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Blogs on Community Partnerships

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Implementing Expanded Learning Time: Six Factors for Success
Amrita SahniMay 21, 2013
Tags After-School Learning, Alternative Scheduling, Community Partnerships, Curriculum, Middle (6-8), Massachusetts

In the fall of 2006, Clarence R. Edwards Middle School ("the Edwards" as it is known locally within Boston Public Schools) became one of the first schools in the state of Massachusetts to implement the Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Initiative. The reasons why were simple: we were not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and we wanted to make significant academic gains with our students. As it turned out, making our school day longer was one of the best things we could have done to help reform our school model and improve student outcomes. Our statewide exam scores, student enrollment, daily student attendance rate, community and family engagement, and time for team teaching/collaboration all improved as a result of ELT.

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One Size Does Not Fit All: Engaging Families Next Year by Soliciting Feedback Now
Joe MazzaMay 9, 2013
Tags Community Partnerships, Parental Involvement, Primary (K-2), Principals, Upper Elementary (3-5)

As we near the end of the school year, it's time to take stock of our efforts in teaching, learning and leadership, and how well they’ve worked. We should also be looking at what has or has not worked in regards to engaging all of the families in our school community.

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A Year at Mission Hill: Like a Family and Behind the Scenes
Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy)May 1, 2013
Tags Community Partnerships, Parental Involvement, Primary (K-2), Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), Massachusetts

The video series A Year at Mission Hill has continued to encourage discussion, gather support, and inspire offshoots of wonderful new content, like "Line One, Page One," a compelling and poetic video produced by UK Filmmakers Veez Nixon and Christian Britten for Ashoka's Start Empathy Initiative, as part of a video series to complement Mission Hill. And if you haven't seen it yet, it's also worth a visit to the excellent Prezi on Mission Hill, which continues to expand as more chapters are released.

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Another Person's World: Ed Reform Through True Understanding
Lori DesautelsApril 4, 2013
Tags Community Partnerships, Education Reform, Service Learning, , Urban Schools

Anthropologist and humanist Ashley Montagu stated: "Love is profound involvement in the well-being of others." Several weeks ago, I experienced this kind of love in West Humboldt Park, an impoverished, gang-and-violence-infested inner city Chicago neighborhood.

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The "Reggio Approach" to 0-99 Education: Redefining Schools as Community Learning Centers
Adam ProvostMarch 22, 2013
Tags Arts Education, Community Partnerships, Project-Based Learning, Travel, Visual Arts

This is the second post in a two-part series. For the first part, please see The "Reggio Approach" to 0-99 Education: A Deep Exploration of Community.

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The Power of Academic Parent-Teacher Teams
Anne OBrienNovember 26, 2012
Tags Community Partnerships, Parental Involvement

This time of year, many people are reflecting on what is truly important in life and all they have to be grateful for. The most common item of the top of these lists: family.

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Five-Minute Film Festival: Parent-Teacher Partnerships
Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy)November 2, 2012
Tags Community Partnerships, Parental Involvement, All Grades

I recently put together a landing page here on Edutopia with all of our resources for parents, so my eye was caught by a fantastic blog post this week by Mark Phillips, "Beyond Back-to-School Night: Parents and Teachers as Allies." Mark gives actionable tips for both parents and teachers about how best to work together -- a topic which I know is of perpetual interest to everyone involved in education.

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Won’t Back Down: An Engaging and Misleading Film
Mark PhillipsSeptember 26, 2012
Tags Accountability, Community Partnerships, Education Reform, Parental Involvement

The film Won't Back Down is scheduled to open in wide release on September 28. Yet, weeks in advance of this date, there has been a veritable deluge of extremely strong emotional and critical responses. Both the film and the responses deserve our attention, because they are each symptomatic of the polarization that is plaguing both public education and national politics in this country. Every teacher and parent should see the film, but should also be fully prepared to view it critically.

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Five-Minute Film Festival: Design Thinking in Schools
Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy)August 17, 2012
Tags Community Partnerships, Education Reform, All Grades

Though I've long been intrigued by the idea of design thinking, it was the recent launch of a "Design Thinking for Educators" workshop here at Edutopia that compelled me to learn more about it. What I found is that design thinking can be a powerful tool for problem-solving in any discipline -- and what's more, it's hands-on, creative, collaborative, optimistic, and fun.

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Eight Ways to Save Money on School Supplies
Terry HeickAugust 16, 2012
Tags Community Partnerships, Free School Supplies

According to a study by the National School Supply & Equipment Association, teachers spend an average of $356 out-of-pocket on school supplies and resources (NSSEA, 2011).

Fortunately, there are ways to reduce these costs. If you're in need of supplies and the school year is either looming or already begun, here are some ways you can save money while supplying your learning environment with the (stunningly wide) variety of items that are needed over the course of a semester or school year.

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