Best of the week on reimaginED

Unique Florida learning option offers families safety, choice, peace of mind

Like a school, but better. That’s how Ali Kaufman, founder and CEO of Space of Mind, describes a revolutionary program that engages students, families, educators and the larger community in experiential learning. Kaufman’s brainchild, launched in 2004, is not a traditional school. Nor is it a tutoring center. It’s not even a learning pod. READ MORE

 

podcastED: Formerly homeless family finds a lifeline in education choice scholarships

On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Juliette Harrell, an Orlando, Florida, mother of three children, two of whom attend private school thanks to the Family Empowerment Scholarship Economic Options program. Lacking education in financial literacy, Harrell and her husband, Allen, experienced homelessness as teenage parents. Their bills piled up, and Harrell and Aiden, now 10, and Amar’e, now 6, had to relocate to a local shelter while her husband moved in with his mother until they could get back on their feet. The couple was able to settle Aiden and Amar’e into a private school that also helped them learn how to manage their finances. They became fiscally stable and eventually bought their first home. READ MORE

 

 

Hispanic students need options – now

The White House on Sept. 13 issued an executive order to advance educational equity, excellence and economic opportunity for Hispanics. Included in the text of the order is the fact that Hispanic students continue to be underrepresented in advanced courses in math and science, and that they can face language challenges in the classroom. Only 40% of Hispanic children participate in preschool education programs compared to 53 percent of their white peers, so they’re already behind when they start kindergarten. A lack of creativity in the K-12 traditional education system READ MORE

 

 


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BY reimaginED staff