Five Lessons the Pandemic Has Taught Us About Student Engagement
The original design of the YARI Project aimed to support a cohort of youth researchers at the intersection — those who are from historically marginalized groups and who also possess learning differences — as they interrogate the education system from the perspective of their lived experiences. By supporting youth with principles of Universal Design for… Read More ›
Researchers of Color Make All the Difference
Educators across the nation have noticed the success of youth mentoring programs that emphasize the need for mentors who share similar stories as the youth they work with. We at the Center for Youth and Community Leadership in Education (CYCLE) experienced it first-hand this year at the different Youth Action Researchers at the Intersection (YARI)… Read More ›
The Critical Importance of Youth-Led Research
Youth-led research plays a critical role in advancing student-centered education. It provides the opportunity to elevate student voice and transform an inequitable education system. Research, at its most powerful, combines methodological rigor with the openness to inquire from our lived experiences. Inhabiting this vulnerable place is necessary to provoke us to venture into uncomfortable spaces… Read More ›
Three Lessons From New Hampshire’s Effort to Expand Deeper Learning
In 2019, Aurora Institute released the new definition of competency-based learning. This seven-part definition was developed with extensive support from practitioners, researchers and leaders across the country. Image courtesy of Vander Els and Stack, 2019 This updated definition reflects a deeper understanding of key issues and developments in the field. This is certainly true for… Read More ›
Resource Round Up: Competency-Based Education
Stakeholders throughout the education field are asking how student-centered approaches might address inequities and challenges. Some schools already utilizing a personalized, competency-based approach have found the transition to remote learning less difficult, though the articles below make a case for adopting competency-based approaches during remote learning – and in the future. How to Use Online… Read More ›
Resource Round-Up: Motivation and Remote Learning
I bet that if you are reading this, you are teaching remotely at least some part of your week. Keeping students motivated and engaged in this new learning format is an ongoing challenge. Below are some thoughts from fellow educators and researchers to spark some ideas you can try in your virtual classrooms. How to… Read More ›
What We Don’t Learn in School: How a (Virtual) Road Trip Teaches Civil Rights History
For Lily Grace Fast, a sophomore at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a summer road trip that centered on civil rights history was a privilege she feels called upon to continue to examine. “The importance and the weight of the places we went to felt understated given the fact that they were… Read More ›
Red Summer of 1919 and Black Wall Street Resources for Educators
Because textbooks usually leave out the massacres at Elaine, AR, and Tulsa, OK, we’ve provided resources for educators to help direct learners to interactive, immersive experiences if they can’t go in person or if they want to enhance their in-person experience. These resources feature curriculum guides and multimedia to help facilitate student-centered learning. Red Summer… Read More ›
Japanese American Relocation Camp Resources for Educators
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the U.S. began making an enemy of its own people—people who looked like those who bombed them. Japanese Americans were consequently rounded up and relocated into camps in remote places, taking only what they could carry. Eleanor Roosevelt continually tried to appeal to her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt to… Read More ›
How to Choose Words That Motivate Students During Online Learning
In order to foster engagement and motivation, online learning experiences need to be framed in a way that allows students to take ownership of their learning. This article explains ways teachers can make a big impact on student learning just by re-framing how they instruct their lessons and assignments. It offers an explicit example of… Read More ›
Now More Than Ever: Structured Collaborative Inquiry for Today’s Hybrid Learning Environments
As remote learning becomes part of our new reality, it is critical that schools set up rich opportunities for both educators and students to address the challenges and inequities that inevitably occur with online education. To do this now, more than ever, we need systems that support teachers to become students of their students’ thinking.… Read More ›
How to Better Support Your Black Colleagues
Black teachers change schools or abandon the profession at higher rates than their White counterparts, so supporting the needs of Black teachers is crucial in the fight for racial justice in our schools. For schools to be truly student-centered, they will need to be able to attract, retain and support teachers of color. This Edutopia… Read More ›