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Grant Opportunities for Charter Schools – October 2020
October 20, 2020 /0 Comments/in Grant Writing, National Charter School Content/by edtecwp
This post includes grant opportunities with deadlines starting in November & December 2020.
EdTec is here to help your school secure additional funding for day-to-day operations or special projects. We've put together a list of regional and national grant opportunities currently available to charter schools. See below for more information.
If you're interested in receiving timely information about upcoming grant opportunities, sign up for the EdTec grants newsletter here.
Nationwide Grant Opportunities
Toshiba America Foundation
Purpose: Grants to USA sixth through twelfth-grade teachers at public and nonprofit private schools to enhance science, technology, engineering, and math learning. Funding is intended to increase student success-rates by introducing creative project-based learning ideas that will make STEM learning fun.
Grant Amount: $5,000
Deadline: November 1, 2020
Purpose: Grants of up to $1,000 to USA nonprofit organizations for educational engineering activities and events for youth. Priority will be given to events, programs, and activities geared toward underserved K-12 students. Funding is intended to provide hands-on learning experiences that inspire an interest and understanding of engineering and take place in or around Engineers Week.
Deadline: November 14, 2020
Regional Grant Opportunities
Stocker Foundation
Purpose: Grants to nonprofit organizations in multiple states to improve the academic performance of PreK-8 public school students in eligible counties. Funding is intended to upgrade educational practices and introduce STEAM learning programs.
Region: California – Alameda and San Francisco Counties
Grant Amount: varies
Sunwest Bank Charitable Foundation
Purpose: Grants to California nonprofit organizations for programs that support vulnerable families and children, and provide basic needs such as housing, food, education, healthcare, and safety.
Region: California
Grant Amount: up to $20,000
Deadline: ongoing
AMPED, Kids in the Game
Purpose: In-kind grants of youth exercise equipment to schools or an exercise program that encourages children to be active. Interested applicants are required to register as "active schools" prior to applying. The equipment is intended to be used to implement a morning walking/running exercise program designed by the funding source. Each tool kit includes bands, charms, tracking system, sound systems, ropes, and other apparatus.
Region: Northern California & Atlanta, Georgia
Grant Amount: in-kind
Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
Purpose: Grants of up to $500 to California K-12 teachers in public schools serving low-income populations. Funding is intended to provide materials that will enhance classroom instruction in life sciences and chemistry.
Region: Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties
Grant Amount: $500
Deadline: first come, first serve
If you're interested in receiving timely information about upcoming grant opportunities, sign up for the EdTec grants newsletter here. EdTec can also provide support with grant writing – reach out to our grants specialist to discuss your school's needs!
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From Crisis Management to Strategic Planning: A Four-Step Framework (Part II): Insights & Exercises
October 16, 2020 /1 Comment/in COVID-19 Resources, Leadership, National Charter School Content, School Operations/by edtecwp
(Part Two of a Two-Part Series)
By Guest Blogger Annie Crangle, Partner, Friday
Four months ago, as the Friday team prepared to spend the summer taking school leaders through a strategic-planning bootcamp, the following questions were top of mind:
Will a short-term crisis turn into an everyday reality?
Can long term-strategic planning be valuable in a crisis?
Could a pandemic actually present a unique opportunity to innovate?
Will the level of overwhelmedness and uncertainty decrease for school leaders, students, and families?
After helping 15 school leaders develop strong reopening plans grounded in a long-term strategic vision, we have more clarity on these questions, as well as some guidance and resources for schools in need of support.
Unfortunately, the crisis has turned into our everyday reality as many school leaders returned to school by extending their distance-learning model. And school staff, parents, and kids are exhausted from the continuous scramble. On the flipside, strategic planning has proven its worth in times of crisis, revealing "lightbulb moments" and helping leaders get a clearer understanding of their ultimate goals.
"The connection between short-term planning and long-term planning is now clear in my mind—and becoming more clear in our strategic plan. Now, when I think about reopening our school, I have a much better sense of both the forest and the trees." —Stacy Emory, Executive Director, San Carlos Charter Learning Center
Before we share more about our process and provide you with tools to start your own planning, here are some takeaways from our summer cohort:
Long-term planning provides short-term motivation: Leaders were able to get out of survival mode by establishing a vision for what's possible on the other side of the crisis. Leaders' confidence was restored by connecting short-term decisions to long-term solutions, and leaders felt empowered to seize the opportunity presented by the crisis to not only respond, but adapt and re-invent.
A design thinking approach to strategic planning provides structure and flexibility: With frameworks for continuous evaluation, leaders were encouraged to reflect on past circumstances and plan for the future. For example: What did we need before that we don't need now? What do we need now that we never needed before? What do we have that we can re-purpose in new ways?
School leaders need a space where they can be vulnerable about failures, open with questions, and generous with resources: During and after the cohort, school leaders reported lower levels of anxiety, a high degree of learning, and access to a wealth of new resources and knowledge.
Engaging staff in strategic planning exercises enriches the process and outcomes: After modeling strategic-planning exercises with the leadership group, we discussed how they might adapt these exercises to engage their staff. Many reported repeating the exercises with staff, and those diverse viewpoints strengthened their planning even more.
Strategic planning is a meaningful way to train new leaders: Schools participated in teams of 3-4, some of whom were newly appointed vice principals early in their leadership career. At the end of the cohort experience, these new leaders reported greater awareness of the skills and responsibilities of school leadership and they felt more equipped to step into the role.
It's possible to build relationships and community virtually: Our entire process was facilitated in a virtual environment—through the use of breakout rooms, virtual whiteboards, and play, we were able to collaborate and communicate effectively and build enduring relationships. Our summer cohort requested 3-, 6-, and 12-month check-ins to stay updated on each other's progress.
As noted in our last post, our process was structured around a four-question framework. For inspiration, here are some sample insights that our cohort participants reported at each phase of the process. And for guidance, we've also included some of the tools we developed to help you guide your own strategic planning exercises:
1. What opportunities and challenges do we face? Develop a clear picture of our new reality and identify the most pressing challenges and risks to our model and the communities we serve.
We asked school participants to complete a PEST Analysis: a summary of opportunities and threats due to Political, Economic, Social, and Technological forces.
We then asked schools to assess how their organization is equipped to respond to these changes by completing a SWOT Analysis: What are the strengths and weaknesses of our program (S&W)? How are we positioned to capitalize on opportunities (O)? How can we mitigate threats (T)? Lastly, we asked schools to put it all together: Based on our external analysis (PEST) and our internal assessment of our organization's readiness to respond (SWOT), identify our top five strategic priorities.
Through the exercises, one school identified the challenge of redirecting parent volunteers while campus was closed. The school team established a strategic priority to revamp family and community engagement, ultimately developing a system for parents to teach enrichment classes via Zoom.
Another school reflected on their community's differing views on social justice issues in the wake of George Floyd's death and the Black Lives Matter protests. Leaders identified the need to create and implement (in whatever medium) an engaging and effective curriculum aligned with a learner-centered approach, through the lens of social justice and critical consciousness.
2. How will we adapt? Sharpen your focus on critical academic model and operational shifts, and opportunities for innovation.
We guided school leaders through the essential shifts in developing a new academic plan, illustrating how to: be responsive to students' changing academic and social-emotional needs; support clear communication and progress monitoring; maintain a commitment to the school's instructional philosophy and approach; and adhere to new compliance requirements.
"Circumstances may be changing, your process may be changing, but your vision remains the same." —Jennifer Reyes, EdTec, Guest Facilitator
Through these exercises, one leader recognized the importance of keeping grade-level learning top of mind, adopting a "high expectations and high support" approach. Another school team reiterated that students craved feedback, so they decided to use formative assessments, hoping students would be motivated by seeing their own progress.
