January 13, 2022 Parents as Allies Webinars Join The Center for Universal Education at the Brooking Institution and Kidsburgh for their upcoming event, “Parents as Allies Webinars: Transforming Education Systems Through Family-School Collaboration.” About the Series The COVID-19 pandemic thrust family engagement into the spotlight, presenting an opportunity to markedly shift the overall vision for family-school collaboration. The Center for Universal Education (CUE) at the Brookings Institution has been researching how families and schools can better work together to improve and transform how education is delivered and what it can achieve. In addition, Kidsburgh has been working with a cohort of school districts on different family engagement strategies, including conversations asking parents and caregivers on what schools and families can do together. All events are free and will be hosted via Zoom. Registration is required. Session Information Tuesday, January 25 | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. This session is recommended for school leaders and teachers. Join lead author Rebecca Winthrop to explore CUE’s newly released playbook on family-school engagement, featuring key findings from a global survey of 25,000 parents and 6,000 teachers and a review of more than 500 effective family engagement strategies around the world. After a short presentation, attendees and educators will work in virtual breakout rooms to discuss insights from surveys across school districts in southwestern PA as well as create a shared vision for education that can lead to transformation. Wednesday, January 26 | 7:00 – 7:45 p.m. This session is recommended for parents and caregivers. In this virtual webinar, KDKA TV’s Kristine Sorensen moderates a presentation and discussion with CUE’s lead author Rebecca Winthrop and Kidsburgh’s Ambassador Yu-Ling Cheng. Parents and teachers will learn about the findings from CUE’s playbook on family-school engagement as well as on-the-ground strategies that are being implemented across local southwestern Pennsylvania school districts. The session ends with a Q&A.
Parents as Allies Webinars Join The Center for Universal Education at the Brooking Institution and Kidsburgh for their upcoming event, “Parents as Allies Webinars: Transforming Education Systems Through Family-School Collaboration.” About the Series The COVID-19 pandemic thrust family engagement into the spotlight, presenting an opportunity to markedly shift the overall vision for family-school collaboration. The Center for Universal Education (CUE) at the Brookings Institution has been researching how families and schools can better work together to improve and transform how education is delivered and what it can achieve. In addition, Kidsburgh has been working with a cohort of school districts on different family engagement strategies, including conversations asking parents and caregivers on what schools and families can do together. All events are free and will be hosted via Zoom. Registration is required. Session Information Tuesday, January 25 | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. This session is recommended for school leaders and teachers. Join lead author Rebecca Winthrop to explore CUE’s newly released playbook on family-school engagement, featuring key findings from a global survey of 25,000 parents and 6,000 teachers and a review of more than 500 effective family engagement strategies around the world. After a short presentation, attendees and educators will work in virtual breakout rooms to discuss insights from surveys across school districts in southwestern PA as well as create a shared vision for education that can lead to transformation. Wednesday, January 26 | 7:00 – 7:45 p.m. This session is recommended for parents and caregivers. In this virtual webinar, KDKA TV’s Kristine Sorensen moderates a presentation and discussion with CUE’s lead author Rebecca Winthrop and Kidsburgh’s Ambassador Yu-Ling Cheng. Parents and teachers will learn about the findings from CUE’s playbook on family-school engagement as well as on-the-ground strategies that are being implemented across local southwestern Pennsylvania school districts. The session ends with a Q&A.
November 10, 2021 A+ Schools 2021 Report to the Community Press Conference Join A+ Schools Pittsburgh to learn more about the indicators of equity they have highlighted this year, and to hear from representatives of Pittsburgh Public Schools, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, community members and more. Participants must register via the online form in order to receive the Zoom link.
November 2, 2021 Initiative Launches to Address Racial Disparity Among Teachers in PA Earlier this month, Remake Learning launched the inaugural cohort of an innovative program called OTIS: Operation Teacher (of Color) Irrigation System. This program aims to address the increasing disparity in the percentage of students of color versus the number of teachers of color in Pennsylvania. This initiative was led by South Fayette School District’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, Dr. Chuck Herring. He came up with the “irrigation system” concept to convey that the Pittsburgh region doesn’t need one narrow pipeline—especially given all the negative connotations that “pipeline” now carries in the world of education. Instead, Herring aims to “flood the region” with talented teachers of color from around the country by introducing them to Pittsburgh while they’re in college. The inaugural cohort is made up of four undergraduate students at Howard University studying elementary education. Howard University generally sends students to international locations for their months of student teaching, but one goal is to have OTIS participants do their student teaching in southwestern Pennsylvania. Continued funding will be sought out to continue and expand this program. About Remake Learning Remake Learning is a network that ignites engaging, relevant, and equitable learning practices in support of young people navigating rapid social and technological change.
