Discussions around American education often overflow with statistics. But an avalanche of numbers threatens to bury the education system’s most important component—students—and distract from the long-term, human outcomes that matter most to their lives.
This theme permeated a July 14 panel hosted by The Citizen in which education leaders dissected innovative academic models, as well as the significant institutional barriers to educational reform. “Innovation in Education” was the first event in Citizen Speaks powered by Comcast NBCUniversal and Fitler Club, a yearlong speaker series focused on addressing the most pressing issues and most exciting opportunities facing our city and our country.
Panelists included Carlos Moreno, executive director of Big Picture Learning, a student-centered learning model in 150 schools, including two in Philadelphia; Heidi Ramirez, former chief academic officer of Milwaukee and Memphis public schools and former Philly School Reform commissioner; and Sylvester Mobley, founder of Coded by Kids, a nonprofit that educates young people from underrepresented groups in technology and entrepreneurship. They illuminated the nuances behind career-readiness strategies, scientific research on learning and its relationship to policy, and students’ disengagement from school following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Below are six key moments from the event. If you missed it, you can watch the full event here. And be sure to join us at all of our exciting upcoming events—we’d love to see you at Fitler Club, or online.
1. Encourage students to aim higher
As reformers try to improve educational opportunities for Black and brown students, employment is often the default objective. For Mobley, “employment is a pretty low bar to set.” Instead, he encourages students at Coded by Kids to expand their professional ambitions, and shoot for CEO and CTO positions.
2. Lead with students’ strengths and interests
“Too often, schools begin by trying to diagnose what a student doesn’t know, what they can’t do,” Moreno said. Instead, Big Picture Learning rethinks instruction at a philosophical level by focusing its model on what interests and excites its students.
3. Not all innovation is created equal
“Innovation” has become a buzzword in the education space, according to Ramirez. She notices that many people assume new learning models are good simply because they are different—even when such proposals lack solid supporting evidence.
4. The fix for illiteracy is right in front of our face
When an audience member asked how she would use innovation to address illiteracy in Philadelphia, Ramirez responded that the research community has already revealed a lot about the science of learning. “We know a lot right now that we could do,” she said, and improving literacy requires not innovation, but time and effort to re-train teachers and revamp curricula around scientific research.
5. Make privilege ubiquitous
Mobley’s nonprofit, Coded by Kids, has launched a venture capital fund to invest in startups led by their alumni and others from disadvantaged backgrounds. Some of his former students, he said, now take that support for granted—in a good way. “I like the fact that they see it as a given,” Mobley said. “They now have a level of privilege that their white counterparts traditionally have.”
6. We have to spend money
According to Mobley, the education deficit for underprivileged communities is not due to a lack of innovation, but an intentional divestment in public schooling. Because wealthy white people often send their children to expensive private schools, they “obviously understand the relationship between cost and quality of education,” he said. “Why does cost become a problem when we talk about Black and brown kids?”