Second, based on their new academic plans, we walked school leaders through three steps to understand the operational and financial implications, asking them:
What new people, materials, resources are needed?
What existing people, materials, resources can be leveraged in new ways or redirected?
What existing people, materials, resources, can be eliminated or reduced?
"The program drives the budget." —Dena Koren, EdTec, Guest Facilitator
School leaders saw opportunities to redirect robust professional developments budget to technology needs. Existing resources such as noise-canceling headphones used in Special Education classes were made available for students to check-out for home use. Another team decided to leverage classroom instructional aides to assist with implementing new health and safety protocols.
3. What's our plan for making it happen? Map a realistic and financially viable short-term action plan; brainstorm near-term opportunities and long-term vision.
We asked school teams to reflect on five design-thinking questions to ensure each organization not only responds, but adapts, and reinvents through this period of change. (Many leaders repeated this exercise with staff using a virtual whiteboard—something we recommend for every school.)
One school team recognized that moving to a distance model has given them the opportunity to re-envision some foundational instructional approaches.
During week 6 of the 8-week process, we helped leaders collect their planning efforts into a 2020-2023 Strategic Plan Framework, with a focus on what makes their school unique, three-year core goals, key strategies, and vision for success.
4. How will we communicate effectively? Develop your message and communicate key shifts to your students, families, staff, and partners.
Communication is foundational to effective change management. We helped school leaders to engage in a stakeholder-mapping exercise to generate communications strategies and tactics that emerged from the following questions:
What is our compelling vision for each stakeholder group? How is that message communicated and reinforced?
Where are people now, and where do we want them to be?
What are the range of perspectives in each stakeholder group?
What initial and ongoing communication is needed to support desired changes?
"Put yourself in the mindset of the stakeholder, what's the first question a teacher is going to ask when you announce a new change?" —Elise Randall Hill, Rocketship Public Schools, Guest Facilitator
One school team decided to establish weekly one-on-one check-ins with teachers who were struggling with distance learning, as well as more frequent all-staff meetings for greater communication, camaraderie, and support.
It was a whirlwind eight weeks, but we agree with the school leader who commented at the end of our final session, "Can we start again from the top next week?"
We hope these resources and insights are helpful. And if you need more help to generate a new strategic plan in the midst of this constantly changing landscape, call us. Friday is launching more cohorts this fall, and we invite you to join us.
An 8-Week Process to Help K-12 Schools Move from Crisis Management to Strategic Planning
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September 4, 2020 /0 Comments/in Leadership, National Charter School Content, School Operations/by edtecwp
Equity is a driving force for charter schools in their quest to provide high-quality education options for all students, regardless of zip code. The COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures have created new challenges in this quest. As we learned this past spring, low-income students are at a greater disadvantage due to disparities in access to infrastructure needed for distance learning. Many schools across the country are starting the new year with either distance or hybrid learning, putting pressure on school leaders to determine how their school will continue to provide equitable learning opportunities for all students and families.
We've been following what charter schools are doing in this area and put together a list of suggestions for how school leaders can practice equity-based distance learning in the upcoming school year.
1. Check-in on Students and Families to Ensure Needs are Being Met
The students who are most in need are less likely to have access to a conducive learning environment, technological devices, internet connectivity, and parental supervision. Schools can play a role in helping to connect families to organizations that provide access to technological devices and internet service for reduced or no cost. You might want to check your state department of education's website for a list of local companies providing discounts. For example, the California Department of Education shares information about special offers by various internet providers across the state. Common Sense Education also shares information about organizations helping to facilitate access to low-cost and free internet service, devices, and educational content.
Schools can also provide families with information about community organizations that can help to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, and childcare. For example, schools can create a list of community resources with instructions on how to initiate contact and make the list easily accessible to all families by sharing it in newsletters and posting it on their website. Alpha Public Schools created a microsite Alpha Family Resources Hub to provide families with information about resources related to distance learning, housing, food, and more.
2. Prioritize Staying Connected with Students to Support Academic Success and Mental Wellness
During distance learning, regular live interaction between teachers and students is important to maintain connection and encourage stronger learning outcomes School leaders are tasked with overseeing the quality of communication between students and teachers while ensuring check-ins are done regularly with different modes of communication such as text, phone, video, small groups, and social media. Maintaining a consistent, open, two-way communication between your school and students and families will allow insight into how students are adjusting to the new learning environment and coping with other issues.
School leaders can create a space for informal and formal conversations with students by implementing virtual advisory groups or individual online meetings. For example, Memphis Merit Academy created a hotline for parents and students to call for help with schoolwork, LifeWork Hotline | Virtual Teacher, to support students' academic success. A similar model could work to connect students to counselors to support students' mental health and wellbeing and help students cope with the stresses brought about by the pandemic. School leaders may also call upon social and mental health services by directing families to their teletherapy services while emphasizing mindfulness, playtime, and exercise to help parents and guardians structure time at home.
3. Provide Flexibility That is Responsive to Students' Unique Needs and Abilities
It's important to consider students' unique needs and experiences when planning your school's distance learning strategy for the 2020-2021 school year. School leaders might consider distributing surveys that solicit student and family feedback on digital learning experiences as well as their home environments. This feedback will make you aware of any barriers to learning such as access to technology, home language, caretaking responsibilities and/or the presence of caregivers, and can help to inform your distance learning strategy and tailor your approach to serve different groups of students. For example, the survey results can help to identify which students have familial obligations during the day and need access to asynchronous instruction, as well as those who require synchronous instruction to keep them engaged and on track.
A survey can also help improve family and student engagement. For example, at the start of distance learning and after noticing that only a few students were engaged in daily learning, Rocketship Public Schools surveyed their families each morning to inquire what students needed to learn at home and worked to address those needs throughout the day. By the end of the school year, nearly every student was engaging in daily learning.
4. Focus on Mitigating Learning Loss
A recent study by NWEA predicts that students will experience a learning loss of 30 percent in reading and 50 percent in math due to school closures related to the COVID-19 crisis. To help mitigate potential learning loss, school leaders can focus on strategies that accelerate student learning. Accelerated learning strategies require that students consistently receive grade-level materials, tasks, and assignments while making the work accessible. This Learning Acceleration Guide might be a helpful starting point for planning your strategy. To make up for the learning loss, the accelerated student learning plan should start as soon as possible, and ideally should be put together by a diverse team of teachers, administrators, and school leaders in a series of planning sessions. It is helpful to plan several instructional delivery scenarios and have a high-level plan for each scenario. You'll also want to identify what unfinished learning needs to be addressed, and when and how. This document from Achieve the Core helps educators identify instructional content priorities in math and ELA in order to stay on grade level while addressing related prerequisite skills.
School leaders across the country are tasked with the challenge of developing strategies that maximize equity outcomes and address the diverse needs of their students during this unprecedented time of school closures. Equity-based distance learning helps to ensure that the most vulnerable students are supported during and beyond the pandemic. The resources cited here can help school leaders to implement school policies and processes that support equitable learning outcomes, as well as to train teachers to diagnose unfinished learning while providing acceleration support to the students most in need. What is your school doing to achieve equity in distance learning? Let us know in the comment section below!
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Grant Opportunities for Charter Schools – August 2020
August 27, 2020 /0 Comments/in Grant Writing, National Charter School Content/by edtecwp
This post includes grant opportunities with deadlines starting in September & October 2020.
P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children's Education
Purpose: Grants to educators for projects that enhance educational programs through art. Funding is intended to provide students in grades Pre-K to 12 with increased learning opportunities, which can strengthen motor skills and concept training. Eligible use of funds includes the purchase of visual arts supplies to be incorporated into non-art disciplines, including math, science, and geography.
