate the impact of missing a day of school here or there. However, even sporadic absences can hurt learning. Contrary to common belief, chronic absenteeism is not exclusive to middle or high school students; it begins \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63995/kindergartners-are-missing-a-lot-of-school-this-district-has-a-fix\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">as early as kindergarten\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “The biggest predictor of whether a student is going to be chronically absent is their absences from the prior school year,” Robinson said. Absences during the early grades can create a pattern that continues throughout a student’s educational journey, with consequences such as \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.floridarti.usf.edu/resources/format/pdf/Chronic%20Absenteeism%20Lit%20Review%202018.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">failing to reach crucial third-grade reading benchmarks\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which is closely linked to future dropout rates.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Espinoza said students who missed school were missing out on other benefits, too. “When a child is on campus, they’re learning to engage with peers, they’re learning to engage with adults,” she said. “The socialization part of school is very rewarding in a young person’s life.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To address parental misconceptions about attendance, Espinoza shared facts about attendance on Maple Elementary’s social media feeds in addition to sending out mailers. “I put the facts in black and white, and I started to educate my parents on why it matters,” she said. By sharing research on the importance of regular attendance, schools can help parents make sure their children consistently attend class.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Keeping track of absences is hard\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Robinson’s study, researchers used the mailers to provide \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">parents\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> with accurate information on their child’s attendance record because parents typically \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.attendanceworks.org/parents-really-feel-attendance/#:~:text=Parents%20often%20don't%20know%20how%20many%20days%20their%20children%20miss.&text=only%2030%20percent%20said%20their,what%20we%20consider%20chronic%20absence\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">struggle to keep track of their child’s school absences\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “Parents often underestimate their own child’s absences by about 50%. Let’s say my child has missed 20 days of school. If you ask me how many days I think my child has missed, I’m saying about ten days of school,” Robinson said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Espinoza’s district, many parents were unaware of their child’s absenteeism or what constituted chronic absenteeism. “If I call a parent and say your child is chronically absent, they’re going to say, ‘I don’t know what that even means’,” she said. She realized that it was unfair to hold parents accountable for \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63984/as-chronic-absenteeism-soars-in-schools-most-parents-arent-sure-what-it-is\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">what they did not know\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Espinoza used the mailers as a proactive means to kindly inform parents, often sending them in the family’s home language. Upon receiving the postcards, some parents reached out to her with surprise and embarrassment. “The postcards are not punitive. They’re not meant to shame. They’re there to say, ‘Hey, we love your kid. Attendance matters. We miss them’,” Espinoza said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Students may need additional support\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In response to the mailers, Espinoza saw the number of chronically absent students decrease significantly. She sent 70 postcards in her first batch – covering almost a third of students. The following term, she only needed to send out 20.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While mailers can alert parents to their child’s absences, it’s important to recognize the root causes of absenteeism, too. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.attendanceworks.org/chronic-absence/addressing-chronic-absence/3-tiers-of-intervention/root-causes/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Homelessness, health problems and family responsibilities\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are among the most common reasons for student absenteeism. In many cases, it’s not enough to just tell parents how many days of school their child has missed. When absences continued after parents received mailers, Espinoza followed up with phone calls to parents and conversations with students to learn what was going on. “There were conversations of fear. There were conversations of ‘My child feels like they’re so behind, they don’t want to go back.’ And I had to address those,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_64114\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-64114\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teacher Sarah Poettgen leads a reading session for two students at Maple Elementary School in Shafter, Calif., on Feb. 16, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maple Elementary’s community school model, which prioritizes social services in addition to academics, proved to be instrumental in addressing the factors contributing to student absenteeism. Once Espinoza identified the reasons for a student’s irregular attendance, she could collaborate with school staff to implement targeted interventions and support services. For example, when Ayden, an eighth grader, missed school after his grandfather died, the school provided referrals to mental health services to help him cope with his grief.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In many cases students feel as if they have fallen behind and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62271/most-students-are-learning-at-typical-pace-again-but-those-who-lost-ground-during-covid-19-arent-catching-up\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">won’t be able to catch up again\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. That was the case for Noel, a third grader who felt behind in his studies after missing several days of school when pandemic restrictions were lifted. Literacy and math coaches provided additional academic support during and after school to help him catch up.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Prioritizing collaboration with parents, proactive intervention and holistic support were essential in reducing absenteeism at Maple Elementary. Throughout her attendance campaign, Espinoza recognized a child’s reluctance to attend school \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://childmind.org/article/when-kids-refuse-to-go-to-school/#:~:text=School%20refusal%20usually%20goes%20along,used%20to%20treat%20school%20refusal.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">could signal deeper issues\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, such as anxiety, bullying or academic struggles. “Attendance, if monitored and watched, can help us help children in all other areas of their lives,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC4691385622&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Welcome to MindShift, the podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids. I’m Nimah Gobir.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Do you remember perfect attendance awards? They’re used to encourage students to come to school regularly, but there is a growing debate about whether they are outdated. Word on the street is that they basically award students for having good immune systems – or even worse – for coming to school sick! Also one study found that these kinds of incentives \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">don’t actually work.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In the study, students who received perfect attendance awards essentially realized they were attending more school than their peers and then they felt like they could miss school going forward.