Last week, my team and I attended high school graduations for our OneGoal students across Metro Atlanta. Students proudly donned their OneGoal stoles and Achieve Atlanta cords, gleefully throwing their caps in the air as their families cheered them on. Like the two classes to come before them, graduation speeches acknowledged the unprecedented challenges they’ve faced together, and the lessons they will take on the road ahead. We celebrate our students as they plan to
Read MoreBack to in-person programming The sky was clear, the sun was shining—gifting us the most perfect weather to re-launch in person STE(A)M Truck programming for the first time since March 2020. STE(A)M Truck’s magic is experienced through our in-person small-group builds which incorporate hammers, nails, laser cutters, drones and more! This spring, our 7th graders in Clayton County Public Schools were curious, thoughtful and fully engaged in building small and large scale geodesic domes.
Read MoreLearn4Life’s literacy network is working to scale strategies that raise 3rd grade reading proficiency in our region. We are proud to partner with Reach Out and Read Georgia as a bright spot in early childhood education, and support their work. “Like 32,000 pediatricians and medical providers across the country, I have seen the benefits of the Reach Out and Read program firsthand through my practice. All parents want their children to succeed and do well
Read MoreAt the core of Learn4Life’s work is convening education leaders to identify and share best practices that can be taken to scale. The billions of dollars in federal recovery funding provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate proven strategies. The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (Partnership) recognized this opportunity and has designed a multi-year, multi-strand research project to capture the ways districts are using these funds. We are excited to partner with folks
Read More
As a new school year begins and we face the reality that the pandemic is still here, educators and caregivers are grappling with the return to school and how to remediate the social and learning losses from these past two years. Last year, L4L’s Early Literacy Network asked these questions, and identified strategies that engage young learners. L4L’s new Bright Spot SEE-KS (Social Emotional Engagement – Knowledge and Skills), is a professional learning approach that
Read More
ArtsNOW is one of L4L’s newly identified Bright Spots, with proven results in engaging students and raising 3rd grade reading proficiency in metro Atlanta. Learn more about the arts-integrated approach here… What is Arts Integration? Experts note that arts integration is an approach or methodology, rather than a specific curriculum. The Kennedy Center defines arts integration as “an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in
Read More
One in four kids in public schools need glasses to see the board, read a book, or participate in class; yet, in underserved communities, 95% of kids who need glasses do not have them. In Atlanta, more than 100,000 students lack the vision care and glasses they need to succeed. Students with uncorrected vision problems often avoid reading, suffer headaches, and have trouble focusing in class, as 80% of learning during a child’s first 12
Read More
As metro Atlanta school districts approach a full year of deeply disrupted instructional schedules, we know the learning loss will be significant, especially for our traditionally underserved students. In response to the great need for additional literacy support during this pandemic, Learn4Life’s Early Literacy Network and Leadership Council have worked over the past several months to identify another layer of Bright Spots that are serving children in metro Atlanta. Bright Spots are strategies or programs
Read More
Learn4Life has just released the 4th annual State of Education in Metro Atlanta report. Read about our region’s progress along six cradle-to-career indicators, and the innovative ways in which school districts and bright spots are providing students educational opportunities through the pandemic. You can also explore these indicators on L4L’s Data Dashboard. You can view L4L’s State of Education event here. Thank you to our panelists and presenters: Atlanta Regional Commission Clayton County Public Schools
Read More
Kindergarten readiness—one of Learn4Life’s six community indicators—is shaped by a range of factors, including access to high-quality child care. While gaps in access to Quality Rated child care programs were present across the metro region prior to the pandemic, COVID-19 has presented new challenges to the region’s families. This time has been especially challenging for parents of young children, as they’ve responded to the competing and shifting demands of the workplace, child care, and school.
Read More