National Society of High School Scholars
Purpose: Grants to high school teachers to benefit students from diverse populations or rural areas, as well as for teachers involved in inclusion and diversity programs for their school or community. Funding is intended to support expenses for field trips, materials, supplies, and other instructional resources used to assist in course delivery.
Deadline: October 1, 2020
Purpose: Grants to schools for projects that provide students with opportunities to engage with current and future energy challenges. Funding is intended to enable students in grades 6-12 to engage in educational projects that will enhance their understanding of science and technology, and inspire them to think differently about energy.
Grant Amount: $25,000
Purpose: Grants to purchase outdoor recreational equipment. Funding is intended to help communities provide children and families with more opportunities for play.
Deadline: October 30, 2020
Purpose: Grants to K-12 educators to enhance literacy. Funding may be used to purchase books, software and hardware, CDs, DVDs, and other educational resources.
Region: California (multiple counties), Georgia (Fulton County), Nevada, New York (Manhattan and Suffolk County), Tennessee (Davidson County)
Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation
Purpose: The Foundation is placing an emphasis on capital requests.
Region: California (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties)
Walter and Elise Haas Fund
Purpose: Grants for education to support preparing all Oakland and San Francisco public school students for college, career and civic life.
Region: California (Alameda County and San Francisco)
Grant Amount: $5,000 to $150,000
Deadline: Ongoing; must first submit LOI
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Tracking Attendance and Engagement During Distance Learning
August 18, 2020 /0 Comments/in COVID-19 Resources, Data Management for Charter Schools, National Charter School Content/by edtecwp
By the EdTec Data Team
This past spring, many schools learned that tracking student attendance and engagement during distance learning can be a complicated and often messy process. The good news is that it doesn't have to be! There are many ways to track attendance and engagement in this new learning environment, and you'll be in better shape if you clearly define which methods your school will use from the start. Accurate data is not only necessary for reporting purposes, it will also help your school to identify students who are not engaging and risk falling behind. We've put together a few tips to help schools get a plan in place to track student attendance and engagement this school year.
#1 Continue to take attendance on a daily basis
Most schools need to collect daily attendance to provide evidence of whether a student is present or absent to fulfill state, district, and/or other reporting requirements. This data is also important so that school leaders and teachers have an accurate picture of which students are participating in distance learning and which are not. This data can be used to inform optimal resource allocation and determine the appropriate interventions and supports for those students who need it most.
#2 Develop a consistent process for taking attendance that can be applied across learning models
Schools will likely switch between different instructional models during the 2020-2021 school year, so there should be processes and systems that allow for a seamless transition in attendance recording. To minimize confusion, consider setting up a daily Advisory or Homeroom class that can be used for taking attendance both when the school is offering fully remote instruction and when the school is ready to transition to a hybrid model.
#3 Have a system in place for tracking in-person attendance versus virtual attendance
Even if your school intends to or has already reopened with fully remote learning, plan to have separate codes in place if, and when, the school returns to some form of in-person instruction. Given the vastly different nature of remote learning, the ability to distinguish between and report on the two types of attendance will help schools identify students who may require additional resources and support. Keeping your attendance system as clear as possible will help ease any confusion when in-person instruction resumes.
#4 Rely on multiple sources of information to document and verify student engagement
While the guidance on what qualifies as sufficient documentation of student engagement varies across districts and is evolving, schools should keep track of and be able to demonstrate how students and teachers are being held accountable to one another.
Some sources might include:
Gradebook assignments and assignment scores
Log in records and log in duration from learning platforms or student portals
Daily logs (electronic or paper) that can be saved or stored in a student's file
Online polls or chat history
Attendee logs from video or audio calls
If your school uses PowerSchool or Aeries as a student information system, you can reach out to our school data experts for ideas about how to prepare your system for the new school year.
Having a clear plan in place to monitor student attendance and engagement will help your school to collect accurate data for reporting as well as determine which students may need additional support to keep them engaged and learning. How is your school tracking student attendance and engagement? Let us know in the comment section below!
Setting Up Your Data Systems for Successful Performance Analysis
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Resources to Help Charter Schools Navigate the Reopening Process
August 3, 2020 /0 Comments/in COVID-19 Resources, National Charter School Content/by edtecwp
As schools prepare for the 2020-21 school year, there are so many factors to consider. We know there is a lot of information out there, and it is difficult to keep track of all the updates. We've compiled a list of guidance and resources from government and health agencies as well as charter organizations to help school leaders quickly access the information they need to make critical decisions and prepare for the continued education of their students, be it through remote, hybrid, or in-person instruction.
The list includes national resources as well as links to state-specific guidance in states where EdTec currently has a presence. We will update the list on an ongoing basis as more information becomes available.
The Safe Reopening of Charter Schools by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
A collection of public resources on guidance for the safe reopening of charter schools.
State-Specific Resources
Stronger Together: A Guidebook for the Safe Reopening of California's Public Schools by the California Department of Education
Released on June 8, this guidebook aims to support public school leaders as they work with local health officers to plan for the safe reopening of campuses and classrooms this fall.
COVID-19 Industry Guidance: Schools and School-Based Programs by the California Department of Public Health
Guidance on School Re-Openings by the California Charter Schools Association
A collection of curated research and guidelines for California schools.
Planning the 2020-2021 School Year: A Framework and Toolkit for School and District Leaders for Feedback by the Colorado Department of Education
Reopening Schools: Health Guidance by COVID-19 Phase by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado Department of Education, and Colorado Governor's Office
COVID-19 League Support by Colorado League of Charter Schools
Resources include news; weekly support calls by topic such as special education, instruction, and technology; and webinars.
School Reopening Communications Toolkit by the Georgia Charter Schools Association and the State Charter Schools Foundation of Georgia.
Resources include letters to families, reopening surveys, suggested social media posts, and CDC posters in multiple languages.
Georgia's K-12 Restart and Recovery by the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Department of Public Health
The report provides guidance to support districts and communities in developing plans for reopening schools.
School Reopening Guidelines and Resources by the Louisiana Department of Education
Reopening Guidance by the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools
A list of links to information on statewide and city-specific guidance on reopening schools.
Nevada's Path Forward: A Framework for a Safe, Efficient, and Equitable Return to School Buildings by the Nevada Department of Education
Guidance for Path Forward Programs of Distance Education by the Nevada Department of Education
A memo with information on minimum requirements for distance education plans, attendance requirements, hybrid learning, professional development, and more. All schools must submit a plan for a Path Forward Program of Distance Education as a contingency plan in the case of future school closures.
Reentry District and School Guidance by the New Mexico Department of Public Education
Reopening Schools: Recover, Rebuild and Renew the Spirit of Our Schools by the New York State Department of Education and the Board of Regents
A website designed to help schools continue to educate students, whether in-person, remotely, or a combination of both.
School Reopening Resources by the New York State Department of Education and The Board of Regents
Resources for teachers and administrators as they plan for the 2020-21 school year.
School Reopening Toolkits and Guidance by the Tennessee Department of Education
A series of 20 toolkits provide guidance on topics such as school nutrition, transportation, special populations, technology, well-being and mental health, charter schools, and staffing.
School Reopening Toolkit: Charter Schools by the Tennessee Department of Education
A collection of checklists, best practices, and resources for charter schools as they prepare for a safe reopening.
We will update this list on an ongoing basis as more information becomes available. If you are aware of additional resources that you think would be helpful for us to share with other charters, please let us know in the comments section below!
