Online learning was just a backup plan, or a way to distribute content to a wider audience. Then, COVID-19 happened. — Everything had to be online. No one knew how best to approach it, so, as with most mass movements online, the earliest attempts were to simply take the in-person experience and put it on a screen. (The same thing a lot of print magazines did when they first decided to…

An interview with educator Stephen Minix on the death of George Floyd and America today — One of the most important things to do, as protests continue across the country, is to take the time to listen — listen to members of the black community talk about their experiences and their thoughts on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going as a…

Background and inspiration behind Tom Clark’s art and career as a portrait painter in San Francisco — Recently, I asked longtime friend and portrait artist Tom Clark if he would share some of his approach to art, from both a personal and historical perspective. …

When you blend cognitive science and artificial intelligence, remote learning can increase engagement, and improve performance versus traditional learning practices. — So you’ve moved your course content online—that’s a good start. Now, it’s about making that training as effective and engaging as possible. The traditional Learning Management System (LMS) allows you to make content available, and distribute it to your learners. …

This lecture by renowned UCLA cognitive scientist Robert Bjork reveals how forgetting, remembering, and learning are all vital, positive components of human memory — When we hear the word ‘forget,’ typically there are negative associations. We often think of ourselves as striving not to forget things. But, as Robert Bjork discusses in the below video, forgetting is actually an important component of learning and memory.

A Conversation with Jeanette Duffy, Managing Director, UNICEF Ventures — What are some of the challenges that inspired the creation of the UNICEF Kid Power program? Jeanette Duffy: Every child, regardless of gender, ethnicity, income or geography, has the power to make a difference. However, based on research done by UNICEF USA surveying 5,600 3rd-5th grade students across the United States, most elementary-aged students do not believe their actions can make a positive difference in their…

How Jill Gurr and Create Now are helping at-risk kids go from struggling with literacy to writing a narrative for the future — Walk into the office at Create Now in Downtown Los Angeles, and it’s immediately obvious that everything centers on the kids. …

Five managers from across the U.S. rewarded for their diligence in collecting attendance and engagement statistics for their programs — Our first-ever UpActive Data-Driven Managers Awards recognized five managers from programs ranging from afterschool reading & literacy training, to soccer for refugee children, to high school sports. Our Summer 2018 winners were: Allison Reynolds, Read Alliance (New York, NY)

How Bentley Kapten and Jacob Adams are combining modern, empathic educational practice with 21st century skills in underserved communities, from coast to coast — A chance meeting sparks an idea “We’re both educators, and we both have experience working in education—specifically in high-performing charter schools,” says Kapten. “Jacob [Adams] worked in Brownsville, Brooklyn—I worked in Bed-Stuy [Bedford-Stuyvesant], Brooklyn.”