Blog

This spring, Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools (Brooklyn Lab) launched a series of two-week design charettes to determine the school’s plans for reopening in the fall. The product of the second charette, the Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools’ Back to School Instructional Program Scheduling Map, is intended to help Brooklyn Lab and other school communities think about the who, what, when, where...
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Every year, millions of people across the globe come together in their communities to celebrate Pride month. This year marks the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the 50th anniversary of the parade that happened a year later.  If we are being honest, this year seems like a strange time to be celebrating. Not only are we still in...
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Education First is dedicated to amplifying and elevating the voices and unique lived experiences of students, families and educators across the country. This guest blog is authored by Ava Jolley, a high school junior from North Salem Public High School in Westchester County, New York. Her perspective as a biracial American drives her to look for solutions to dismantle systemic...
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America’s racial injustices are on full display this week. The cumulative death toll from COVID-19 in the United States has surpassed 100,000. Black, Latinx, Indigenous people and individuals from low-income backgrounds are disproportionately losing their lives. Leaders could have made different decisions to prevent thousands of these deaths, just as leaders could have prevented the killings of George Floyd, Breonna...
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I sit quietly, as nine pairs of eyes stare up at me, expectantly. The third graders before me are familiar with me coming into their classroom for special Social-Emotional Learning lessons. In the past, we sang songs, played games, and created art. We discussed how to be active learners, respectful friends, and accepting of differences. But those days were different...
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Across the country, districts and states are taking a variety of approaches to their sudden transition to distance learning. We sat down with Rebecca Kockler, former Assistant Superintendent of Academic Content for the Louisiana Department of Education, to learn more about her recommendations for parents, districts and states in the short term and as they look forward to the fall....
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As states and localities take the necessary precautions to keep communities safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, teacher preparation programs and their partners face a challenge of their own: how they will adapt their programs to continue to support and train teacher candidates. This challenge is especially salient for teacher candidates currently completing their student teaching and no longer...
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Across the US and the world, educators, businesses and communities are making daily shifts in operations in response to the rapid spread of COVID-19. To slow the spread and keep us safe, public health experts recommend that people avoid being in groups of 10 or more. Many organizations are opting to transition to a virtual environment or to host convenings...
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Given the current state of Coronavirus (COVID-19), we have decided to delay the launch of this blog series. Check back this summer for updates! Stay safe and stay healthy!  Authors: Sarah Beal (US PREP), Sarah Cohen (NCTR), Anne Douglas-Rowald (IC4EP), Francesca Forzani (TeachingWorks), Erika Abelon and Erin Gehant (NYCDOE), Cassandra Herring (BranchED) and Carlos Villagrana (CTAPP) Teachers matter, and so...
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Advance Vermont leads a statewide partnership of representatives from business, education, government, nonprofits and philanthropy with a unified goal to increase educational attainment in Vermont for the benefit of residents, communities and the economy. As part of its work, Advance Vermont raises awareness and builds support for a policy agenda by collecting and analyzing data on postsecondary outcomes, and facilitating...
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