October 27, 2020 Remote Learning Resources Available With recent changes to schooling due to COVID-19, Trying Together has compiled a list of remote learning resources to support teachers, parents, and students as they transition to and navigate remote learning. The Remote Learning Resources list is available on the Trying Together website. Additional COVID-19 Resources To best support community members and the young children in their lives, Trying Together has created two resource lists, featuring helpful resources that families and educators can use to maneuver this difficult time. COVID-19 Resources for Families and Caregivers COVID-19 Resources for Early Care and Education Professionals About Trying Together Trying Together supports high-quality care and education for young children by providing advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the individuals who interact with them. Trying Together works regionally (in Southwestern Pennsylvania) and takes its expertise and models to statewide and national audiences. Learn more on the Trying Together website.
September 18, 2020 Teaching Preschool with an Equity Lens Are you interested in learning how to promote equity in your preschool classroom? Join the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in October and November for their facilitated online mini-course, “Each & Every Child: Teaching Preschool with an Equity Lens.” About This online course will focus on what equity can look like for teachers working with children ages three to five years old on a day-to-day basis in the classroom. Participants will learn strategies and tips on how to support the learning and development of each child in their classroom through intentional play opportunities and guided instructional supports. Course Timeline This course includes four hours of self-paced learning and three hours of face-to-face video meetings with a facilitator over the course of four weeks: October 5, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. October 19, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. November 2, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Registration To register for this facilitated course, visit the NAEYC website. All registrations must be submitted by October 1, 2020. Space is limited.
September 14, 2020 CelebratED: 2020 Virtual Celebration Join the Grable Foundation on World Teachers’ Day to celebrate the wonderful educators of the Pittsburgh region and explore the future of education. This is a one-hour virtual event. Multiple viewing times available. About During the CelebratED: 2020 Virtual Celebration, the Grable Foundation will highlight the voices of educators, students, and parents as they describe the importance of educators and share their thoughts on how our communities can remake education. Highlights of the virtual event include the following: a keynote address by Deepak Ramola of Project Fuel; a DJ set by Pittsburgh Dilworth PreK-5 Teacher Joseph Wilk; storyteller Shannon Reed, author of “Why Did I Get a B?”; a performance by Alumni Theater Company; and soaring ideas, hard questions, and good thoughts expressed by innovators, agitators, and provocateurs. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
September 11, 2020 Co-Educating with Families Webinar Are you interested in learning how to utilize creative experiences to draw families into learning together? Attend the webinar “Co-Educating with Families” on November 4 to learn about practice strategies that bridge school and home learning. About In this webinar, Cheri Sterman and James Wells from Crayola will share practice strategies that bridge school and home learning. Whether it is Moved by Math, Writing Art-Inspired Stories, or STEAM for 21st Century Learners, projects that actively engage students as decision-makers who create, present, respond, and connect enliven learning! This webinar will be of interest to pre-k through middle school teachers and school and district leaders. Time for questions will be included. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
Unpacking Research on the COVID Slide Are you interested in learning about how much learning loss students are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Attend the webinar “Unpacking Research on the COVID Slide and Recommendations to Close the Gap” on September 16 to hear from researchers Dr. John Bielinski, Dr. Rachel Brown, and Dr. Kyle Wagner. About During this webinar, the researchers who authored the just-released report, “COVID Slide: Research on Learning Loss and Recommendations to Close the Gap”, will review the data and answer the following questions: Did certain grade levels experience more pronounced learning loss than others? Will core subjects experience the same levels of learning loss, or will one suffer more than the other? Exactly how far behind can I expect students to be when we resume instruction? What can I do to help catch students up quickly? This webinar will be of interest to K-12 teachers, school and district leaders, guidance counselors, and school psychologists. Time for questions will be provided. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
