Archive

Karen Webber, director of OSI-Baltimore’s education and youth development program, appeared Monday on WYPR’s Midday with Sheilah Kast to talk about chronic absenteeism in city schools. Webber, a former teacher and school principal, recently wrote  an essay called “The Importance of Student Attendance” on OSI-Baltimore’s website. Webber emphasized the importance of a positive school climate in encouraging […]

During last week’s public safety forum, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake tweeted about police commissioner Kevin Davis’s news that in the past week, Baltimore police “saved 2 would-be overdose deaths w/ Naloxone treatments.” These interventions were possible thanks to OSI-funded police training with naloxone in recent months. OSI-Baltimore program associate Rachel Abdullahi explained OSI’s support for naloxone as a crucial […]

Baltimore city’s Board of Estimates agreed to pay $95,000 to Christine Abbott, who filed a lawsuit alleging that, in 2012, she was arrested in Hampden and placed in a police van without restraints and given a “rough ride,” a practice that came under scrutiny after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. A year […]

Today, The Atlantic covered outgoing Education Secretary Arnie Duncan’s proposal to reallocate funds from corrections to education—specifically in the form of raises for teachers in underprivileged schools. He specifically mentioned Baltimore. “What’s the cumulative impact of such a massive disparity of opportunity over 13 years of a child’s education?” Duncan asked. “The linkage between education, […]

Last Tuesday, OSI-Baltimore was proud to host an important conversation at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in our Talking About Race series. The topic was “Media Bias and Black Communities,” and the guests included journalist Stacey Patton and Rashad Robinson of ColorofChange.org, with moderator Joseph Torres of Free Press. It was a really great conversation. […]

In a Baltimore Sun op-ed today, Megan Feldman Bettencourt writes about restorative practices in City Springs Elementary/Middle School. “We can implement in our schools and communities the research-tested habits that foster the seeking and granting of forgiveness and prevent disagreements from escalating into violence,” she says. OSI-Baltimore helped to bring restorative practices to City Springs Schools and […]

The Wall Street Journal’s recent article, Prison vs. Harvard in an Unlikely Debate, covers the work of the Bard Prison Initiative and their inmate debate team. Leading up to a match with Harvard’s debate team, Bard team member Alex Hall said “If we win, it’s going to make a lot of people question what goes […]

On September 29, journalist and author Stacey Patton joined Rashad Robinson of ColorofChange.org and Joseph Torres of Free Press for a panel discussion at the Enoch Pratt Free Library as part of OSI-Baltimore’s Talking About Race series, on the subject of Media Bias and Black Communities. It was a really great, pointed conversation and the […]

The guests for tonight’s Talking About Race: Media Bias and Black Communities event at the Enoch Pratt Free Library have spent the last couple of days doing some pre-talking on local radio. Journalist Stacey Patton, who has worked for the Baltimore Sun, the Washington Post, and Chronicle of Higher Education, was the guest yesterday on WYPR’s […]