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> But the importance of attendance – whether it’s perfect or not – is crucial. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today’s episode is all about chronic absenteeism. That’s when a child misses 10% or more of the school year. Typically that ends up being around 18 days.\u003c/span>\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chronic absenteeism has become a major concern across the country, especially after the pandemic when 93% of households had kids doing distance learning. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The experience of being remote may have led kids to see less value in in-person schooling. There are several kids who miss so many days of school that they just stop attending.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Niki Espinoza, was determined to not let any of her students slip through the cracks. As Maple School District’s community school coordinator, it’s her job to communicate with parents and students and make sure the school district is meeting their needs.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The school community community coordinator is so important because we are bridging that gap. We are standing in the middle of the gap and saying, no, we’re on your side. I’m not your child’s teacher. I’m your child’s advocate on this campus, and I’m your advocate. And I want them to love coming to school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maple is located in the Central Valley, an agricultural region in California. Many of the families who live there work on farms or in packing sheds. Niki lives there too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I see these children out with their parents in the market, at recreational sports, games, at high school sports games, um, out at restaurants. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We’re not urban. We’re in the middle of an orchard. We only have one teacher per grade.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s a TK-8th grade with about 300 students so pretty small.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So just a note here: It’s common for the word “district” to be used to describe a group of schools. But in Maple’s case things are far apart and it’s a rural area. So when we talk about Maple you might hear the word “district” or “school” and we’re talking about the same thing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Covid drove a wedge on a lot of school campuses across the nation, the parents versus the school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It was easy for students to stay home when we started to roll back in, because there was a fear attached to COVID.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many students at Maple found returning to school challenging.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dallas:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It was kind of tricky coming back to school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>Students like Dallas, an eighth grader.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dallas: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And then you have to interact with people and, and then also you’re like, learning online isn’t like learning in school. So whenever you went back to school, it was a way different, like, environment and everything.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Noel, a third grader, faced a similar situation. His parents were hesitant to send him back to school immediately after it reopened.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Noel:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I was one of the kids, like, took forever to get from, like, virtually to class to, like, here.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Niki noticed students’ attendance starting to lag, she started gathering all the information she could on chronic absenteeism. She did not like what she found.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The absenteeism was hurting our children.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Niki was not the only educator seeing attendance at her school plummet. Stanford economist Tom Dee has been doing research on the increase in chronic absenteeism across the country.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Tom Dee:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Literally every state for which we had data available – that was nearly all of them – saw substantial increases in chronic absenteeism.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> According to Tom, states that kept schools closed for a long time during the 2020-21 school year tended to experience the highest rates of absenteeism later on.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Tom Dee:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Before the pandemic, that rate of chronic absenteeism was around 14% or so, 15%, and it nearly doubled in the 21-22 school year, which was the year when virtually all our kids returned to in-person instruction.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In California, where Maple is, chronic absenteeism went from 12% before the pandemic to 30% in the years after. Even though we’re getting further away from the pandemic in terms of time, things have not improved for a lot of schools.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Tom Dee:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> For many schools, their capacity to address these issues is diminishing, because right now the federal financial support that was available to them during the pandemic is beginning to expire.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I believe that children excel when they’re on a school campus.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here’s Niki again.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Niki Espinoza: \u003c/b>I believe they excel academically, but also socially, emotionally and mentally. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Because when a child is on campus, they’re learning to engage with peers, they’re learning to engage with adults. And the social socialization part of school is very rewarding in a young person’s life and in a child’s life.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Niki recognized the need for intervention.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If a child doesn’t want to come to school, that’s a red flag for me. Tell me why. Are you nervous? Is somebody hurting your feelings. Are you being bullied? Do you not understand the assignments and are you getting behind and are you scared? Is something happening at home? See if attendance is monitored and watched in Can help us help children in all other areas of their lives.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Luckily, one research paper Niki found provided solutions that she could use immediately. We’ll get into her next steps after the break.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb> Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In her quest to find solutions to chronic absenteeism, Niki Espinoza came across a study by a group of researchers, including Carly Robinson. Carly is currently a researcher at Stanford University’s Graduation School of Education.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Carly Robinson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In general, I focus on how we can use the various people in children’s lives to improve their outcomes. So, really, how does social support impact students success? Both in terms of their achievement, but also in terms of their well-being.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The research revealed something that many parents might not be aware that consistent attendance in grades K-5 is extremely important.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Carly Robinson:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> When people think of a chronically absent student, they think of, you know, students skipping class often, students that are in middle and high school, but in reality, students start being chronically absent as early as kindergarten and we see that students who are absent more in these early grades tend to have much lower academic achievement in third, fourth, fifth grade and, and beyond. And so one really important point is that the biggest predictor of whether a students is going to be chronically absent is their absences from the prior school year. And so these absences just compound.