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Leading in a Crisis: Charter School Leaders Share Their Experiences
June 25, 2020 /0 Comments/in COVID-19 Resources, Leadership, National Charter School Content/by edtecwp
Here at EdTec, supporting charter schools to succeed is at the heart of everything we do, day in and day out. As we navigate this difficult time together, this blog series will address various topics to help school leaders identify the tools, resources, and support they need to lead effectively.
This time, we reached out to our charter partners to learn more about their experiences over the past few months, including how they've tackled distance learning challenges and supported their school communities, as well as what they expect for next school year. We're grateful to share insights from school leaders at two of our partner schools: Ms. Jade Rivera, Founder/Executive Director of Albuquerque Collegiate Charter School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Dr. Hassan Dornayi, Principal of Para los Niños Charter Middle School in Los Angeles, California.
What has been the biggest challenge of implementing a distance learning plan? How is your school tackling this challenge?
Ms. Jade Rivera: I think the biggest challenge of distance learning that we've faced is not being able to maintain the same systems, routines, and structures that are so integral to our school's overall culture. Our teachers have worked hard to create and implement strong and predictable routines for Kindergarten-2nd grade students, which help our students experience that positive success every day, even if on an online platform.
Dr. Hassan Dornayi: The uncertainty.  Things are constantly in flux and often you don't know what things are going to look like even a month ahead, let alone the next school year. For us, this means that we need to be flexible for whatever might come our way.  We have a vision and plan moving forward, but also have in mind how we can change and update if and when we need to, while still ensuring our students and families have what they need to succeed.
What has worked best for you when it comes to managing faculty and staff remotely? Do you have any tips for other school leaders who might be struggling to lead their team from a distance?
Ms. Jade Rivera: In the normal school setting, we start every day with a quick 5-10 morning huddle. In light of the pandemic, we've shifted this to a beginning and end of week huddle. It's certainly not perfect, but it gives us an opportunity to check in with one another, share wins and highlights from the week, as well as brainstorm how to tackle challenges together. We've also held a few informal Zoom happy hour chats, where we can just hang out as friends and share updates from our personal lives. I've certainly missed seeing my teammates every day. We're so much more than just colleagues, they're some of my closest friends. Connection, now more than ever, is so important.
Are there any resources that have been especially helpful to your school during this time, that you would recommend to other school leaders? This could be an online learning resource but does not have to be – we'd also love to hear about other online tools, community resources, nonprofit organizations, etc.
Ms. Jade Rivera: Our co-teaching model has lent itself well to collaboration and multi-pronged support for distance learning. Teachers were already used to working in tandem, so team teaching on Zoom with 2 adults per class was a fairly easy transition. Furthermore, it has been a huge help to have co-teachers for online lessons, with one teacher able to focus solely on instruction and the other teacher able to help with technology needs, of both students and teachers.
Are there any unique actions your school is taking to support teachers, students, and/or families that you would like to share with other schools?
Dr. Hassan Dornayi: We are constantly pushing for ways to not just support our students, but also how to support their families.  A student can't succeed if they don't have safe, stable, and secure homes. Our integrated services work to ensure our students and families thrive – through education and wraparound support to address concrete needs, and build sustainable growth. These times have been challenging for students and families in a number of ways and we can't expect students to be academically successful if we haven't supported their other needs as well.
What has worked well for your school when it comes to supporting students with learning disabilities?
Ms. Jade Rivera: Our special education teacher maintains very close communication with our special education students and ancillary providers, which helped a great deal when transitioning to online provided services. Continuous communication and flexibility have been absolutely necessary to ensuring our scholars maintain their provided services and learning opportunities.
How do you think the extended school closures will impact "business as usual" once schools reopen? What will learning look like then?
Ms. Jade Rivera: One thing is certain, school will look and feel different come the fall. Our hope is that we are able to continue to implement a strong academic program for all students, while being incredibly thoughtful about the safety and health measures we put in place for everyone in our building.
Dr. Hassan Dornayi: I think everyone will need to take on the approach of doing whatever is needed to meet a student where they are and address their needs, whether it be fully online or a hybrid model.  I think for our teachers, because many of them are already going above and beyond to help our children, this will be an easier adaptation. Schools that don't already have an integrated model like ours in place might need to have more preparation to determine where the students' needs are and how they can help them persevere.
Have you been able to connect with other school leaders during this time to share resources or advice? How has this helped you to work through challenges?
Ms. Jade Rivera: I've been really fortunate to be able to connect with both local New Mexico leaders, as well as leaders from charter schools across the country. These connections have been tremendously helpful as we worked to design our distance learning plan, and as we begin to think about a hopeful return to school in the fall. Beyond the practical sharing of resources and ideas, it has also been a great support to have a network of colleagues who fully understand the challenges of the work.
Share something good that has come out of this for your school.
Ms. Jade Rivera: Our families have been so supportive throughout this entire process. From ensuring students stay engaged in their learning, to helping us creatively celebrate our teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week, they have never wavered in their backing and care for our school community. We are lucky to have them.
Dr. Hassan Dornayi: This crisis and transition to remote connection, has shown what an amazing culture we have at the middle school.  We started teaching the Monday after we went on 'shelter in place' and our teachers haven't looked back.  We have virtual classes, assemblies, and connections with our students that keep our positive attitudes and collaborative spirit alive. It has been incredible to be part of this effort.
While every charter school is different and what works for one school might not work for another, many charter school leaders have found it helpful to hear from their peers to get a fresh perspective and be inspired to try news ways to serve students and families during this challenging time. We hope you found these insights to be helpful, and we would love to hear what has worked well for your school, too – please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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Leading in a Crisis: Engaging with Prospective Families During School Closures
June 18, 2020 /1 Comment/in Leadership, Marketing & Communications, National Charter School Content/by edtecwp
Here at EdTec, supporting charter schools to succeed is at the heart of everything we do, day in and day out. As we navigate this difficult time together, this blog series will address various topics to help school leaders identify tools, resources, and support that can help them lead effectively. This time, we're providing a few ideas about how schools can utilize virtual and online tactics to engage with prospective families and drive enrollment for next school year and beyond, and have included a few examples of how our school partners and others are already doing that. We are not recommending or endorsing any particular tools or products, but simply sharing a few ideas for inspiration and further discussion among school leadership teams.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, charter schools relied heavily on in-person enrollment strategies such as school tours and special events that showcase student life and the programs and activities the school has to offer. But what happens when prospective families can't get to campus?
Like organizations in other fields, there is an opportunity for charter schools to tell their stories and keep their audiences engaged through the use of creative virtual events and other online tactics. We've pulled together a few ideas for how your school can focus on digital efforts to move prospective families from consideration to enrollment. Please note that like any other school activities, these ideas and approaches all have to be planned and carried out in accordance with all school policies and legal/ regulatory requirements.
Now is the time to use social media to connect with current and prospective families and the community at large. With many establishments closed for business as usual, folks are using social media now more than ever, and there is an opportunity for school leaders to use the tools at their disposal to foster engagement. Before sharing photos or video content on your school's social media accounts, website, or any other online medium, make sure you reference your school's media release policy to ensure you are in compliance and only sharing content featuring those students whose parents or guardians have given the appropriate permissions.
Keep Up with Posting
Rather than curtail your use of social media or scale down on posting, use it as a tool to tell your school's story and provide a sense of connection within your community. You can use social media to share how the school is handling distance learning and supporting students and families, as well as to highlight what makes the school unique. As one example, Para Los Niños shared quotes from teachers about why they enjoy teaching at the school during Teacher Appreciation Week. These posts serve to both celebrate teachers as well as communicate the school's strengths to prospective families.
If you could use some inspiration to help you create visually-appealing social media posts, Canva is a free, user-friendly graphic design tool that offers fun, customizable templates and the ability to design communications sized for multiple social media platforms and other uses. You can also upgrade to a paid model to unlock additional graphics and upload your organization's official colors and logos for easy reference. Canva can also be used to design and order printed materials.
