Elliot Washor's TGIF 2.10.2023

“Are you with me now?” AJ Ryder

Twenty years of schoolin' And they put you on the day shift Look out kid They keep it all hid Bob Dylan Maybe not anymore Bob

College Preparation Falls From Grace In Americans’ View “The nationally representative survey from Populace, a Massachusetts-based think tank, illustrates how the public’s view of education has shifted since pre-pandemic days. In 2019, Americans ranked college preparation as the 10th highest priority for K-12 schools. In 2022, that fell to 47 out of 57.” This is not to say college is not important but it is to say that college better have a new form with new costs to be relevant. Can you say College Unbound? “Still Ms Krinsky acknowledged that police reform has to go beyond diversity. Because if we hire the right people, but then the culture of the organization, and how they’re trained, and the tone and values that are modeled aren’t the right ones — just hav This point is as true of the police culture as it is in many school cultures. As our mentor Seymour Sarason stated, “If you attempt to implement reforms but fail to engage the culture of a school, nothing will change.” This is why it is so important in the work about recruitment of a new teachers that we get involved in the change that can be brought about in the culture of a school. There’s a lot of work to do out there. The quote from Ms Krinsky, a former prosecutor who is now executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution is from an article opening up a complex conversation on race and diversity that stemmed from the murder of Tyre Nichols. A long-time friend of Big Picture’s James Foreman Jr. is part of the discussion here as well.

Just by coincidence in the history of BPL our first Leaving to Learn was to the Black American West & Heritage Museum in Denver.

A meeting with Western Governors University (WGU) about the International Big Picture Learning Credential (IBPLC) had them leaning in to find out more. A big question we might have is How Come? For me, it makes sense to them because finally a credential is legitimately assessing both in and outside of school learning not just separately but together and that is a game changer. Usually, you get credit for life experience without coursework or coursework without life experience but a warranting body that vets both at once, that is different. I’m looking forward to our follow-up talk. Allan Harris is one of my favorite jazz singers still performing. His voice is reminiscent of Nat King Cole and his guitar work is one of the best in the jazz world. I saw him perform less than a year ago and he’s amazing. Aside from being a performer Allan Harris has written the musical, Cross That River with his wife Pat Harris. In his weekly newsletter he wrote what is below. What a crazy world.

Gaby from Barbados sent an email this week about the changes in their NATIONAL SCHOOL NUTRITION

POLICY. The recommendations sound very close to what Gaby has been talking to them about that match up with BPLiving. Hopefully, we can get more schools in Barbados to look at BPLiving to support their work. Although Beyond the Box and Gaby are not mentioned, we are very use to having influence without being mentioned and that’s fine.

Dr. Marsha-Gail Davis is now on Big Picture Learning’s board. For me, this is a move that sets our work apart from any other education network and is truly and statement of being about the BIGGER, BIGGER PICTURE. Dr. Davis is a member of ACLM and within ACLM The group HEAL – Health Equity through Lifestyle Medicine.

Years ago, I met Dr. Marsha-Gail Davis through Dr. Jack Forrest who is one of our biggest supporters.

Our mission is to “HEAL” our communities by delivering health equity through lifestyle medicine strategies.

• Community Building: To build a community that educates, empowers and encourages its members to obtain and sustain health equity within the underprivileged communities they serve.

• Community Engagement and Empowerment: To empower our communities to achieve true health through strategic and evidence-based community-engaged lifestyle medicine.

• Community Partnership: To engage key stakeholders in partnership and collective work to further efforts to impact our communities through lifestyle medicine.

As Danique states we are expanding the work of ACLM around health in communities and HEAL is part of that work.

Carpentry Clubs – B-Unbound and Harbor Freight Fellows

When I got together with Joe Youcha, Charlie Plant and Mike Schloff from Maplewood Shop within an hour we came up with a way to do the Tighten Up on Carpentry Clubs that will give students access to mentors and sites along with practical skills built in and outside of school. Shades of IBPLC type of measures. Everything counts! We will be starting this work as a 7-12 continuum that gives students access to who knows what they know and who knows them. All good and all in a combination that has been a self-organizing process involving B-Unbound as well as Harbor freight Fellows and Newark Workforce Development, Newark Public Schools, the Eastern Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters and many more..

Be well!