Month: March 2019

Girls Inc. Scored Super Bowl Ad

The price of airtime would have been roughly $3.36 million but for Girls Inc., and its 81 affiliates in the United States and Canada, the impact of boosting its message of empowerment during the Super Bowl probably cannot be calculated. CBS Corporation, a long-term supporter of Girls Inc., provided 20 seconds of airtime during Super Bowl LIII for a public service ad touting the organization and empowerment of girls. The ad included members of the New York Giants football team and the Macaroons, a team of girls who score against them. CBS also provided production of the ad.

Pittsburgh Named First City in North America to be the Site of Hundred Spotlight’s Global Campaign

On a recent day in Pittsburgh, students at a performing arts charter school were learning about dance and about the importance of diversity from Tre Frazier, a dancer in the national touring company of “Hamilton.” Throughout the city, other students were busy discovering new ideas at museums and libraries. Some were even getting real-world entrepreneurial training at pop-up businesses launched within their own school buildings. That is how education happens in many parts of the Pittsburgh region, thanks to years of collaboration between schools, museums, libraries, community centers and the growing pool of stakeholders in the Remake Learning network. That innovation is now being showcased on a global scale, as Remake Learning takes the stage at the international Learnit summit in London later this month and the global nonprofit HundrED names Pittsburgh as the first city in North America to be the site of a HundrED Spotlight campaign.

80 Percent of Decision Makers in Technology and Engineering Agree There is a Talent Gap, Modis Survey Finds

When it comes to hiring candidates with the appropriate technical skill sets, 41 percent of decision makers within technology and engineering fields indicated it is becoming more difficult to find the top talent they need, according to the Technology and Engineering Workplace Trends survey by Modis, a leader in IT and engineering workforce solutions, and General Assembly, a pioneer in education and career transformation. This survey explored the attitudes and beliefs of 1,006 decision makers in technology and engineering on issues pertaining to recruitment and benefits, employer challenges and other trends impacting the current and future workplace.

Science Action Club Creates Meaningful Science Experiences in Rural Alaska

Known for its diverse wildlife and awe-inspiring mountains and forests, Alaska is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Yet while natural beauty abounds, opportunities for science engagement in the state are limited. Science Action Club, a citizen-science-centric program of the California Academy of Sciences has brought hands-on, interactive science experiences to kids and adults across the country for nearly a decade, and now also to Alaska.

I Can’t Believe You Did That

This is a favorite phrase of disbelief we like to use as adults when we come face-to-face with mistakes made by youth. But, when you come to understand the mental and emotional state of adolescence, the question is pretty absurd. Because it takes the better part of the first two decades of our lives to fully understand and make decisions based on consequences. This is the beginning of understanding social emotional learning, the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions and make responsible decisions. So cornering our students and demanding an explanation only makes matters worse. When we corner our kids verbally or physically, they cannot access the logical and executive functions of their brains. They shut down, fight back and run.

Ten Significant Accomplishments of the African Community Learning Program in 2018

University of Pennsylvania senior Aminata Sy founded the African Community Learning Program in October 2017 to inspire academic achievement among 1st to 8th grade students with African backgrounds in Philadelphia. Since then, the afterschool program’s students have toured the Philadelphia NBC 10 station, improved their English-language skills with culturally relevant curriculum, and received visits from Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. “Many students went from not speaking English to communicating, reading, writing and comprehending the language and our texts as well as presenting to our class,” Sy wrote in the Philadelphia Sunday Sun.