Back to School Baltimore!

Imagine the first day of school; students energized by their long summer holiday, excited to see friends from the prior year, eager to meet their new teachers, curious about where their cubbies or lockers are, prepared to turn in important information like their health cards for the school nurse and their emergency cards for the office, and ready to get back into the swing of things at school. The first day sets the tone for the year and presents students with lots of critical information: introductions, goals and expectations.

A much better plan for kids statewide

All children in Maryland, well behaved or otherwise, are guaranteed the right to an education. Yet, schools across the state are pushing children out with high rates of suspensions, primarily for non-violent acts.

A humane education: teaching positive reinforcement in the classroom

The Kids-4-K9s Humane Education Program offers students and teachers an opportunity to focus on positive changes, instead of failures. “I like the way we ignore Bella when she doesn’t get it right and wait to praise her when she does,” one third grade student shared as part of his journal entry for the session. It is this kind of reflection and sharing that promotes real learning and growth that can extend far beyond the classroom.

Raising achievement for all students

What makes America the most inventive culture on the planet? When I go to international meetings, why do leaders from countries with the highest test scores tell me they wish their kids could be more like ours? It’s because we value free thinking, creativity and innovation. We raise our kids to discover their talents and pursue them toward futures full of possibilities.

Baltimore’s “super” approach to summer learning

When the schoolhouse doors close on the last day of the school year, students are looking forward to a carefree summer. But they are at danger for summer learning loss and can lose critical knowledge and skills over the warm months. Low-income students are disproportionately affected and can lose months in reading skills, far more than their higher income peers

Knowing the full face of our history

If you’re like me, you were taught that slavery ended with Emancipation Proclamation. Then Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus and the Civil Rights Movement began.

It wasn’t until adulthood when I realized that I had only a vague understanding of a large part of our history, and that what I was taught regarding slavery in this country was only a part of the story.

Michael Bloomberg Gives $5 Million to OSI-Baltimore

During his visit to Baltimore yesterday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a gift of $5 million to the Open Society Institute-Baltimore for its Accelerated Pathways Initiative. This five-year initiative will create rigorous, supportive and accelerated high school options in Baltimore that will significantly increase graduation rates and post-secondary success, particularly for the city’s African-American […]

Supporting teen dads—what have we got to lose?

Teen parents are a much maligned group. We often blame them for their “choice” of becoming a teen parent and then for all of the untoward outcomes that can follow. Our blame, however, is short sighted and wrongly placed. Why some teens become parents is a complicated issue with social inequality and poverty at the heart of the matter.

Keeping homeless kids in school

Kids aren’t homeowners, but they have paid an unforgiving price throughout the housing industry collapse. They have lost their homes, and consequently, they have frequently had to change schools. 41% of students who have experienced a loss of housing attend two or more schools in one year while 28% attend 3 or more in that time.

Making every day count for Baltimore City School students

Chakel, an 11th grade law program student at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School in Baltimore City, believes she can make her mark through success in school: “Every day, I work on making an impact on the world.” But every day, other Baltimore City Public Schools students struggle just to get to school.