Utilize Video
Video on social media is a great way to introduce your school to prospective families. You can ask current students, teachers, and administrators to record short clips about their experience at the school using their phones; these clips can be shared on their own or combined into a longer video about the school. Video is a great way to bring your school to life during this crisis. Albuquerque Collegiate put together videos celebrating their teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week. The videos not only highlight the school's great teachers, but also touch on why the students like their school. Your school's videos don't have to be tied to a specific holiday; anytime is a good time to share stories about how your school community is staying connected, engaged, and inspired during this period of distance learning.
Going live presents an in-the-moment opportunity for your school to engage with families. Your school can utilize live features on either Facebook or Instagram to host Q&A sessions with prospective families. During this series of live sessions, school leaders can answer questions from prospective families about the school's mission and vision, academic and extracurricular programs, and how the school is responding to the crisis. Buffalo Creek Academy, a school scheduled to open in Fall 2020, holds a twice-daily broadcast on Facebook Live and Instagram Live to share information about their mission and academic programs as well as answer questions from participants. Synergy Academies hosted a live event on Instagram's IGTV video app the night before college signing day to announce where their seniors would be attending college in the fall.
Create Facebook Groups
Your school can use Facebook groups to connect current and prospective students and families. As a moderator of your school's private Facebook group, you can share important updates while creating a safe place for prospective families to ask questions. It is important that you set guidelines at the start regarding the goal of the group as well as expectations for conduct.
Across the country, schools are finding unique ways to tap into virtual events to promote their enrollment efforts, such as hosting virtual school tours. In the absence of campus tours and in-person interactions, virtual events provide an opportunity for schools to continue their enrollment efforts. Below are a few ways that your school can use virtual events to meet families where they are and give them the information they're looking for.
Virtual tours are the new school tours during this time of school closure. It is a great way to engage prospective families and provide an on-campus experience without asking anyone to leave their homes. Success Academies used a sophisticated web-based application to put together this virtual tour of an elementary school. For schools looking for a quicker or less expensive option, a virtual tour can be recorded by anyone using a phone or video equipment, and they can even narrate the tour to include examples of activities that take place in each part of the campus. If your school doesn't have access to this equipment or the campus is not open for access right now, you can utilize existing photos to put together a presentation that describes the campus so that prospective parents and students can visualize what it might be like to attend school there.
Your school can organize virtual information sessions or town halls by using a video conferencing platform you are familiar with, such as Zoom. These town halls can follow the format of a typical school information session, where an administrator gives an introduction to the school and moderates the event, and other staff or school ambassadors (including teachers, students, and parents) participate by sharing their experiences and taking questions from the audience. Always make sure to check your video conference platform's security recommendations to minimize the risk of unwelcome guests and other concerns.
To help ensure the event runs smoothly, require folks to register in advance; this way, you can manage crowd size and know what to expect. You can also request that participants submit questions in advance so you and your team can assign them to the person most equipped to answer and prepare to have the information needed to provide a meaningful response.
Ethos Classical Charter School gives prospective families the option to set-up a one-on-one information session by using the Calendly scheduling tool. A callout is included on their home page, along with an email address for those with questions. The sessions are led by members of the school's leadership team.
To advertise the event, post the details on your website and share it on social media. Include links to additional information and prompt folks to sign-up, if applicable. You can also record these town halls and post them on your school's website and social media to both build your content bank and share it with those who weren't able to participate live.
Just like with in-person events, it's important that everyone who represents the school during virtual events has had the training to ensure consistent and appropriate messaging.
Other Virtual Sessions
Beyond more formal virtual events such as town halls, some schools are planning virtual office hours or "coffee chats with the principal". While most of these events target current families who may have urgent questions about the school's distance learning plan, they can also be used as a fun, informal way to engage with prospective students and parents.
Schools may also want to consider thematic virtual events that target specific interests. For example, school leaders could partner with a few coaches to organize a "virtual sports chat" to share information about the school's athletic programs and accolades as well as take questions from prospective students interested in joining sports teams. A similar event could be organized with college and career counselors to discuss the school's track record with college admissions and spotlight a few students who were recently accepted into the colleges of their choice.
Your school website is a primary source of information about your school, and it's the first place many current and prospective families go when they have a question. Families are likely looking for information about how the school is responding to the current environment and how it might impact the school's plans for next school year. It is important that your website includes a section about how learning continues at your school, and that your home page includes a straightforward link to this section, so visitors don't have to dig for it.
Create New Landing Pages for Virtual Events
Since your school's website is a primary source of information, it is an ideal place to include details about all your public-facing virtual events. A good way to make the event information easily accessible is to create a new page dedicated to promoting your virtual events. This page would host the event details along with registration information, if necessary. You can also use this page as a media hub and post photos and videos that highlight your school's mission, culture, and achievements. Method Modern Public Schools has an events page that also includes links to virtual tours of universities, museums, and other sites with no specific dates attached.
To encourage attendance at your virtual events, include them in the newsfeed on your home page for increased visibility, and link to them on your social media.
Provide Enrollment Information
To make things simple for parents and students looking to submit an open enrollment form, include all relevant deadlines and information on your website and link to it on your homepage so it is easy to find. You can also provide a form on the website where parents can submit questions and get answers regarding enrollment and/or address this information on a frequently asked questions page (more on this below).
Create a Frequently Asked Questions Page
Create a Frequently Asked Questions page to address the most common questions you receive from parents. You could include questions about enrollment, academic and extracurricular programs, and school culture, and also use this as an opportunity to highlight what makes your school unique so that parents don't have to search for it elsewhere. Rocketship Public Schools has a robust FAQ page that also includes questions and answers about charter schools to address common misconceptions.
Protect Yourself!
While there are lots of creative ideas and easy–to–use technology tools for virtually engaging with current families in your school community and prospective families, it is always advisable to step back and to evaluate in advance what is to be shared online by your school, and by representatives of your school, for appropriateness, compliance, and security. Leverage the appropriate legal and related expertise, including recommended training for your team, for smoother virtual family engagement.
While school doors are closed for the remainder of this school year, now is the time to look ahead and think about how you will make next year a success. Although using in-person events as an enrollment marketing tool is unlikely for the near future, there is still a tremendous opportunity for your school to use digital tools such as social media and virtual events to build up your enrollment pipeline.
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From Crisis Management to Strategic Planning: A Four-Step Framework
May 14, 2020 /0 Comments/in COVID-19 Resources, Leadership, National Charter School Content, School Operations/by edtecwp
(Part One of a Two-Part Series)
In the last few weeks, I've spoken with school administrators, lawyers, financial advisors, and educational consultants about the new realities that K-12 schools are about to encounter. As you can imagine, these conversations have felt overwhelming. This pandemic has underscored our vulnerability, the inequities that persist in our society and education system, and outdated elements in the way some of our schools are designed.
Teachers are finding it hard to give kids the consistency and structure they need to thrive from a distance. One school leader is finding that Montessori's hands-on principles aren't easy to adapt to an online platform. And critical social-service nonprofits are cutting their workforces, putting additional stress on schools that can't be addressed by digital learning curriculums.
It's not surprising to see education leaders hustle, scramble, and innovate in response to the crisis. You've worked hard to provide equitable transitions for the children and families that you serve, and have, in many instances, overcome challenges surprisingly fast. But as the immediate crisis turns into our everyday reality, some of the long-term challenges seem even more daunting: How will we transition students back into a daily school routine that will look much different from before? How will teachers make up for lost learning? How will we plan for 2021 and beyond knowing budget cuts are inevitable and health protocols will fluctuate?
