NYC Outward Bound Schools’ Post

The research tells us that having books at home stops summer learning loss AND that children in under-resourced communities have fewer books at home. ALL children deserve to have access to books and reading, and at Books Are Wings, we're working to build the libraries of young readers across Rhode Island. "Prioritizing learning as a year-round commitment, and implementing programs that support summer learning, limit summer learning loss, which in turn reduces the achievement gap." (BU Journal of Graduate Studies in Education, Volume 14, Issue 2, 2022) You can have a big impact in the life of a child this summer by supporting our Stop the Summer Slide Campaign. Give today, and help make reading a key part of every child's summer experience: https://bit.ly/3XfopGi

Do you see the elephant in the room? If you are a parent of school-age children, I know you are having a fantastic summer, but I want to say I see you. I SEE YOU: • Maneuvering the schedules before, during, & after work • Handling all the logistics • Trying to figure out what to provide kids in terms of infrastructure - Especially with middle and high school kids - Attempting to provide growth and independence without seeming negligent or helicopter → I bring this up because every interaction I am having these days with parents of school-age kids is met with this guilt. → Summer is hard because society teaches us that we should pretend to be stay-at-home parents with all sorts of freedom and liberties to make summer the dreamy blast we see on social media. → So, I tell you to keep going and say you are doing a good job. Our kids will remember more good than we realize. Nothing is more important than time. ✅ So choosing to be present in the time we do have is the priority. ENJOY the rest of your summer! How are you making time to be present with your children this summer?

Fall is a perfect time to get a wall-to-wall inventory of fixed assets and movable equipment. Once your newly purchased items are in place and your students and teachers are back in the groove, it's the perfect time for getting an accurate accounting of where everything is located.

If you're someone who is talking about, planning for, trying to provide, or demanding "quality early care and education," I urge you to spend some time with Defending the Early Years' free, virtual summer institute "Advancing Quality in Defense of Early Childhood Education and Care" from June 24-26. "Quality has always been an important component in ensuring that all young children have access to early care and education. Nonetheless, defining, measuring, and guaranteeing high quality demonstrates the complexities and difficulty in making high quality for all a reality. What does quality mean to you? How do you demonstrate quality in your program or classroom? How can the systems used to measure quality be improved? What does high quality mean in relation to justice and equity for disadvantaged and marginalized children? The 2024 Sixth Annual DEY Summer Institute will address these questions and many more." Click the for more information or to register!

Come to our info session tonight at 7PM ET to learn about Klingenstein Center, Teachers College, Columbia University Summer Institute for Early Career Teachers #KSI2025. Learn more about this fully-funded, graduate credit-earning fellowship; meet alumni and program faculty; and, connect with me and Center team members. See details below. And if you are an alum of #KSI, comment and share your cohort year and your #WhyKSI Not everyone who attends #KSI is sure about staying in education. But after this 2-week program, many decide to stay and have long, fulfilling, positively impactful careers in #schools #independentschools #internationalschools. A top reason why they stay?: The #efficacy they recognize they have as #teachers after attending the institute. For over 4 decades, Klingenstein Center, Teachers College, Columbia University Summer Institute for #EarlyCareer #Teachers #KSI has facilitated transformative learning experiences for teachers. Come and learn with us. #teacherleaders #inspiredteachers #transformation #brainchangers #belongingbydesign #sustainablepractice #professionallearning #makers #learningdesigners #retentionthroughcapacitybuilding #cohort #KSI2025 Teachers College, Columbia University

Yesterday was my first opportunity to attend the Illinois Education and Career Success Network annual conference. The theme - Awareness to Action - resonated throughout the day and left me feeling even more energized to create more equitable postsecondary pathways for young people. A few thoughts that are sticking with me: 1. “We’re asking students the wrong questions”. In a session focused on leveraging state frameworks like PaCE, I was validated when thinking about how important it is to put the idea of “what/who do you want to be…” in front of students versus leading advising conversations with thoughts simply about what college students want to attend. 2. “We need to shift the burden from the students to the system”. In multiple sessions, this thought came through. Simply by being a part of an unjust system means you have the proximity and power to play a role in fixing that system so that it better supports the students and families it is meant to serve. All of this has me even more excited to be a part of an organization like OneGoal that is focused on leading the movement to transform postsecondary advising and support. Onward!

Today is National First-Gen College Student day! Shoutout to Shubitha Kever for putting together a wonderful staff training and celebration this week at PFW. 🥳 As a first-gen graduate myself, please be sure to celebrate those students in your own life. Here's some info! While 54% of students are first-gen nationally, only 20% graduate and 28% are over 30 years old. Common characteristics: • Curiosity & Creativity • Resilience & Independence (even at a fault) • Resourcefulness and high relational currency • High Context Individuals Common barriers: • Limited knowledge of campus resources and less likely to seek advising or health services • More likely to need to work fulltime and to have children • 'Breakaway guilt' due to upward mobility within their family • Lower socioeconomic background, entrance exams, and access to basic needs • Limiting beliefs, anxiety, burnout First-gen means that neither of your parents obtained a 4-year degree. Are you first generation?

Today is First-Generation College Celebration Day. I distinctly remember being an undergraduate student and feeling overwhelmed, underprepared, and like I didn’t belong. At the time, it felt like my peers understood things that I didn’t, and I couldn’t quite grasp why that was. Admittedly, I made many mistakes and learned things the hard way because I was too stubborn to ask for help. The literature on first-generation students frequently emphasizes the challenges we face. While it’s true that navigating higher education without family guidance presents unique hurdles, this deficit-based perspective overlooks the strengths we embody. First-generation students are resourceful, resilient, and highly motivated—qualities honed through our journeys of self-advocacy, independence, and persistence in the face of uncertainty. In my role as an educator, I strive to recognize and celebrate these strengths in my students, ensuring they see their identities not as obstacles, but as powerful assets that contribute to their growth and success.

It’s fall break for students, so I’ll pause to comment on why I’m posting bits about what we do (there have been a few internal wonderings)… 1. It’s primarily for the benefit of younger analysts and students interested in the space. I’ve taught classes at Baylor University - Hankamer School of Business for the past 5 years, until it got to be too much. But this gives me a way to continue to pass along thoughts without spending as much time as teaching requires (like with anything, teaching well takes a LOT of effort/time). 2. The secondary purpose is to better connect our office with the Baylor University constituency…faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni. An endowment’s size (and therefore funding capacity) has a direct and material impact on the health and future of its organization. We had not previously been significantly engaged with the broader Baylor community, and it was time to change that. 3. Finally, the work we all do in this field is a social good. No one in our office would have gone to college without scholarship help. And, this business isn’t the CIA or NSA. If we find or see something that could benefit others, we’re happy to share. Doing so could help a student elsewhere get a scholarship that enables them to go to college and launch a career. Enjoy the weekend and the rest of Fall Break! It’s still in the 90s here in Texas.

Corporate College recently had the incredible opportunity to host executive leaders from 100 Black Men of America, Inc. for their executive leadership retreat. I had the privilege of leading a session titled "Education's Post-Pandemic Evolution: What We Provide Matters," and later joined Herman Bulls, vice chairman and international director at JLL, to discuss "Organizational Leadership, Governance, and Impact." Educational leaders, how do you see the role of education evolving in the post-pandemic world?