School of the Future

In a new age of information, rapid innovation, and globalization, how can we prepare our children to compete? Once the envy of the world, American schools are now in trouble. Test scores show our kids lag far behind their peers from other industrialized countries, and as the divide between rich and poor grows wider, the goal of getting all kids ready for college and the workforce gets harder by the day. How can the latest research help us fix education in America? Can the science of learning—including new insights from neuroscientists, psychologists, and educators—reveal how kids’ brains work and tell us which techniques are most likely to engage and inspire growing minds? What role should technology play in the classroom? Teachers, students, parents, and scientists take center stage as NOVA (American popular science television series broadcast on PBS) explores a new vision for the “School of the Future.”

Opening students' mind

Geoffrey Canada is internationally renowned for his pioneering work helping children and families in Harlem, and as a thought leader and passionate advocate for education reform. From 1990 to 2014, he served as the President and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, which The New York Times called “one of the most ambitious social-policy experiments of our time.”
-- Watch Geoffrey's TED talk "Our failing schools. Enough is enough!"

The Power in Education

"We are all connected to succeed, and good leaders do this. Tomorrow's future is sitting in our classrooms. And they are our responsibility. That means everyone in here, and those who are watching the screen. We must believe in their brilliance, and remind them by teaching them that there indeed is power in education."
Nadia Lopez is the founding principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy, in Brownsville, Brooklyn, one of the most underserved and violent neighborhoods in New York, where she is showing the world how underprivileged communities can beat the odds and create positive institutions that have a global impact. She believes that kids are our future, and it's crucial they believe it themselves. Lopez is encouraged and inspired to see children overcome the "beautiful challenges" of Brownsville and works hard to ensure that they are admitted into some of the most competitive high schools in New York City. She became a viral sensation after one of her students was featured on the popular blog, Humans of New York, where he praised Lopez as the most influential person in his life. In 2015 a HONY fundraiser raised $1.4 million to take Lopez's students on college trips that include Harvard University, Summer STEAM programs and college scholarships. Lopez also continues to impact the lives of children through her "She Is Me" and "I Matter" initiatives, which have served thousands of youth throughout Central Brooklyn by providing workshops, forums and mentoring. In this short, energizing talk Nadia shares how she helps her scholars envision a brighter future for themselves and their families. TRULY INSPIRING STORY.
-- Watch How Dr. Nadia Lopez is Building a Bridge to the Future for Inner City Scholars
-- Watch Mott Hall Bridges Academy scholars visit Harvard
-- Watch Why Principals Matter

The Pursuit of Belonging

"There is a misconception about belonging. That in order to belong, you have to sort of fit in, assimilate or acculturate... I think that sense of belonging requires us to be alike enough, to share enough in common to find community. But in fact to celebrate the fact that we are different. And those differences are not seen as deficiencies, but in fact celebrated as actual contribution to this beautiful community that we create today..."
Terrell L. Strayhorn is Professor and Director of the Center for Higher Education Enterprise (CHEE) at The Ohio State University. He maintains an active and highly visible research agenda focusing on major policy issues in education: student access and achievement, equity and diversity, impact of college on students, and student learning and development. His research has particular accent on issues of race, class and gender and the experiences of racial/ethnic minorities, college men, economically disadvantaged individuals and other marginalized groups in education.
In this heartfelt presentation Terrell talks about a fundamental need of the student, which isn't tied so much to good grades or money, the sense of belonging.
"The success of this country depends on our ability to prepare citizens for active participation in democracy, and part of that depends on our success in educating current and future generations of students. And their success, their educational success, depends in part on the extent to which we create environments in the home, in the school, in the community where they fit in and they belong."

Want kids to learn well? Feed them well

"When we give our kids the nourishment they need, we give them the chance to thrive, both in the classroom and beyond."

What can we expect our kids to learn if they're hungry or eating diets full of sugar and empty of nutrients? Former White House Chef and food policymaker Sam Kass discusses the role schools can play in nourishing students' bodies in addition to their minds. His work connects nutrition and education in an effort to make sure future generations thrive.

Help for kids the education system ignores

"Let's believe in young people. Let's provide them the right kinds of resources. I'll tell you what my teacher did for me. She believed in me so much that she tricked me into believing in myself."
Define students by what they contribute, not what they lack — especially those with difficult upbringings, says educator Victor Rios. Interweaved with his personal tale of perseverance as an inner-city youth, Rios identifies three straightforward strategies to shift attitudes in education and calls for fellow educators to see "at-risk" students as "at-promise" individuals brimming with resilience, character and grit.
Based on over a decade of research, Rios created Project GRIT (Generating Resilience to Inspire Transformation) a human development program that works with educators to refine leadership, civic engagement and personal and academic empowerment in young people placed at-risk. Rios is a professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The power of human connection

Erin Thomas-Foley is the director of education for the School of Performing Arts in Richmond City (SPARC). Over the last 16 years, she has become a major force and key teaching artist behind SPARC, an outreach program dedicated to taking arts education to metro Richmond's schools and youth centers. Her most recent achievements include the creation and direction of LIVE ART, a cutting edge, inclusive arts education program that culminates in a cross-pollinated arts concert, featuring nationally recognized musicians and students from multiple organizations and schools within the Richmond community.
-- Watch "Setting the Stage for Life"