In this personal essay, writer Dhruti Shah reflects, "As the daughter of Kenyan Indian immigrants, I’ve grown up believing the outdoors is somewhere I don’t belong. It’s where those with high levels of eumelanin get stares — or the Brown person nod of acknowledgment when they happen upon another hiker of color. So when I told my mom I was going camping in the middle of nowhere in the rain, she shook her head. After a childhood in India and Kenya, she perceives most spaces outdoors to be full of hidden dangers and unknown entities. 'Why would you want to do this?' she said. For me, it was an opportunity to learn how to enjoy nature in a safe environment. The retreat, an excursion to hear the song of nightingales, was free and only for people of color. No nodding necessary."
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Recruiting More Bilingual Teachers: The Challenges and Solutions
Research points to dual language immersion programs—where instruction is given in two languages with roughly equal shares of native speakers for both—as an ideal model for the nation’s growing English learner population. Yet researchers at The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, found that only about 16.5 percent of all English learners are enrolled in some form of a bilingual program, with 7.9 percent specifically in dual language immersion programs, according to state data from 2019-20. Part of the challenge of enrolling more English learners into these programs is the lack of bilingual staff in K-12 schools, as new research has found.
The quest to make the outdoors more diverse and inclusive
More college campuses leveraging the outdoors to support student mental health
ccording to a 2018 study published by Frontiers of Public Health, spending time outdoors can aid people in a variety of categories: “attention and cognition, memory, stress and anxiety, sleep, emotional stability and self-perceived welfare or quality of life.” At San Diego State University, one space in particular, the turtle pond, has become a popular destination for students seeking solace from their academic lives.
How bibliocounseling can create space for Black girls and girls of color to connect in school
Like many school counselors, Christina Tillery had trouble reaching kids during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2020-21 school year, only 100 out of 1800 students opted for in-person learning at her school, while her office remained in the building. Despite the challenges, Tillery used the opportunity to develop programming that could help her connect with students in new ways. Through many brainstorming sessions, she planned a bibliocounseling group, which she launched the next year.
Latinos who don’t speak Spanish are getting shamed for it
About half of US Latinos who don’t speak Spanish have been shamed because of it, says a new study, noting that 54% of Latinos who speak no more than a little Spanish say another Latino has made them feel bad for it.
30 Picture Books to Celebrate the Diversity of Latinx Heritage
Read one book a day for Latinx Heritage Month, from September 15 to October 15, and every month after that. From migration and history to food and family, these works capture the many complexities and joys of the Latinx culture.
Using Read-Alouds to Support Social and Emotional Learning
In elementary school, interactive read-alouds are commonly used to build various literacy skills, such as students’ listening comprehension, background knowledge, vocabulary, and understanding of language structures. Beyond their academic benefits, however, read-alouds can also serve as a support for developing social and emotional learning (SEL) skills.
AI, other education technology can infringe on rights of disabled, LGBTQ students, report warns
The use of education technology in schools, such as artificial intelligence, digital surveillance and content filters, poses a threat to the civil rights of students with disabilities, LGBTQ students and students of color, a new report released Wednesday warns.
Big impact of Little Amal
At 12 feet tall, Little Amal is hard to miss. But the towering puppet, who represents a 10-year-old Syrian refugee searching for her mother, has already had an outsized impact on people worldwide as she carries a message of hope for marginalized people everywhere.
Amid youth mental health crisis, a Colorado district creates a school for students who need more support
Next month, the Cherry Creek School District will open a first-of-its-kind facility — part school, part therapeutic mental health facility — to meet the needs of students in crisis. The number of facilities in Colorado that serve students with intense mental health or behavioral needs has drastically dwindled over the past 20 years, leaving many children without critical care. The new Traverse Academy is an effort to address that problem.
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