The Source

A digital magazine focused on education thought leadership.
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Topic: Educational Change

Responding to Marginalization of Students of Color in K-12 Education

Responding to Marginalization of Students of Color in K-12 Education

In a culture of school reform that focuses on student achievement as measured through standardized curriculum and testing, marginalized groups are traditionally less successful. For students who come from high-risk backgrounds such as being a person of color, living in poverty, being an immigrant, having limited English proficiency, and/or having a... Read the full article >
State Policies to Overcome the Achievement Gap and Poverty

State Policies to Overcome the Achievement Gap and Poverty

America’s public schools serve more than 50 million students from kindergarten through 12th grade and more than 50 percent of those students qualify for free and reduced-priced lunch (FRPL) under the National School Lunch Program. In 2013, 24 percent of public school students attended a high-poverty school—schools where more than... Read the full article >
A Model for Building Equity in Education with Atlanta Place-Based Funders

A Model for Building Equity in Education with Atlanta Place-Based Funders

These Atlanta place-based funders are targeting their philanthropic efforts and support collaboratively around the key issues of health, education and neighborhood vitality: Annie E. Casey Foundation Atlanta Civic Site – Neighborhood Planning Unit V which includes five Atlanta neighborhoods: Summerhill, Peoplestown, Adair Park, Pittsburgh and Mechanicsville. C.F. Foundation – East Lake... Read the full article >
The Legacy of Racial Inequity in Urban America – and How to Reverse It

The Legacy of Racial Inequity in Urban America – and How to Reverse It

The most important civil rights accomplishment of the 20th century was the dismemberment of the legal architecture of Jim Crow. Reversing the lasting societal impact of inequity from Jim Crow, redlining and related racist policies that still shape the segregation we see across America today is the work that still... Read the full article >
Educational Equity: The New Institution Revolution

Educational Equity: The New Institution Revolution

For the first time in American history, the majority of students within the American public school system are students of color and yet the educational equity that Brown promised is still far from a reality. According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights data collection,... Read the full article >
An Equitable Education Matters Significantly

An Equitable Education Matters Significantly

Equal — the same in number, amount, degree, rank or quality. Not changing, the same for every person. Equality — the state of being equal in political, economy and social rights. Equity — fairness or justice in the way people are treated. (Merriam-Webster) I watched with great interest the summer... Read the full article >
The (Dys)function of Empathy – Activating the Right Type of Empathy to Increase Equity in the Classroom

The (Dys)function of Empathy – Activating the Right Type of Empathy to Increase Equity in the Classroom

“Another type of teacher empathy I saw was one that sought to understand the ‘why’ behind success and failure and then invested in the student accordingly. The teachers who used it were driven to understand each student as an individual so that equitable accommodations could be made. It wasn’t always comfortable... Read the full article >
Green STEM: STEM as It's Meant to Be

Green STEM: STEM as It's Meant to Be

Roland Quitugua, a leading scientist in the U.S. territory of Guam, stood before a room of 60 public school teachers, describing his tireless efforts to eradicate a devastating problem on the tiny island in the Western Pacific: the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle. Holding an embroidery hoop with a three centimenter black... Read the full article >
Systematic Change in Education Begins with a New Vision for Professional Development

Systematic Change in Education Begins with a New Vision for Professional Development

In his now-classic book The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge describes systems thinking as a “discipline for seeing wholes.” It is a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things, for seeing patterns of change rather than static snapshots. “Systems thinking,” Senge writes, “offers a language that begins by restructuring how we... Read the full article >
The Creation of One Learner Centric Learning Environment

The Creation of One Learner Centric Learning Environment

Building a Culture of Trust The “system” was defined for me in a memo that I discovered in the desk that I had been given. There were just three items that were declared to be non-negotiable: we must abide by the school system’s employee contract, we must cost no more... Read the full article >