A Year at Mission Hill: Reimagining Public Education

One day. Fifty films. Fifty people in a racially and economically diverse community in Southern California revealing their unique involvement in what makes a public school district function. http://gopublicproject.org/ Watch A Day in the Life of a Typical American School District “'Getting good' is how kids refer to the journey toward mastery. But when it comes to school, the light often goes out of their eyes. How can teachers spark the fire of motivation in academic settings as well, so that our students will really want to learn?” http://firesinthemind.org Read Fires in the Mind: What Does it Take to Get Really Good At Something? In this podcast, Montgomery County Public Schools superintendent Dr. Josh Starr and Chris Lloyd, teacher and vice-president of the Montgomery County Education Association, discuss everything from student evaluation to the growth of unschooling with education activist Sam Chaltain. Listen What’s the Big Idea? A conversation Between Josh Starr & Sam Chaltain http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/superintendent/podcast/ Everyone has a powerful learning story -- a moment when we discovered something essential about ourselves and the larger world. What's your story, and what can it tell us about the ideal environments we should be creating for our children -- and each other? Do Share Your Most Powerful Learning Story http://www.facesoflearning.net/questions/how-do-people-learn/ CHAPTER ayearatmissionhill.com #YearatMH CHAPTER Our ability to see schools clearly is shaped by two things: Our own experiences as students... This is a problem, and an opportunity & the stories we tell each other about teaching & learning The stories of 2012 were about three things: What will the stories of 2013 be & who gets to decide? CHAPTER CHAPTER When you think about public education in America, what do you see? Because our stories shape what we see hopeful, solution- oriented What if we started to see public education through a more lens? What if educators were more active in telling their own stories? For many high school students, the struggles of others are often distant problems. But at Banana Kelly High School in the South Bronx, high school teacher Lauren Fardig aims to change that. Learning Matters reporter John Tulenko went to Banana Kelly — situated in the poorest Congressional district in America — to learn more. http://learningmatters.tv/blog/on-pbs-newshour/empathy-101/7273/ Watch Empathy 101 Who is responsible for the design of the school? How does that design support the development of the whole child? How does the school design reflect democratic processes and aims? Veteran principal Michelle Hughes has a few ideas. . . http://startempathy.org/blog/2013/02/year-mission-hill-beginning-year Read Beginning the Year In this deeply personal story, veteran educator Emily Gasoi reflects on a powerful lesson she learned in preschool -- and how it changed her for life. Listen A Quiet Victory for the Pack http://wamu.org/news/11/04/13/emily_gasoi_a_quiet_victory_for_the_pack.php This survey from the Institute for Democratic Education in America (IDEA) can be taken anonymously by students, teachers, staff, parents, and school administrators. It provides information to better understand what is happening in your school. Do Snapshot School Assessment http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/programs/school-assessment/ Ashoka's Laura White outlines the work of a school in California that has figured out how to foster empathy, teamwork, leadership and problem-solving skills in its students. Do Design a Positive School Culture http://startempathy.org/blog/2012/11/secret-designing-positive-school-culture In this RSA Animate video, bestselling author Dan Pink illustrates the hidden truths behind what really motivates us. Watch The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us www.youtu.be/u6XAPnuFjJc In this article from Edutopia, you'll find out how to create meaningful, engaging and challenging project-based learning experiences for students. http://www.edutopia.org/maine-project-learning-how-to-plan-a-project Read How to Plan a Project In this unforgettable audio essay, Dwayne Betts shares a surprising source for his most powerful learning experience: the confined space of a prison cell. http://wamu.org/news/11/03/23/r_dwayne_betts_expanding_boundaries_in_prison.php Listen Expanding Boundaries in Prison In this piece for the PBS News Hour, Learning Matters' John Merrow reports on a small but growing number of schools who are teaching what’s called Social and Emotional learning, and experiencing encouraging results. Watch The Rise of Social and Emotional Learning