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The Afterlife of Big Ideas in Education Reform

Michael Hobbes

August 15, 2017 |

Pacific Standard |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Michael Hobbes details the rise and fall of small learning communities in the early 2000s to tell the story of a larger trend in American education reform. "The decisive factor isn't the Big Idea itself--splitting up dropout factories floor by floor--but the millions of little ideas that hold it together," Hobbes notes. He uses this one trend to discuss common denominators for student success and why schools have repeatedly failed to effectively scale promising solutions: "Every successive Big Idea in education reform has ended up in the same place. It works for one school and doesn't for another."

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In Flint, Block Clubs Make a Difference Worth Millions

Scott Atkinson

August 10, 2017 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Flint, Michigan

Instead of relying on Flint’s municipal government for basic services that it does not have the money for, residents are “picking up the slack” by joining block clubs. These community groups maintain parks, mow lawns, and clean up garbage, saving the city $4.3 million from 2015 to 2017. Though it’s not a permanent fix, block clubs are nonetheless making a significant positive impact on the city.

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Why more students should go to college in high school

Anne Kim

August 08, 2017 |

Washington Monthly |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Culpeper, Virginia

Studies have shown the myriad benefits of dual enrollment programs. Culpeper, Virginia leaders are trying to adapt the 60-year-old model to serve more low income and minority high schoolers. By expanding it to include career and technical education credits and involve businesses in curriculum development, the district is hoping to level the playing field. Adam Love noted, “Any time you have a program that’s really good – if you’re providing it only to those students who can afford it or who are already excelling, you’re only going to worsen the gap among students rather than use that tool to reduce it."

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India's Barefoot Lawyers

Tina Rosenberg

August 08, 2017 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Bogribail, Karnataka

Legal expertise is often expensive and inaccessible to communities around the world experiencing environmental rights violations and other issues. Similar to the rise of community health workers who are expanding access to basic healthcare, nonprofit Namati is training lay people to help communities understand laws and regulations, gather evidence of violations, and push for remedies.

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Sending Health to Rural Ghana via Traveling Medics

Andrew Higgins

August 01, 2017 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Ghana

In places such as Ghana, people live far from proper healthcare, which is why Community Health Workers in the region, and in other regions lacking access to healthcare, are being trained. CHW's can help educate individuals about how to stay healthy, increase prevention techniques, and help them get proper medical aid.

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Free Lunch at the Library

Catherine Saint Louis

July 30, 2017 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cincinnati, Ohio

From New York to Ohio to California, librarians have teamed up with the USDA summer food service program, along with other non-profits, to feed kids dependent on free/reduced-price lunches during the school year. Using census data to locate communities of greatest need and data to measure participation trends, the collaborative has witnessed a surge in effectiveness and impact across the states. Families, librarians, and public officials alike express satisfaction and enthusiasm for the initiative and its future.

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Foodstuffs: Giving Food Stamp Recipients a Place at Farmers Markets

Ben Henry

July 27, 2017 |

New Hampshire Public Radio |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Dover, New Hampshire

While farmers’ markets popularity has increased in the last decade, the higher prices mitigate equal access to such provisions -- and, by extension, the health benefits. As a result, non-profits and farmers' markets across New Hampshire are collaborating with a state program, Granite State Market Watch, to enable low-income food stamp recipients to use the markets. The state matches every dollar worth of stamps, providing needed purchasing power to enjoy the fresh bounty as well as an increased customer base and revenue stream for the local farmers.

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‘Neighborhood Mothers' Share Integration Wisdom with Refugees

Yermi Brenner

July 26, 2017 |

News Deeply |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Germany

Germany has welcomed many refugees in recent years, and programs across the country are trying to help integrate them as quickly as possible. 'Neighbourhood Mothers' is one such program of migrant women who mentor new refugees.

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How San Francisco Saved Its Public Housing By Getting Rid of It

Mark Peterson

July 20, 2017 |

Politico |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

In San Francisco, the city couldn't afford to create or maintain public housing. Using the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration program, San Francisco has been working to effectively privatize public housing while involving non-profits deeply to ensure residents aren't displaced.

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A Cheap Fix for Climate Change? Pay People Not to Chop Down Trees

Brad Plumer

July 20, 2017 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Hoima, Kibaale, Western Region

In a randomized experiment in western Uganda, scientists demonstrated the effectiveness of paying rural farmers not to chop down trees since deforestation contributes to CO2 emissions worldwide. They studied for two years the declines in forest cover between a control group (no payment) and the participant group (paid). Building on a United Nations project in which wealthy nations pay poorer ones in an attempt to equalize the costs of responding to climate change, the outcome of the project proves the existence of a low-cost environmental policy solution to stemming rising global temperatures.

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