Mazungumzo kuhusu elimu ya Marekani mara nyingi hujazwa takwimu. Lakini idadi kubwa ya wanafunzi inahatarisha kuharibu sehemu muhimu zaidi ya mfumo wa elimu, wanafunzi, na kugeuza fikira kutoka kwa matokeo ya muda mrefu, ya kibinadamu ambayo ni muhimu zaidi kwa maisha yao. Mkutano huo ulifanyika Julai 14 na The Citizen, ambapo viongozi wa elimu walichunguza mifano ya kitaaluma ya ubunifu, pamoja na vizuizi vikubwa vya taasisi kwa mageuzi ya elimu. "Uvumbuzi katika Elimu"" ilikuwa tukio la kwanza katika Citizen Speaks inayoendeshwa na Comcast NBCUniversal na Fitler Club, mfululizo wa msemaji wa mwaka mzima uliolenga kushughulikia masuala ya haraka zaidi na fursa za kusisimua zaidi zinazokabili mji wetu na nchi yetu." "Miongoni mwao ni Carlos Moreno, mkurugenzi mtendaji wa Big Picture Learning, mfano wa kujifunza unaozingatia wanafunzi katika shule 150 - ikiwa ni pamoja na mbili huko Philadelphia; Heidi Ramirez, afisa mkuu wa zamani wa shule za umma za Milwaukee na Memphis na kamishna wa zamani wa Marekebisho ya Shule ya Philadelphia; na Sylvester Mobley, mwanzilishi wa ""Coded by Kids,"" shirika lisilo la faida ambalo linafundisha vijana kutoka vikundi vya chini katika teknolojia na ujasiriamali." "Walielezea mambo muhimu ya mikakati ya utayari wa kazi, utafiti wa kisayansi juu ya kujifunza na uhusiano wake na sera, na wanafunzi ""kuondoka shule"" kufuatia janga la COVID-19." Chini ni mambo sita muhimu kutoka tukio hilo. Kama umekosa, unaweza kutazama tukio kamili hapa. Na kuwa na uhakika wa kujiunga na sisi katika yote ya matukio yetu ya kusisimua inakuja <unk> tungependa kuona wewe katika Fitler Club, au online. 1. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli "Wanafunzi wanaohusika katika mabadiliko ya elimu wanajaribu kuboresha fursa za elimu kwa wanafunzi weusi na kahawia, lakini mara nyingi ""ajali"" ni lengo la default." Kwa Mobley, <unk>ajira ni bar pretty chini kuweka.<unk> Badala yake, yeye kuhamasisha wanafunzi katika Coded na Kids kupanua matarajio yao ya kitaaluma, na risasi kwa ajili ya nafasi ya Mkurugenzi Mtendaji na CTO. 2. Uwezekano wa kupata Kiongozi na nguvu za wanafunzi na maslahi <unk> Mara nyingi, shule huanza kwa kujaribu kugundua kile mwanafunzi hajui, kile hawawezi kufanya, <unk> Moreno alisema. Badala yake, Big Picture Learning hufikiria tena mafundisho katika kiwango cha kifalsafa kwa kuzingatia mfano wake juu ya kile kinachowahusu na kuwafurahisha wanafunzi wake. 3. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Si uvumbuzi wote ni kuundwa sawa <unk>Uvumbuzi<unk> imekuwa buzzword katika nafasi ya elimu, kulingana na Ramirez. Yeye anaona kwamba watu wengi kudhani mifano mpya ya kujifunza ni nzuri kwa sababu tu wao ni tofauti - hata wakati mapendekezo kama hayo kukosa ushahidi thabiti wa kuunga mkono. 4. Uwe na uhakika "Mwisho wa mkutano huo, wakati msikilizaji mmoja alipomuuliza jinsi atakavyotumia uvumbuzi kukabiliana na ukosefu wa kusoma na kuandika huko Philadelphia, Ramirez alijibu kwamba jamii ya watafiti tayari imefunua mengi juu ya sayansi ya kujifunza. """ "Tunajua mengi sasa hivi ambayo tunaweza kufanya,"" alisema, na kuboresha ujuzi wa kusoma na kuandika hauhitaji uvumbuzi, lakini wakati na juhudi za kufundisha walimu na kurekebisha mtaala kuzunguka utafiti wa kisayansi. 5. Uwe na mtazamo mzuri. "Mabalozi wa ""Mobility"" na ""Coded by Kids"" wameweka msingi wa fedha za uwekezaji kwa ajili ya kuanzisha makampuni yanayoongozwa na wanafunzi wao na wengine kutoka kwa mazingira ya chini." Baadhi ya wanafunzi wake wa zamani, alisema, sasa kuchukua msaada huo kwa uhakika - kwa njia nzuri. "Ninapenda ukweli kwamba wanaiona kama jambo la kawaida", Mobley alisema. <unk>Wao sasa wana kiwango cha upendeleo ambacho wenzao weupe kwa kawaida wana.<unk> 6. "Mambo ya kwanza ambayo Mobley anasema ni kwamba ""kutoweza kupata elimu kwa jamii zilizo chini ya hali ya juu si kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa uvumbuzi, bali ni kwa sababu ya kuondolewa kwa fedha kwa makusudi katika elimu ya umma.""" Kwa sababu watu wazungu matajiri mara nyingi hutuma watoto wao katika shule za kibinafsi za bei ghali, "kwa wazi wanaelewa uhusiano kati ya gharama na ubora wa elimu", alisema. <unk>Kwa nini gharama inakuwa tatizo tunapozungumza juu ya watoto weusi na kahawia?<unk>