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Something else Carly surfaced in her research is that when parents are asked how many days of school their child has missed, they are usually a little off. Actually they are kind of off by a lot.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Carly Robinson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parents often underestimate absences by about 50%. So, let’s say my child has missed 20 days of school. If you ask me how many days I think my child has missed, I’m saying about ten days of school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s not that the parents are being neglectful. It’s just really hard to keep track of numbers like that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Carly Robinson:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s often not presented to them by the school \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">until they see it on report cards or at the end of the year. And so you’re not necessarily, you know, motivated to intervene if you don’t think there’s a problem.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In order to address the fact that parents might not know how much school their kid is missing,\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Carly and the other researchers designed an intervention that would give parents information that was both timely and accurate.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Carly Robinson:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And so what we ended up doing was sending a series of mailers with information on how many days of school their child had missed to date, and also link absenteeism with sort of negative outcomes. So highlighting that absences actually can add up to have negative implications for your child’s learning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> That’s right. Snail mail turned out to be an effective intervention.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Carly Robinson:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We did send them in the families home language. T\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">he mailers tended to have a pretty consistent effect across different populations of students. T\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hey were quite responsive to when their parents received these mailers.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Niki – the community school coordinator at Maple – read this study and felt energized.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I created two postcards. One that says, “We’ve missed you. We want you back at school” and “Your child is actually missed 20 days.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Carly’s study proved accurate. Niki found that parents did not know how many days their kid was absent.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If I called a parent, Nimah and said, “Do you know how many days your son has missed?” They will not know. So why are we as schools holding them to accountable, um, information that they don’t know. Why are we holding them accountable? That’s not fair.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They also didn’t know what those absences meant for their child. So she went all in on educating parents by taking her attendance campaign to social media.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I started to push out fliers through Instagram, Facebook, through our remind messaging app, that gets a text message to our parents. Nothing was on it but true attendance facts.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These facts were showing up once a week across all of Maple’s social feeds.\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Facts like…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>C\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hronic absenteeism is associated with lower academic performance.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>S\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">tudents who are chronically absent in early grades are less likely to reach important learning milestones.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Chronic absenteeism can be a better indicator of whether a student will drop out than test scores.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The postcards are not punitive. They’re not to shame. They’re there to say, “Hey, we love your kid. Attendance matters. We miss them.” In fact it says, “We miss you student. Let me help you.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Niki took a proactive approach by informing parents about their child’s absences before they reached chronic levels. She provided this information under the assumption that parents always want what is best for their child.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The number of students who were chronically absent started to decrease almost immediately.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We started seeing kids come back to school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb> Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Niki’s first batch of mailers she sent over 70 in 2021. That’s nearly a third of students. The following quarter she only needed to send 20.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> But Maple’s success isn’t just about sending mailers. Niki and her team adopted a holistic approach by getting to the bottom of what is keeping kids from coming to school. Niki started with talking to parents.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Begin to call and say, “Hey, I miss so-and-so, you know? Or how are they feeling? Or are they coming back?” Are they nervous to come back?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They were conversations of fear. They were conversations of my child feels like they’re so behind they don’t want to go back. And I had to address those. And I spoke to the teachers and I spoke to my admin, and I said, “Hey, we got to all be on the same page. We got to show these kids that we’re going to help you get caught up. We’re going to be there for you.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Do you remember the third grader we heard from, Noel? When he returned to school, the thing that he was dreading the most was math.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Noel:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I didn’t know any multiplication at all. Division too. I didn’t know any division. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I need to catch up on a bunch of stuff!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even though Noel was a bit overwhelmed coming back he felt really supported in getting back on track. Part of the reason for that is he received extra support. Students who need it are taken out of classes to get more focused help.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Noel:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> If I needed help, they’d come help me, explained it to me and then gave me worksheets catch up on multiple occasions and I just do like extra multiplication to, like, catch up.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Noel’s concerns were academic,\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> but the primary causes of chronic absenteeism are homelessness, health problems, and family responsibilities.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In order take on these barriers, Maple uses the community school model.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> That means bringing the services and resources families need onto the school campus. The wraparound services Maple has on campus include school psychologists, food pantries and housing services. Local organizations and businesses are a big part of how this small district is able to support students beyond academics. There is only one small hold up for this particular school district…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michael Figueroa: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our districts are separated by miles and miles of farmland.