Let’s be audacious enough to get school accountability right. Let’s hold schools accountable for preparing children and youth for life instead of for tests. Throughout American history, leaders have asked that schools help students develop: (1) the abilities to read, to write, and to compute, and basic knowledge of geography, history and science; (2) the […]
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The power of play
Monday, July 13, 2009What do the American Association of Pediatrics, Robin Henig of the New York Times, and Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, have in common? They all believe in the power of play. Add to that list Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, who promotes play at children’s museums to ignite curiosity; and […]
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A fresh new alternative
Tuesday, July 07, 2009Everyone has an opinion about school food. That’s because everyone who has attended school is a subject matter expert—those who finished high school have been exposed to approximately 2,400 lunches that were either eaten, ignored, or trashed. Our consciousness of the nutritional value and quality of ingredients of these meals heightens when we send our […]
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Give a laptop, change the world
Monday, April 27, 2009Any day, at any of the 22 locations of the Enoch Pratt Free Library system in Baltimore you will see hundreds of people tapping away on our computers. Across the nation, 60% of people who visit public libraries come to use computers and access the internet. In Baltimore City alone, 40% of households have no […]
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Investing in young people who are investing in each other
Monday, April 20, 2009Walking through downtown Chicago it’s hard not to notice that President Obama is a native son. There are pictures in the windows, banners that hang from street posts for whole blocks, and among the people there is a heightened sense of opportunity and possibility. Yet, on the south side of the city, there is the […]
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Summer on my mind
Monday, February 09, 2009Baltimore winters are typically snowed under ice storms and blisteringly cold winds from the west. I’m not a fan. Instead, winter has become my motivation to plan summer vacations. During these times of fiscal austerity however, I’ve postponed the summer tropical get-away. Even still, I look forward to visiting family and friends spread across the […]
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Rebuild schools, create (green) jobs for local communities
Monday, December 01, 2008Imagine walking into a Baltimore City public school, noticing immediately the light streaming in through the windows, the attractive rooms where children are excitedly discussing their latest project, the sound of a flute coming from the music room. Could this be a Baltimore City school? YES, IT COULD be, if Baltimore citizens and leaders team […]
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Seizing the momentum
Monday, November 03, 2008As a reporter in Baltimore for nearly three decades, I know this city is rich in stories. This fall, thanks to a public radio reporting grant from OSI, I have been working on a documentary on an urgent local topic– the scourge of truancy. For generations, the city’s truancy and dropout rate has led the […]
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Encouraging STEM education
Monday, October 27, 2008My audacious idea is that we want to produce students who will help our country to be as competitive globally as possible. The 21st Century Economy is going to require more emphasis on STEM fields – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — and we need in Baltimore to think about being competitive within the 50 […]
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Positive youth development
Monday, October 20, 2008Baltimore’s dropout rates and youth violence get their fair share of publicity. Blame has been placed everywhere – school structure, gangs, drug culture, family situations. What’s been lost in these conversations is a strong conviction of youth as individuals who need caring relationships with adults, nurturing environments, and stimulating activities in order to develop into […]
