When preparing young people for the future, we often focus on academic success, career readiness, and character development. While those areas are essential, some of the most important life lessons begin with something much more fundamental: knowing how to care for oneself and one’s family. At Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago (BGCC), cooking programs […]
“American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.” When James Baldwin wrote those words in 1963, he captured the exact tightrope that educators walk today. As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2026, teachers are not just reflecting on a historical […]
Every child deserves access to quality education in a safe and supportive learning environment. Yet for many children in rural Ghana, that opportunity remains out of reach because of inadequate school facilities and limited educational resources. After watching a documentary on social media that highlighted the educational challenges facing children in underserved communities, Loretta Adu, […]
The math of the modern American workforce is quietly fracturing at the shoreline. For every five skilled tradespeople who retire nationwide, only two enter the field. This widening generational gap leaves a staggering annual vacancy of 1.7 million skilled labor roles. While public conversation centers on construction or automotive infrastructure, a parallel crisis unfolds at […]
There are few moments more moving than watching children carrying their desks down a mountain trail into a brand-new classroom. Resting them above their heads, they march together; laughing, singing, and shouting with excitement. The older students make extra trips to help the younger ones, but everyone carries something. For the children of La Colonia […]
Years ago, when Sharanda Morehead was a teacher at LEARN Romano Butler in the Chicago neighborhood of North Lawndale, she remembers how Margaret Romano would pop into her classroom about once a week. Romano, a pioneering leader and lifelong champion of the LEARN network, would say things like, “How are things going?” or “What do […]
In a world where the most respected careers are doctors, lawyers, engineers, and scientists, why should kids be encouraged to pursue art? Despite drastic underfunding of the arts in U.S. schools — especially in communities with more non-white, low-income, and non-English speaking students — art education remains vital. Creative experiences help children thrive, benefiting their […]
At 2 a.m., a mother rocks her crying two-month-old, exhausted and unsure what to do next. She tries soothing, then distraction, then silence. Nothing works. By morning, guilt sets in. She wonders, like so many caregivers: Why didn’t anyone teach me how to do this? Most people will one day be responsible for another person, […]
In the early hours of October 9, 2017, the Tubbs Fire swept through Sonoma County and destroyed the Anova school, a place that had been a lifeline for its community. For Anova’s students — children on the autism spectrum and with other neurodevelopmental differences — the loss meant the sudden absence of routine, stability, and […]
The biodiversity crisis is often framed as a science problem, but at its core, it is a human one — and it calls for a human-centered solution. Around the world, species that anchor entire ecosystems are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services estimates that up to one […]