http://learningmatters.tv/blog/on-pbs-newshour/the-rise-of-social-and-emotional-learning/2301/ Educator Sam Chaltain believes there’s a formula we can use to explain how people master empathy, even if no one’s ever described it that way before. And best of all, it’s got a familiar ring to it: E = EC². http://www.samchaltain.com/the-empathy-formula Read The Empathy Formula In this highly personal audio essay, Loretta Goodwin remembers the teachers who helped her see beyond the barricades of her upbringing in Apartheid-era South Africa, and imagine bigger things for herself. http://wamu.org/news/11/06/01/loretta_goodwin_daring_to_dream_amid_apartheid.php Listen Loretta Goodwin, Daring to Dream In this excerpt from the book Solving Thorny Behavior Problems, author Caltha Crowe and the folks at Responsive Classroom outline a number of actionable steps educators can take to positively channel student behavior and energy. Do Try this Format for Problem Solving Confrences http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/sites/default/files/SolvingThornyBehaviorProblems-Ch2.pdf CHAPTER In this moving video from Edutopia, we learn the story of a middle school at which educators have reported big improvements since integrating the arts across all subject areas. Watch Integrate the Arts, Deepen the Learning http://www.edutopia.org/stw-arts-integration-video In this article for Start Empathy, author John Converse Townsend tells us about a Chicago organization that is connecting lives and cultures through literacy and the arts. http://startempathy.org/blog/2012/07/how-empathy-and-arts-are-changing-worlds-chicago-schools Read How Empathy and Arts are Changing Worlds In this audio essay, choreographer Liz Lerman reflects on an unexpected discovery about the connections between art and real life. http://wamu.org/news/11/04/06/liz_lerman_discovering_the_intersection_of_art_and_real_life.php Listen Liz Lerman: Discovering the Intersection of Art & Real Life Paideia is a holistic approach to life-long learning with roots in ancient Greece. The National Paideia Center provides training and support for teachers of all grade levels and subject areas. Learn more at paideia.org. Do Learn How to Conduct a Socratic Seminar http://www.paideia.org/ In this video, educators and students from across the Institute for Democratic Education in America (IDEA)'s grassroots network discuss public education as it is -- and as it ought to be. Watch Flipping the Script: Changing Our Educational Paradigms www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C888ymK_uo&feature=share&list=UUtQdRrgj6KgScLgj-tHYK6w In this helpful brochure from the Collaborative for Academic, Social & Emotional Learning (CASEL), parents and caregivers are given practical suggestions about how to raise emotionally healthy young people. http://casel.org/publications/raising-caring-confident-capable-children-brochure/ Read Raising Caring, Confident, Capable Children In this personal audio essay, educator Emily Gasoi reflects on a lesson she first learned in Kindergarten -- and has been heeding ever since. http://wamu.org/news/11/04/13/emily_gasoi_a_quiet_victory_for_the_pack.php Listen Emily Gasoi: A Quiet Victory for the Pack In partnership with Ashoka's Start Empathy Campaign, the creators of the PBS children's program Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood explain the logic behind a character in the show, Teacher Harriet, and urge us all to thank the teachers in our own lives who have made a difference. Do Go Hug a Teacher http://startempathy.org/blog/2013/01/meet-teacher-harriet In this video from Edutopia, we learn about Brooklyn's PS 24, where fourth and fifth graders resolve playground conflicts and train younger students to be peacemakers in their classrooms. Watch Peace Helpers Become Classroom Problem-Solvers http://www.edutopia.org/conflict-resolution-peace-helpers-video In this review of the documentary film Buck, Sam Chaltain celebrates a story about how people (and animals) learn – and reminds us that just because something has always been done a certain way doesn’t mean there isn’t a better way to do it. http://www.samchaltain.com/kid-whisperers Read The Kid Whisperers In this StoryCorps conversations, two teachers from Colorado's Eagle Rock School talk about what they've learned about teaching, and each other, and about what it takes to build a healthy school. www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7b_AzDzohg Listen Karen & Amir Talk About Teaching Courtesy of the Start Empathy Campaign, Instictive Parenting author Ada Calhoun offers three tips parents can employ to help their children play well with others. Do How to Help a Child Start Being Kind? http://startempathy.org/blog/2012/06/my-child-being-unkind-friends-what-should-i-do