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This is Michael Figueroa. He grew up in the Central Valley and now he’s an education consultant that works with school districts in the region.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michael Figueroa:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> There’s really very few nonprofits, if any, that support our specific region or area.\u003c/span>\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So just by nature of where the kids live, they have less access to resources.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> To address this, Michael helped Maple and 5 neighboring rural school districts band together to form a community school consortium. That way they can pool resources.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For example the consortium collectively hired a social worker who serves multiple districts at once to save money. By doing this, the social worker gets a full-time salary, which is a good motivator for them. And since the districts in the consortium share the costs, they can afford to pay for a full-time social worker together.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michael Figueroa:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> By putting resources together, we’re just trying to get even a fraction of what schools 20 miles, 30 miles down the road just get without any supplemental funding.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Being a small school in a rural area come with it’s challenges and opportunities. It sometimes hard to find the services they need, but their tight relationships with students ensure that they can identify students who needs the services it the most. For example, Ayden, an 8th grader who missed several days of school after a devastating loss.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ayden:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I missed like a whole week because my great grandpa passed away. This, I think it was like two months ago now. And I just really loved him, so I just, I felt like I didn’t want to go to school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza: \u003c/b>W\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">e’re here to offer services. We’re here to offer referrals, to get help. We’re here to say we’re here for your family. And that’s really the heart of the matter. That’s how we started looking at it, is let us educate. Let us equip you. No judgments, zero judgments. Tell me what’s going on. Zero judgments. Let’s help your kid.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Niki’s snail mail campaign coupled with Maple’s community school model has not only reduced chronic absenteeism but it also addressed underlying issues affecting student attendance.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The cherry on top is that Maple also does a great job of making coming to school really appealing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A community school will not thrive if there isn’t engagement between the parents, guardians, caregivers, and the school. And that is why we work so hard with doing community engagement and having events on campus where we welcome the community on campus.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They purposefully build community beyond the classroom. Ayden told me that there are fun carnival-like events a few times a year that give students an opportunity to build connections with teachers and other kids who may not be in their grade.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ayden:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> You’re thinking about school, you’re thinking about staying in the classroom, not doing anything but Maple is a lot different because, like, it’s more outgoing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ayden:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s a very loving school. Like, you know, everyone here, especially me, I’m like friends with like, the littlest kids.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Students have a positive touch point with a teacher or staff person every day because they are excitedly greeted by staff each morning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ayden\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Maple is a school that you don’t want to miss out.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This episode could not have been made with out Julie Boesch, Michael Figueroa, Niki Espinoza, Tom Dee, Carly Robinson, Bryan Easter, Patty De Julian, Nick Aguirre, Christian Brown and staff at Maple School District. Thank you to the students at Maple: Ayden, Nehemiah, Dallas, Noel and Teegan.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> If you’re interested in hearing more about how the community school model supports students, listen to our episode titled “How Community Schools Can Support Teachers and Families.” It features a school that created a homeless shelter on their school grounds.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We’ll have more community schools episodes coming down the pipeline.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The MindShift team includes me, Nimah Gobir, Ki Sung, Kara Newhouse, Marlena Jackson-Retondo and Jennifer Ng. Carlos Cabrera Lomeli provided additional reporting. Our editor is Chris Hambrick. Seth Samuel is our sound designer. We receive additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Cesar Saldaña and Holly Kernan. MindShift is supported in part by the generosity of the Stuart Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. And members of KQED. Thank you for listening.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When students didn’t come back to Maple Elementary after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, Niki Espinoza, the school’s community school coordinator, noticed right away. “I live in the Shafter community, the community that I serve. I see these children out with their parents in the market, at recreational sports, games, at high school sports games and out at restaurants,” she said, emphasizing that the school community is small and close-knit. Situated in a rural district in California with nearly 300 students, Maple Elementary faced the concerning reality that nearly a third of their students were becoming chronically absent.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chronic absenteeism, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63984/as-chronic-absenteeism-soars-in-schools-most-parents-arent-sure-what-it-is\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">defined as students missing 10% or more of the school year\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, has long been a concern for educators, but the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/59968/a-third-of-public-school-children-were-chronically-absent-after-classrooms-re-opened-advocacy-group-says\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">challenges worsened during the pandemic\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Stanford economist Tom Dee’s research revealed that chronic absenteeism rates across the country nearly \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2312249121\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">doubled on average\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “People just fell out of the habit of going to school, and the experience of remote instruction may have diminished the perceived value of in-person learning,” he said. “This underscores a widespread failure of students to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://kqed.org/mindshift/61166/3-years-since-the-pandemic-wrecked-attendance-kids-still-arent-showing-up-to-school\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">reintegrate into their academic routines\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as they return to schools.” Other research on chronically absent students has shown that they are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/attendancedata/chapter1a.asp\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">less likely to graduate\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.attendanceworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Expanded-Learning-May-2022_final.