Having spent the past seven years guiding schools in strategic planning processes, I've seen first hand the value in this type of planning (pre- and post-pandemic). While a school's charter outlines your commitment to the students you serve, a strategic plan allows you to brainstorm where you want to go next without worrying about compliance requirements. Make no mistake: A strategic plan is a serious document, but the process and outcome provide much-needed freedom to explore what's working well, what isn't working well, and what you aspire to achieve long term.
In the midst of all of this change, schools have a unique opportunity to innovate: Whether by choice or out of necessity, we're likely to see a fundamental redesign of the school model, including tech advancements, more equitable digital access, smaller class sizes, adjusted school calendars, even dramatic restructuring of teacher and staff time.
Based on strategic planning best practices, we encourage school leaders to:
Analyze what's likely to change your students' and families' lives and the education sector at large;
Consider your school's anticipated needs and evolving demands, the relevance of your current model, and overall capabilities;
Create a list of threats and opportunities; and
Identify your long-term vision for the next 5-10 years, then plan the steps you need to take each year to reach that destination.
From our experience leading strategic planning for public charter schools across the state of California, we've developed a framework to help schools emerge on the other side of change in a way that's aligned to their identity and responsive to the needs of their community.
Let's jump in.
Gather your leadership team and answer four broad questions to develop the essential building blocks of an effective plan:
For example, in addition to tracking economic, health, and policy trends and potential implications for your school, can you also say with certainty how the needs of your students, families, and staff have shifted? Perhaps some staff, students, and parents in your community are struggling to use the technology needed to sustain remote learning; or maybe some students need more social-emotional support.
2. How will we adapt? Sharpen your focus on the critical model and operational shifts and opportunities for innovation.
In other words, how must you change to respond? For example, given your learning targets, and the challenges of distance learning, identify new methods of teacher collaboration and professional development to equip teachers with new skills.
And how might you change to creatively meet the shifting needs? For example, for your most vulnerable students, how could you tap into young people in your community who are temporarily out of work or school to volunteer, as a way to increase individual and small group tutoring and/or mentorship for students?
Map three potential scenarios based on different projections of health and financial status. Prioritize action steps in terms of urgency (i.e., How likely are we to need to do this?) and impact (i.e., How much will this impact our ability to serve students and families?).
A high-priority item might be re-structuring staff given budget shortfalls, or developing a new calendar and facility plan to accommodate social-distancing requirements; a medium-priority item might be identifying donors for needed technology resources; a low-priority item might be reaching out to local colleges or universities for volunteers.
Think about what it will take to implement fundamental changes and introduce new programming (staff time, scheduling, possible stipends, etc.), while also planning for various possible financial and health scenarios. Before launching any new initiatives, also consider scheduling a focus group with your target audience to make sure the program is designed effectively.
How will you keep your community informed of critical updates? How will you let them know about new opportunities and resources? (Newsletter, social media, website updates, etc.) You should also think about how you will measure the results so you can revisit periodically and make adjustments as needed.
While we recognize it is impossible to plan for every change, we believe if schools are supported to plan, they will emerge stronger on the other side of this crisis.
In our next post, we'll help you answer each strategic question in-depth and share key insights from our experience guiding a cohort of schools through an 8-week planning process.
If you need more immediate support and you're interested in doing this work with other school leaders facing similar challenges, consider joining Friday's strategic planning cohort, launching the last week of May. Over an 8-week period, our team and network of expert advisors in the areas of operations, finance, legal, and school performance will guide school teams through a step-by-step process to systematically address the complexity of challenges your school is facing and to organize your team's response.
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Resources to Help Schools Navigate the COVID-19 Crisis
March 13, 2020 /0 Comments/in National Charter School Content, News and Events/by edtecwp
Originally published March 12, 2020; last updated July 9, 2020
Amid growing concerns of the rising threat of the Coronavirus, or COVID-19, many governments, businesses, families, and schools are facing the responsibility of developing a response plan. School leaders also need to be ready to answer questions from concerned students, parents, and staff, as well as consider alternative learning models to support continued education in the event of a school closure.
We know there is a lot of information out there, and it is hard to keep track of all the updates. We gathered a list of resources from government and health agencies as well as charter organizations so that we can all be better equipped to help prevent the spread of the virus, minimize the impact of disruptions, and proactively communicate our plans with those who depend on us. This list will be updated on an ongoing basis as more information becomes available.
Guidance for Administrators of US Childcare Programs and K-12 Schools by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This interim guidance is intended to help administrators of public and private childcare programs and K-12 schools prevent the spread of COVID-19 among students and staff.
COVID-19 Information and Resources for Schools and School Personnel by the U.S. Department of Education
Useful information, resources, trainings, and tools for addressing infectious diseases, related topics, and protecting the school community.
COVID-19 Resources for Charter Schools by the National Alliance For Public Charter Schools
A collection of information from trusted partners to help schools support their staff and families, including guidance on federal resources, SBA loans, distance learning, and educational equity, as well as a list of upcoming webinars. The website also includes links to information from state charter support organizations.
Map: Coronavirus and School Closures by Education Week
The coronavirus outbreak in the United States is prompting K-12 education leaders to shut down individual schools or entire districts. Track where closures are happening and how many students are affected.
Stronger Together: A Guidebook for the Safer Opening of California's Public Schools
Coronavirus Information and Resources by the California Department of Education
New additions as of May 11, 2020 include comprehensive guidance on topics such as distance learning, mental health, school meals, special education, and child care and student supervision, as well as a new statewide benefit program to help food insecure students.
COVID-19 Resources by California Charter Schools Association
CCSA is providing California charter schools with guidance and sample resources to support planning and communications to your school community.
COVID-19 Resources for Schools by the Colorado Department of Education
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has created COVID-19 fact sheets, guidance for schools and childcare providers and more.
Resources include news, a member survey designed to understand urgent needs, weekly support calls, and virtual learning webinars.
COVID-19 and Schools by the Georgia Department of Education
Detailed guidance for school districts on the preparations to take to prepare for the potential spread of COVID-19.
COVID-19 Guidance and Resources for Schools, Students and Families by Georgia Charter Schools Association
Information on topics such as assessment and accountability, special education, meal service, and paid sick leave, as well as a list of online resources for students and teachers.
COVID-19 Resources and Guidance for Schools by Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools
Includes guidance on remote learning, free family resources, and communication support such as sample letters to families.
COVID-19 Information and Resources by the Louisiana Department of Education
Up-to-date guidance for schools as well as resources for families such as a list of school meal sites and a toolkit to support learning at home.
COVID-19 Resources by Nevada Department of Education
Tips and resources to keep Nevada's communities safe and healthy, including online resources for schools, students, and families, and mental health resources.
CSAN COVID-19 Information by the Charter School Association of Nevada
Resources include a list of frequently asked questions and a list of local food banks to share with families.
COVID-19 Resources for Schools by the New Mexico Public Education Department
Includes the most current information as well as protocols, procedures, and best practices for all schools.
Continuing to Learn by NewMexicoKidsCAN
This report includes summaries of distance learning plans from every district and charter school across the state.
COVID-19 Information and Guidance for Schools by the New York State Education Department
This guide provides an update on measures needed to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak as well as recommended interventions and community containment measures including a checklist for schools to assist in planning.
COVID-19/Coronavirus Updates by the New York Charter Schools Association
A collection of guidance published by state and federal education and health agencies, as well as links to charter-specific tools and resources.
Update on Coronavirus by Tennessee Department of Education
The Tennessee Department of Education has prepared guidance for education leaders to help support them in making the best possible local decisions for their students, schools, and communities.
