Grant From the New York Life Foundation Will Support SEL in ExpandED Schools
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Thanks to a three-year, $1 million grant from the New York Life Foundation, we are launching an initiative to support social-emotional learning (SEL) programs across the expanded school day, recognizing the importance of collaboration between schools and their community partners in helping students reach their highest potential. Read full post
Design2Learn: Tapping STEM Educators' Imaginations
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Design2Learn officially kicked off in August, when science teachers and after-school educators attended a week-long Summer Institute held at the New York Hall of Science. Putting on their “student hats” for the first portion of the week, educators experienced a variety of design challenges first hand – from catapults to water filters – and learned by doing, as their students will. Upon completing a crane made of simple machines, one participant reported, “I feel like a mini-engineer!” The training emphasized the New York Hall of Science’s Design-Make-Play philosophy, and educators could certainly be seen at play. A highlight for those of us on the sidelines was watching twenty adults attempt to balance a giant seesaw (or lever, as it is known in science-speak) in the Hall’s science playground. Read full post
Ourselves as Young Readers: Staff Round-Up | LiteracyConnections
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Ready Readers recently held a literacy institute for more than 75 after-school program directors, education specialists, teachers and community. One of the day's activities was having participants recreate themselves as young readers using art materials.This activity was so fun, we decided to ask our own ExpandED Schools staff to describe themselves as young readers. Enjoy these reflections!
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More Than Just Fun: Learning Through Play | SELConnections
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Are play and recreation a vital component of the educational experience? Neuroscience says so. A recent article in The Atlantic entitled “Learning Through Play” reports on the return of recreation time in the school day in response to the growing body of evidence that play is crucial to learning, and notes the work being done to improve the quality of structured play in educational settings. Read full post
The Key to Keeping Kids Active? Get Creative! | Dear Rashida
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Dear Rashida,
Even though fall starts this week, the weather is still warm and summer vacation play still fresh in the minds of our students. How can my program incorporate a healthy amount of physical fitness opportunities, especially with our limited recreation space? Read full post
Register Today! Announcing Upcoming Fall Professional Development Opportunities
Friday, September 16, 2016
With the start of school and out-of-school-time programs, ExpandED Schools is excited to announce that our Centralized Professional Development fall opportunities are now open for registration! Read full post
Listen Up! Advice to Your Adolescent Self
Thursday, September 15, 2016
We asked you to impart words of wisdom and encouragement to a 6th grader on his or her first day of middle school. What you've shared has impacted more than just our students. Read full post
What's Lucy Reading?
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
I'm reading a groundbreaking report from the Wallace Foundation on the benefits of summer learning, a book by a teacher that explores her students' inner lives, and a new report on how a longer school day increases education equity. Read full post
What I Did This Summer: Became an Engineer
Thursday, September 8, 2016
...I was completely surprised that I was accepted to CrEST, because I never thought I’d be smart enough to get in. But every Saturday in the program, I was learning new things—and I can't explain how awesome the feeling was when I was learning and actually doing the circuits! From ping sensor to transistors, I am still surprised that most inventions nowadays consist of these electrical components that I now understand. Read full post
Literacy Tutors Share Words of Wisdom
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Last week, more than 80 new and returning MS ExTRA tutors gathered for a three-day literacy institute. Discussions were lively and focused on everything from assessing reading comprehension to kid-tested relationship building. Returning tutors shared which books got rave reviews amongst adolescents and explored social-emotional learning through literacy, while new tutors learned about positive feedback and live projects.One of the highlights was when everyone came together to hear from a panel of three returning tutors who shared their passion and the wisdom gained from their experiences. Read full post