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">more likely to struggle academically\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Determined not to let students slip through the cracks, Espinoza began to seek solutions. She found a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/todd_rogers/files/reducing_student_absenteeism.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">study by Stanford education researcher Carly Robinson\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that showed that sending mailers to parents about their child’s attendance could reduce absenteeism. Robinson acknowledged that it may seem like too simple of a solution to an issue that is affecting schools across the nation. “In many cases, schools are already communicating to parents in a variety of different ways,” she said, adding that the mailers helped parents better track missed days and understand the importance of regular attendance.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seeing that it was a low-cost solution, Espinoza decided to try it out. “I jumped into Canva, and I created two postcards,” she said. One postcard said “We Miss You. We Want You to Come Back to School,” while the other one plainly stated how many days of school the child has missed. Espinoza’s experimentation revealed three insights that are pivotal in addressing absenteeism: Parents aren’t informed about the effect absences have on their child’s education, parents often don’t know how many days of school their child has missed, and schools must be prepared to address the root causes of absences.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_64113\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-64113\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-116-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">School office secretary Patricia De Julian (left) and Elvia Morales work at the front desk at Maple Elementary School in Shafter, Calif., on Feb. 16, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Attendance in early grades matters\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parents may underestimate the impact of missing a day of school here or there. However, even sporadic absences can hurt learning. Contrary to common belief, chronic absenteeism is not exclusive to middle or high school students; it begins \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63995/kindergartners-are-missing-a-lot-of-school-this-district-has-a-fix\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">as early as kindergarten\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “The biggest predictor of whether a student is going to be chronically absent is their absences from the prior school year,” Robinson said. Absences during the early grades can create a pattern that continues throughout a student’s educational journey, with consequences such as \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.floridarti.usf.edu/resources/format/pdf/Chronic%20Absenteeism%20Lit%20Review%202018.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">failing to reach crucial third-grade reading benchmarks\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which is closely linked to future dropout rates.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Espinoza said students who missed school were missing out on other benefits, too. “When a child is on campus, they’re learning to engage with peers, they’re learning to engage with adults,” she said. “The socialization part of school is very rewarding in a young person’s life.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To address parental misconceptions about attendance, Espinoza shared facts about attendance on Maple Elementary’s social media feeds in addition to sending out mailers. “I put the facts in black and white, and I started to educate my parents on why it matters,” she said. By sharing research on the importance of regular attendance, schools can help parents make sure their children consistently attend class.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Keeping track of absences is hard\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Robinson’s study, researchers used the mailers to provide \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">parents\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> with accurate information on their child’s attendance record because parents typically \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.attendanceworks.org/parents-really-feel-attendance/#:~:text=Parents%20often%20don't%20know%20how%20many%20days%20their%20children%20miss.&text=only%2030%20percent%20said%20their,what%20we%20consider%20chronic%20absence\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">struggle to keep track of their child’s school absences\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “Parents often underestimate their own child’s absences by about 50%. Let’s say my child has missed 20 days of school. If you ask me how many days I think my child has missed, I’m saying about ten days of school,” Robinson said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Espinoza’s district, many parents were unaware of their child’s absenteeism or what constituted chronic absenteeism. “If I call a parent and say your child is chronically absent, they’re going to say, ‘I don’t know what that even means’,” she said. She realized that it was unfair to hold parents accountable for \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63984/as-chronic-absenteeism-soars-in-schools-most-parents-arent-sure-what-it-is\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">what they did not know\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Espinoza used the mailers as a proactive means to kindly inform parents, often sending them in the family’s home language. Upon receiving the postcards, some parents reached out to her with surprise and embarrassment. “The postcards are not punitive. They’re not meant to shame. They’re there to say, ‘Hey, we love your kid. Attendance matters. We miss them’,” Espinoza said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Students may need additional support\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In response to the mailers, Espinoza saw the number of chronically absent students decrease significantly. She sent 70 postcards in her first batch – covering almost a third of students. The following term, she only needed to send out 20.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While mailers can alert parents to their child’s absences, it’s important to recognize the root causes of absenteeism, too. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.attendanceworks.org/chronic-absence/addressing-chronic-absence/3-tiers-of-intervention/root-causes/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Homelessness, health problems and family responsibilities\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are among the most common reasons for student absenteeism. In many cases, it’s not enough to just tell parents how many days of school their child has missed. When absences continued after parents received mailers, Espinoza followed up with phone calls to parents and conversations with students to learn what was going on. “There were conversations of fear. There were conversations of ‘My child feels like they’re so behind, they don’t want to go back.’ And I had to address those,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_64114\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-64114\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/06/240216-ChronicAbsenteeism-55-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teacher Sarah Poettgen leads a reading session for two students at Maple Elementary School in Shafter, Calif., on Feb. 16, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maple Elementary’s community school model, which prioritizes social services in addition to academics, proved to be instrumental in addressing the factors contributing to student absenteeism. Once Espinoza identified the reasons for a student’s irregular attendance, she could collaborate with school staff to implement targeted interventions and support services. For example, when Ayden, an eighth grader, missed school after his grandfather died, the school provided referrals to mental health services to help him cope with his grief.