COVID-19 Resources by Tennessee Charter School Center
A list of information and resources on topics such as online and at-home learning, education of vulnerable populations, and nutrition.
This is a very challenging time, but we know educators and school leaders are uniquely equipped to demonstrate perseverance and leadership. Here at EdTec we'll be monitoring the situation closely and will provide updated resources as needed.
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Q: In triangle $ABC$, find maximum value of $\sin A \cos B + \sin B \cos C + \sin C \cos A$ In triangle $ABC$, find maximum value of $$\sin A \cos B + \sin B \cos C + \sin C \cos A$$
We could make $\cos C = - \cos(A+B)$ and $\sin C = \sin(A+B)$.
But then we have a rather awkward expression that doesn't share the same power
$$ \sin A \cos B + \sin A \sin^{2}B + \sin B \cos^2A $$
The answer btw is not hard to be guessed, $\frac{3}{4} \sqrt{3}$, but not sure how to prove it.
Actually looks like we can solve like below:
if $A < B < C$, then $cosA > cosB > cosC$, $sinC > sinB > sinA$
Then $sinA cosB + sinB cosC + sinC cosA \leq cosAsinC + sinBcosB + sinAcosC = sinBcosB + sinB = sinB \sqrt{1-sin^2 B} + sinB$
did I do this correctly?

A: Let $\{\alpha,\beta,\gamma\}=\{x,y,z\},$ where $x\geq y\geq z$.
Thus, since $\cos$ decreases on$(0,\pi)$, by Rearrangement we obtain:
$$\cos\alpha\sin\gamma+\cos\beta\sin\alpha+\cos\gamma\sin\beta\leq\cos{x}\sin{z}+\cos{y}\sin{y}+\cos{z}\sin{x}=$$
$$=\sin{(x+z)}+\frac{1}{2}\sin2y=\sin{y}+\frac{1}{2}\sin2y.$$
Can you end it now?

A: You can use Lagrange multipliers. You are maximizing
$$
\sin A\cos B+\sin B\cos C+\sin C\cos A
$$
under
$$
A+B+C=\pi.
$$
Using Lagrange multipliers and the identity $\cos (x+y)=\cos x\cos y-\sin x\sin y$, you easily get
$$
\cos(A+B)-\lambda=\cos(B+C)-\lambda=\cos(A+C)-\lambda=0,
$$
from where it follows that $\cos C=\cos A=\cos B=-\lambda$ and then necessarily (given that at least two of them are acute) $A=B=C$ and the maximum is achieved for the equilateral triangle.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Bookmark the Blog
In 1942, after Mahatma Gandhi asks Indians to give one family member to the freedom movement, ten-year-old Anjali is devastated to think of her father risking his life for the freedom struggle.
But it turns out he isn't the one joining. Anjali's mother is. And with this change comes many more adjustments designed to improve their country and use "ahimsa"—non-violent resistance—to stand up to the British government. First the family must trade in their fine foreign-made clothes for homespun cotton, so Anjali has to give up her prettiest belongings. Then her mother decides to reach out to the Dalit community,
I AM ALFONSO JONES
Alfonso Jones can't wait to play the role of Hamlet in his school's hip-hop rendition of the classic Shakespearean play. He also wants to let his best friend, Danetta, know how he really feels about her. But as he is buying his first suit, an off-duty police officer mistakes a clothes hanger for a gun, and he shoots Alfonso.
When Alfonso wakes up in the afterlife, he's on a ghost train guided by well-known victims of police shootings, who teach him what he needs to know about this subterranean spiritual world. Meanwhile, Alfonso's family and friends struggle with their grief and seek justice for Alfonso in the streets.
Eight Starred Reviews and a #1 New York Times Bestseller!
Angie Thomas's searing debut about an ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances addresses issues of racism and police violence with intelligence, heart, and unflinching honesty.
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is thrust into the national spotlight after her childhood friend is killed by a white police officer after a routine traffic stop. As she works through her grief and her relationships with family and friends, she must navigate the vastly different worlds of her suburban private school and her poor, urban neighborhood. This gripping debut echoes conversations about police brutality dominant in the news and moves readers beyond Twitter hashtags.
Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction
In Evicted, Harvard sociologist and MacArthur "Genius" Matthew Desmond follows eight families in Milwaukee as they struggle to keep a roof over their heads. Hailed as "wrenching and revelatory" (The Nation), "vivid and unsettling" (New York Review of Books), Evicted transforms our understanding of poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving one of 21st-century America's most devastating problems. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home,
An Indie Next pick, an Okra 2016 Winter Selection, and a SIBA Bestseller!
Fallen Land is Taylor Brown's debut novel set in the final year of the Civil War, as a young couple on horseback flees a dangerous band of marauders who seek a bounty reward. Callum, a seasoned horse thief at fifteen years old, came to America from his native Ireland as an orphan. Ava, her father and brother lost to the war, hides in her crumbling home until Callum determines to rescue her from the bands of hungry soldiers pillaging the land,
MISS KOPP'S MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS
The best-selling author of Girl Waits with Gun and Lady Cop Makes Trouble continues her extraordinary journey into the real lives of the forgotten but fabulous Kopp sisters.
Deputy sheriff Constance Kopp is outraged to see young women brought into the Hackensack jail over dubious charges of waywardness, incorrigibility, and moral depravity. The strong-willed, patriotic Edna Heustis, who left home to work in a munitions factory, certainly doesn't belong behind bars. And sixteen-year-old runaway Minnie Davis, with few prospects and fewer friends, shouldn't be publicly shamed and packed off to a state-run reformatory.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Several cafés in Prague where Kafka liked to come a century ago with his friend Max Brod do not exist anymore. Instead we now find cafés named after him. If Brod had followed Kafka's wish and had destroyed his friend's unpublished manuscripts after his untimely death in 1924, the world would not have known the three masterpieces of this extraordinary, inimitable writer. Thanks to Brod we now have 'Der Prozess' (1925), 'Das Schloss' (1926) and 'Amerika' (1927). And in a way thanks to Brod we can now have a coffee in café Kafka.


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Eating Out in Bristol
You now have to pay £118 before you can eat at this Bristol restaurant
And it's non-refundable if you can't make it
Winter Root Vegetable salad at Casamia
Top Bristol restaurant Casamia is the first in the city to introduce a non-refundable ticket-only system for diners.
Now, anybody who wants to eat in the Michelin-starred harbourside restaurant will have to buy advance tickets from the Casamia website for the full price of the tasting menu.
The tasting menus cost £118 per person, although that drops to £98 for mid-week and lunchtime bookings.
These three Bristol restaurants have been named among the best in the UK
Extras, such as drinks and discretionary service charge, are all paid for at the end of the time of dining, but that's still a potential bill of £472 before drinks and service for a table of four on a Friday or Saturday night.
Casamia, The General (the old hospital), Bristol
This is the first time a Bristol restaurant has introduced such a system, although other top eateries around the UK sell tickets, including The Fat Duck in Bray, The Clove Club in London and The Man Behind The Curtain in Leeds.
Owner and chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias says the extreme measures have been brought in as a way to combat the growing problem of 'no shows' - people not turning up for tables they have booked.
This restaurant has officially been named as the best in Bristol
In recent months, a number of top Bristol eateries have seen a rise in 'no shows', especially at weekends, and it can prove damaging to a small independent restaurant.
"No shows are a massive issue for the restaurant industry," says Sanchez-Iglesias. "Six years ago we installed a credit card holding system which allowed guests to cancel as long as they were outside of the 72-hour window but there would be a cancellation fee to pay otherwise.
