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This is extremely disturbing and is not receiving the kind of media attention it deserves and should be. Please look for ways to push issues such as this forward by calling federal and state elected officials. Independent theaters and venues must be protected. The delay in relief funding has caused immeasurable problems for independent venues and theaters and has ironically aided large live-entertainment companies like Live Nation and AEG: Even with states opening back up, ...independent venues do not have the funding to secure talent or re-hire their staffs, festival promoters aren’t able to secure fields to hold their events, and the ecosystem around much of the live industry remains stalled five and a half months after Save Our Stages was passed into law; PPP and the newly launched Restaurant Relief Fund were distributing millions of dollars within days. See more

Very interesting perspective from OZY on best ways to address and rectify structural racism. I am enjoying the research and writing from Ozy more and more all the time -- they are not just recycling the same 5-10 stories, which is really hurting the news business. Hope you read and find some takeaways from this piece.

Excellent webinar from Trevor Waddington at Truth Tree Consulting with Liz Yee from Lowell School in Washington D.C. They cover a number of important independent school issues regarding admissions.

Today is World Press Freedom Day, a day to celebrate freedom of the press and journalistic integrity, and honor journalists, who risk their lives in the service of truth. World Press Freedom Day serves as an occasion to recognize and remember the journalists, who are seeking the truth, asking the difficult questions, and holding the powerful to account. Words matter!Stand with them! Defend their right to write! Support them by reading, sharing, and purchasing their work! Use the hashtag #postforthepress today

The Roadmap for Teaching American Democracy was written by six former Education Secretaries: Lamar Alexander, Arne Duncan, John King, Rod Paige, Richard Riley and Margaret Spellings. Many of the suggestions are thoughtful, detailed, and inclusive with an arc of equity in mind. This The Wall Street Journal article is from March, and yet I did not see it six weeks ago. However, I will note that in reading a number of the comments, I was saddened by the cynicism of so many Americans if they are actually real people. The suggestions of these Secretaries would not be easy, but America needs to start thinking differently with education. The gap is widening at an alarming rate. At least these people have produced a thoughtful plan that is the basis for initial discussion. Offer your thoughts in the comments.

I am very moved by this article from FoodCorps, an important organization that connects kids to healthy food in schools and looks to educate children, families and communities on improving nutrition. I recommend looking into #foodcorps -- they are doing tremendous work for people.

Very interesting podcast from GreatSchools.org on discussing and examining the power of purpose in teenagers and beyond. Everyone needs to constantly evaluate their purpose in life and professionally. In my business, we ask, what is your brand? What space are you associated with? What is true, meaningful and distinctive about you? I think it’s important to consistently assess and ask these questions. I hope you can find the time to listen to a few minutes of this podcast and that it resonates with you.

Lift Every Vote #LiftEveryVote Please share!! Great cause.

Terribly unfortunate to watch these small- to mid-size markets losing their media outlets to pay-for-play content and advertorials. Interesting article from The New York Times

Bullying in schools and out will continue to be an issue, until parents, teachers and administrators take a unified and restorative approach to resolving problems. Restorative means not taking draconian measures, such as suspension, but rather one of compassion and understanding. The issues are compounded this year due to online and blended learning. Frustrations are running high and the use of social media is at an all-time high. Now, more than ever, parents must watch their children carefully and look for ways to partner with the school. This article from GreatSchools.org offers several good pointers and advice.

This is huge news for NYU. Most people wouldn’t pay much mind to the Washington Square News, but since the Village Voice folded 4-5 years ago, this newspaper and media source has continuously taken on more and more gravitas. This is NOT just a university media outlet; it carries with it significant weight. So, when 40 writers and editors resign, en mass the same day, it carries a great deal of discomfort and internal strife. I applaud the writers/editors at #washingtonsquarenews for taking these drastic steps. This takes much courage and consideration before a decision of this magnitude. I’ll be interested to see how this shapes out.

This op-ed from Jessica Ramos at the New York Daily News resonates with me. As a former school administrator, I have seen my fair share of students acting out and being disruptive. Class clowns have been around for 100 years and they’re not going away anytime soon. So how should teachers handle them this year, when there is a pandemic? I subscribe to this op-ed and say do it with empathy and understanding, not punitive, harsh reactions. Children and teenagers are stressed out...! They may pretend to not be affected by Covid-19, but if adults are having difficulty processing the spread of this coronavirus, just imagine how difficult it is for a young person? The answer, I believe, is restorative practice coming from a place of understanding and growth, reason and empathy. Speak to the student like the young adult that person is. Punitive suspensions will only exacerbate their irrational behaviors. But ask yourself before showing frustration where that young adult is in their life and what issues they are trying to overcome at home and in their microcosm. Restorative practice builds self-esteem and will help the entire school community. Suspending students for breaking these new, highly-restrictive rules will only compound the trauma they carry. Any suspension this year will chip away at the precious days of school they’ve already missed, further inhibiting learning and social development. We cannot risk the educational and mental health of students by sticking to the broken status quo of suspensions. Read this opinion piece and share your thoughts here or share this on your timeline and feeds.

Such an important and beautiful piece of writing from Patricia Frazier, the newest Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. This essay in #medium is the essence of honest and superb writing. I will need to re-read her piece several times!

Be the agent of change that you envision! These stories of 2020 grads are touching, poignant and relevant to where young people are today. I hope their dreams and visions are met.

My son attends a Mastery high school in NYC, and I have seen the proof of engagement and retention in him. He is a straight A student, but more important, we have elaborate discussions about his courses that show proof of concept. Now, just because he is grasping the material does not make it foolproof, but through our discussions with him about other students, teachers are always available and they make the learning personalized, fun, and stimulating. While I did not find th...is Chalkbeat New York article biased, I think there was room for expansion and better ways to prove its thesis. Advocates say the model allows teachers to help struggling students catch up and let high flyers accelerate. And they argue it’s beneficial in subjects, particularly math, where each concept builds on the prior one. ‘In a non-mastery system, you took a test, you got an 80% and you move on to the next concept, said Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy. ‘In a mastery-based system, you say no, you just haven’t mastered it yet. You get as many shots on goal as you need.’

Touching article about an essential NYC worker, who is helping to make the city move forward, without his family at his side. It is thanks to amazing people like Hans Arrieta that NYC makes the progress it does every day! He is a real hero and doesn’t even see himself as one. THANK YOU!! Behind every oxygen machine and ventilator keeping patients alive is someone like Arrieta who’s making sure the lifesaving lines are functioning properly.

From the perspective of your child’s school you have to be able to laugh at the communications we all get, but Zoom takes it to another level.

It’s a positive development to hear that NYC City Council Speaker Corey Johnson is fighting to save the Summer Jobs program. While it’s evident that drastic budget cuts will be required, it will be more important than ever to give 14-24 year-olds some normality this summer. If not, best case scenario will be a lot of wasted time, and worst case will be considerable trouble because teenagers will not sit at home doing nothing this summer.

Such a beautiful person Kadir Nelson is and WOW! this CBS Sunday Morning story reflected how sensitive, empathetic, and intelligently-connected to the world and himself this artist is. Please watch this story and consider sharing it! #kadirnelson #art #artist #community #empathy #CBSsundaymorning