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In many cases students feel as if they have fallen behind and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62271/most-students-are-learning-at-typical-pace-again-but-those-who-lost-ground-during-covid-19-arent-catching-up\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">won’t be able to catch up again\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. That was the case for Noel, a third grader who felt behind in his studies after missing several days of school when pandemic restrictions were lifted. Literacy and math coaches provided additional academic support during and after school to help him catch up.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Prioritizing collaboration with parents, proactive intervention and holistic support were essential in reducing absenteeism at Maple Elementary. Throughout her attendance campaign, Espinoza recognized a child’s reluctance to attend school \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://childmind.org/article/when-kids-refuse-to-go-to-school/#:~:text=School%20refusal%20usually%20goes%20along,used%20to%20treat%20school%20refusal.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">could signal deeper issues\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, such as anxiety, bullying or academic struggles. “Attendance, if monitored and watched, can help us help children in all other areas of their lives,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC4691385622&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Welcome to MindShift, the podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids. I’m Nimah Gobir.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Do you remember perfect attendance awards? They’re used to encourage students to come to school regularly, but there is a growing debate about whether they are outdated. Word on the street is that they basically award students for having good immune systems – or even worse – for coming to school sick! Also one study found that these kinds of incentives \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">don’t actually work.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In the study, students who received perfect attendance awards essentially realized they were attending more school than their peers and then they felt like they could miss school going forward.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> But the importance of attendance – whether it’s perfect or not – is crucial. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today’s episode is all about chronic absenteeism. That’s when a child misses 10% or more of the school year. Typically that ends up being around 18 days.\u003c/span>\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chronic absenteeism has become a major concern across the country, especially after the pandemic when 93% of households had kids doing distance learning. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The experience of being remote may have led kids to see less value in in-person schooling. There are several kids who miss so many days of school that they just stop attending.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Niki Espinoza, was determined to not let any of her students slip through the cracks. As Maple School District’s community school coordinator, it’s her job to communicate with parents and students and make sure the school district is meeting their needs.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The school community community coordinator is so important because we are bridging that gap. We are standing in the middle of the gap and saying, no, we’re on your side. I’m not your child’s teacher. I’m your child’s advocate on this campus, and I’m your advocate. And I want them to love coming to school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maple is located in the Central Valley, an agricultural region in California. Many of the families who live there work on farms or in packing sheds. Niki lives there too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I see these children out with their parents in the market, at recreational sports, games, at high school sports games, um, out at restaurants. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We’re not urban. We’re in the middle of an orchard. We only have one teacher per grade.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s a TK-8th grade with about 300 students so pretty small.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So just a note here: It’s common for the word “district” to be used to describe a group of schools. But in Maple’s case things are far apart and it’s a rural area. So when we talk about Maple you might hear the word “district” or “school” and we’re talking about the same thing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Covid drove a wedge on a lot of school campuses across the nation, the parents versus the school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It was easy for students to stay home when we started to roll back in, because there was a fear attached to COVID.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many students at Maple found returning to school challenging.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dallas:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It was kind of tricky coming back to school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>Students like Dallas, an eighth grader.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dallas: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And then you have to interact with people and, and then also you’re like, learning online isn’t like learning in school. So whenever you went back to school, it was a way different, like, environment and everything.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Noel, a third grader, faced a similar situation. His parents were hesitant to send him back to school immediately after it reopened.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Noel:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I was one of the kids, like, took forever to get from, like, virtually to class to, like, here.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Niki noticed students’ attendance starting to lag, she started gathering all the information she could on chronic absenteeism. She did not like what she found.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The absenteeism was hurting our children.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Niki was not the only educator seeing attendance at her school plummet. Stanford economist Tom Dee has been doing research on the increase in chronic absenteeism across the country.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Tom Dee:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Literally every state for which we had data available – that was nearly all of them – saw substantial increases in chronic absenteeism.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> According to Tom, states that kept schools closed for a long time during the 2020-21 school year tended to experience the highest rates of absenteeism later on.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Tom Dee:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Before the pandemic, that rate of chronic absenteeism was around 14% or so, 15%, and it nearly doubled in the 21-22 school year, which was the year when virtually all our kids returned to in-person instruction.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In California, where Maple is, chronic absenteeism went from 12% before the pandemic to 30% in the years after. Even though we’re getting further away from the pandemic in terms of time, things have not improved for a lot of schools.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Tom Dee:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> For many schools, their capacity to address these issues is diminishing, because right now the federal financial support that was available to them during the pandemic is beginning to expire.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I believe that children excel when they’re on a school campus.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here’s Niki again.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Niki Espinoza: \u003c/b>I believe they excel academically, but also socially, emotionally and mentally. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Because when a child is on campus, they’re learning to engage with peers, they’re learning to engage with adults. And the social socialization part of school is very rewarding in a young person’s life and in a child’s life.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Niki recognized the need for intervention.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If a child doesn’t want to come to school, that’s a red flag for me. Tell me why. Are you nervous? Is somebody hurting your feelings. Are you being bullied? Do you not understand the assignments and are you getting behind and are you scared? Is something happening at home? See if attendance is monitored and watched in Can help us help children in all other areas of their lives.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Luckily, one research paper Niki found provided solutions that she could use immediately. We’ll get into her next steps after the break.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb> Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In her quest to find solutions to chronic absenteeism, Niki Espinoza came across a study by a group of researchers, including Carly Robinson. Carly is currently a researcher at Stanford University’s Graduation School of Education.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Carly Robinson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In general, I focus on how we can use the various people in children’s lives to improve their outcomes. So, really, how does social support impact students success? Both in terms of their achievement, but also in terms of their well-being.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The research revealed something that many parents might not be aware that consistent attendance in grades K-5 is extremely important.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Carly Robinson:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> When people think of a chronically absent student, they think of, you know, students skipping class often, students that are in middle and high school, but in reality, students start being chronically absent as early as kindergarten and we see that students who are absent more in these early grades tend to have much lower academic achievement in third, fourth, fifth grade and, and beyond. And so one really important point is that the biggest predictor of whether a students is going to be chronically absent is their absences from the prior school year. And so these absences just compound.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Something else Carly surfaced in her research is that when parents are asked how many days of school their child has missed, they are usually a little off. Actually they are kind of off by a lot.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Carly Robinson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parents often underestimate absences by about 50%. So, let’s say my child has missed 20 days of school. If you ask me how many days I think my child has missed, I’m saying about ten days of school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s not that the parents are being neglectful. It’s just really hard to keep track of numbers like that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Carly Robinson:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s often not presented to them by the school \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">until they see it on report cards or at the end of the year. And so you’re not necessarily, you know, motivated to intervene if you don’t think there’s a problem.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In order to address the fact that parents might not know how much school their kid is missing,\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Carly and the other researchers designed an intervention that would give parents information that was both timely and accurate.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Carly Robinson:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And so what we ended up doing was sending a series of mailers with information on how many days of school their child had missed to date, and also link absenteeism with sort of negative outcomes. So highlighting that absences actually can add up to have negative implications for your child’s learning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> That’s right. Snail mail turned out to be an effective intervention.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Carly Robinson:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We did send them in the families home language. T\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">he mailers tended to have a pretty consistent effect across different populations of students. T\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hey were quite responsive to when their parents received these mailers.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Niki – the community school coordinator at Maple – read this study and felt energized.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I created two postcards. One that says, “We’ve missed you. We want you back at school” and “Your child is actually missed 20 days.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Carly’s study proved accurate. Niki found that parents did not know how many days their kid was absent.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If I called a parent, Nimah and said, “Do you know how many days your son has missed?” They will not know. So why are we as schools holding them to accountable, um, information that they don’t know. Why are we holding them accountable? That’s not fair.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They also didn’t know what those absences meant for their child. So she went all in on educating parents by taking her attendance campaign to social media.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I started to push out fliers through Instagram, Facebook, through our remind messaging app, that gets a text message to our parents. Nothing was on it but true attendance facts.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These facts were showing up once a week across all of Maple’s social feeds.\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Facts like…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>C\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hronic absenteeism is associated with lower academic performance.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>S\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">tudents who are chronically absent in early grades are less likely to reach important learning milestones.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Chronic absenteeism can be a better indicator of whether a student will drop out than test scores.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The postcards are not punitive. They’re not to shame. They’re there to say, “Hey, we love your kid. Attendance matters. We miss them.” In fact it says, “We miss you student. Let me help you.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Niki took a proactive approach by informing parents about their child’s absences before they reached chronic levels. She provided this information under the assumption that parents always want what is best for their child.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The number of students who were chronically absent started to decrease almost immediately.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We started seeing kids come back to school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb> Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Niki’s first batch of mailers she sent over 70 in 2021. That’s nearly a third of students. The following quarter she only needed to send 20.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> But Maple’s success isn’t just about sending mailers. Niki and her team adopted a holistic approach by getting to the bottom of what is keeping kids from coming to school. Niki started with talking to parents.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Begin to call and say, “Hey, I miss so-and-so, you know? Or how are they feeling? Or are they coming back?” Are they nervous to come back?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They were conversations of fear. They were conversations of my child feels like they’re so behind they don’t want to go back. And I had to address those. And I spoke to the teachers and I spoke to my admin, and I said, “Hey, we got to all be on the same page. We got to show these kids that we’re going to help you get caught up. We’re going to be there for you.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Do you remember the third grader we heard from, Noel? When he returned to school, the thing that he was dreading the most was math.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Noel:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I didn’t know any multiplication at all. Division too. I didn’t know any division. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I need to catch up on a bunch of stuff!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even though Noel was a bit overwhelmed coming back he felt really supported in getting back on track. Part of the reason for that is he received extra support. Students who need it are taken out of classes to get more focused help.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Noel:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> If I needed help, they’d come help me, explained it to me and then gave me worksheets catch up on multiple occasions and I just do like extra multiplication to, like, catch up.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Noel’s concerns were academic,\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> but the primary causes of chronic absenteeism are homelessness, health problems, and family responsibilities.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In order take on these barriers, Maple uses the community school model.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> That means bringing the services and resources families need onto the school campus. The wraparound services Maple has on campus include school psychologists, food pantries and housing services. Local organizations and businesses are a big part of how this small district is able to support students beyond academics. There is only one small hold up for this particular school district…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michael Figueroa: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our districts are separated by miles and miles of farmland.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This is Michael Figueroa. He grew up in the Central Valley and now he’s an education consultant that works with school districts in the region.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michael Figueroa:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> There’s really very few nonprofits, if any, that support our specific region or area.\u003c/span>\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So just by nature of where the kids live, they have less access to resources.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> To address this, Michael helped Maple and 5 neighboring rural school districts band together to form a community school consortium. That way they can pool resources.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For example the consortium collectively hired a social worker who serves multiple districts at once to save money. By doing this, the social worker gets a full-time salary, which is a good motivator for them. And since the districts in the consortium share the costs, they can afford to pay for a full-time social worker together.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michael Figueroa:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> By putting resources together, we’re just trying to get even a fraction of what schools 20 miles, 30 miles down the road just get without any supplemental funding.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Being a small school in a rural area come with it’s challenges and opportunities. It sometimes hard to find the services they need, but their tight relationships with students ensure that they can identify students who needs the services it the most. For example, Ayden, an 8th grader who missed several days of school after a devastating loss.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ayden:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I missed like a whole week because my great grandpa passed away. This, I think it was like two months ago now. And I just really loved him, so I just, I felt like I didn’t want to go to school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza: \u003c/b>W\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">e’re here to offer services. We’re here to offer referrals, to get help. We’re here to say we’re here for your family. And that’s really the heart of the matter. That’s how we started looking at it, is let us educate. Let us equip you. No judgments, zero judgments. Tell me what’s going on. Zero judgments. Let’s help your kid.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Niki’s snail mail campaign coupled with Maple’s community school model has not only reduced chronic absenteeism but it also addressed underlying issues affecting student attendance.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The cherry on top is that Maple also does a great job of making coming to school really appealing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Niki Espinoza:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A community school will not thrive if there isn’t engagement between the parents, guardians, caregivers, and the school. And that is why we work so hard with doing community engagement and having events on campus where we welcome the community on campus.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They purposefully build community beyond the classroom. Ayden told me that there are fun carnival-like events a few times a year that give students an opportunity to build connections with teachers and other kids who may not be in their grade.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ayden:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> You’re thinking about school, you’re thinking about staying in the classroom, not doing anything but Maple is a lot different because, like, it’s more outgoing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ayden:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s a very loving school. Like, you know, everyone here, especially me, I’m like friends with like, the littlest kids.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Students have a positive touch point with a teacher or staff person every day because they are excitedly greeted by staff each morning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ayden\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Maple is a school that you don’t want to miss out.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This episode could not have been made with out Julie Boesch, Michael Figueroa, Niki Espinoza, Tom Dee, Carly Robinson, Bryan Easter, Patty De Julian, Nick Aguirre, Christian Brown and staff at Maple School District. Thank you to the students at Maple: Ayden, Nehemiah, Dallas, Noel and Teegan.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> If you’re interested in hearing more about how the community school model supports students, listen to our episode titled “How Community Schools Can Support Teachers and Families.” It features a school that created a homeless shelter on their school grounds.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We’ll have more community schools episodes coming down the pipeline.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nimah Gobir:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The MindShift team includes me, Nimah Gobir, Ki Sung, Kara Newhouse, Marlena Jackson-Retondo and Jennifer Ng. Carlos Cabrera Lomeli provided additional reporting. Our editor is Chris Hambrick. Seth Samuel is our sound designer. We receive additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Cesar Saldaña and Holly Kernan. MindShift is supported in part by the generosity of the Stuart Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. And members of KQED. Thank you for listening.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
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"possible": {
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"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"pri-the-world": {
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"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
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},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
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