Peter Sanchez-Inglesias at work
"This solved the problem of no shows on any given lunch or dinner service, but what we found was that customers were booking tables months in advance and then making their mind up 5-7 days before their booking date, which meant that we only had a few days to sell that cancelled table.
"For most people, this was too late as those people on the waiting list had already made other plans."
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The chef says that he hopes that by purchasing tickets and paying for the meal in advance diners will approach a meal with a different mindset, almost as if they were going to the theatre or a gig.
"We love the idea of people getting the same kind of feeling when they buy a ticket for a concert, the buzz you get when going to somewhere special, a moment you look forward to enjoying with friends and family.
These are the best places to eat in Bristol - according to the experts
"Our new booking system is a bit of a change from normal reservation systems that are currently in use around the country. It's very straightforward and clear on what dates and times are available for both guests and staff using it.
"Restaurants like Casamia don't get walk-ins so I believe no-shows jeopardise the future of all restaurants. It can make a big difference to a restaurateur who, for example, may need to replace a piece of broken equipment but can't at the end of the month because there isn't enough money in the account.
"When you count up all the no-shows and time wasted you understand that your average spend-per-head can be affected by as much tens of thousands of pounds over a year. To me, this is beyond reasonable."
Casamia crab salad
Controversially, the new Casamia booking system also means that there are no refunds even for people who can't make a meal for genuine reasons such as illness, although they can transfer the booking to a friend or family member.
"We state that all sales are final and we have to assume that the customer understands the reasons why the ticket can't be refunded.
"To be honest, we don't know who to believe nowadays. If you think about going to a live music concert, you wouldn't expect to call to cancel and receive a refund.
"The system facilitates for the need to rearrange in advance. Through a guest's online profile, they can transfer the table to a friend or maybe a family member to avoid losing out entirely."
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The pioneering ticket-only system is sure to divide opinion with diners but Sanchez-Iglesias says that the response so far has been positive.
"We've had great feedback, with customers telling us that it's a very organised and refreshing way to reserve a table and is also very simple to navigate.
"All the chefs that I talk to would love to use the system, but find it a bit scary. I think now that we, The Fat Duck, The Clove Club and The Man Behind The Curtain have successfully introduced it, I expect that over the years we will see a lot more restaurants joining the ticketing system and taking our lead."


Hello there! Here you will find the gallery of my favorite things.
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I will continue to update and add, so make sure to check back for more. Happy shopping my Friends!


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text:
located in Disney: Darkness Falls, a part of Disney: Darkness Falls, one of the many universes on RPG.
Disney: Darkness Falls
#2014-03-03 04:45:37, as written by Sunny-Skies
Sitting on top of a tree just beyond the clearing where Mulan, her father, and her cow were staying, Mushu stared up into the sky. After everything that had happened, how could the stars and moon still shine so brightly? He scowled slightly and closed his eyes, but the image was already burned into his mind. Cri-Kee was gone, Shang was gone, the rest of Mulan's family was gone... And how? Shan Yu was suddenly alive and kicking, along with his entire Hun Army. And Mushu could do nothing. Nothing!
Angrily, Mushu lashed out at the tree with his claws. It did nothing to help the present situation, but Mushu felt a little better for it nevertheless. He let out a deep breath and counted to ten in his head. That usually did the trick when he was trying to calm down, and it did this time as well. Instead of being mad at an inanimate object, Mushu focused his anger on Shan Yu. He may be more than four times Mushu's size, but that wouldn't stop him the next time they met. Mushu would make him pay somehow.
The sound of passing feet drew Mushu out of his thoughts. He looked down to see Mulan's father going out into the forest, probably to get some more firewood. That was his cue to return. The only person Mushu trusted to keep Mulan safe was himself and her father. Okay, the horse could be useful as well. But other than that, no one. He slid down the trunk and quickly made his way back to the clearing.
Once Mulan was in sight, Mushu gave a small cough to get her attention. It wouldn't be of any use if she attacked him because she thought they were under attack. He nodded at Mulan, sat down next to her, and softly patted her knee.
Claude Frollo
Frollo refrained from giving a small grunt of disapproval when Maleficent began to speak. Just because she had helped him return from Hell didn't mean he owed her any favors. And what she was doing right now- witchcraft and associating with demons- was definitely something that would come back to haunt her. At the moment, the only reason Frollo didn't punish her was because she was still useful. After all, the Lord helps those who help themselves.
He listened as several other villains began to give their reports. There were few of them that he deigned to pay attention to, even fewer that he actually liked. But even he had to admit that ridding the entire world of the wicked would have been impossible for one man, even one as qualified as himself.
When Hades began to speak, however, Frollo straightened up. Of the top three in charge, Hades seemed to be the only one with some sense. At least he hadn't made any claims to run the operation, which was basically what Maleficent had done. She might be able to convince others that everyone was a team, but it was obvious to him that she was putting herself above everyone else. Frollo also couldn't help but feel a small amount of respect for Hades. The fact that he was willing to destroy his fellow gods meant that he knew what was right, in a sense. But that didn't mean they were friends. Not by any stretch of the imagination.


sd02:431960s - Indians turn to sterilization in the 1960s as a method of birth control.
hd00:08MOSCOW, RUSSIA - OCT 10, 2013: General meeting of homeowners residential complex Elk Island. Total area of residential complex apartments is 100 thousand Sq.m.
hd00:39DNIPRO, UKRAINE - JUNE 11, 2016: TURANDOT opera performed by members of the Dnipropetrovsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre.
hd00:201970s: Classroom. Little girl holds bowl and gestures with spoon. Teacher sits with children in toy kitchen.


For me, the road to a plant-based lifestyle and the development of Plant Life started many years ago with medical school, and maybe even before then as a rower learning about nutrition from my fellow un-educated teammates or my freshman coach, Adam Holland who got me to read about the Atkins diet. But I don't think one has to survive that nightmarish process (rowing and/or med school) in order to get excited and commit to adopting more plant-based foods and habits! In fact, the whole point of Plant Life to get people up to speed and to experience the benefits of a plant-based diet with a lot less of the hassle than I had!
While people have many reasons for changing their lifestyle, and all are welcome, I usually recommend the same resources I used. My changes had a lot to do with the health benefits related to a plant-based diet and lifestyle: preventing heart disease, reducing risks of diseases, and just plain ol' feeling better every day I have on this green earth! Usually, that is what is prompting others, as well.
"Forks Over Knives" - This was sort of a random Netflix choice that started it all for me. I watched this by myself, and then a couple of weeks later with my best friend, Joe, and his girlfriend–we all decided it was time to make a change. It's a great overview of the ideas, pioneers, and the impact of living the Plant Life!
"Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death" – A few months after watching Forks Over Knives, one of my friends happened across this video of a lecture by Michael Greger, MD. I think the guy is hilarious, and in the process of cracking me up he provided a more in-depth view of what a Plant Life can do for you from a health perspective. More plants leads to less disease!
How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease – Caldwell Esselstyn is one of the "stars" of Forks Over Knives. His book really meant a lot to a physician like me because I've worked with guys like this, and they wouldn't abandon the old claims of traditional medicine if it were not for the incredibly convincing results–and boy they are convincing! Plus there are some great recipes in it! Later on, I'll post about how this book changed/saved my dad's life!
The China Study – No offense to the dad I referenced above, but T. Colin Campbell and Esselstyn's sons are super lucky to have dear old dad be founders of the plant-based movement (makes creating a plant-based website wayyyyy easier). This one was co-authored by father son Campbell. Aside from that, this was a very interesting population-based book that was also featured in the Forks Over Knives movie and gave me some good discussion points to work through the bigger picture of plant-based eating.
So there you have it, my Start Up list! Full disclosure, there are some scathing arguments out there against some of these sources–some people get super aggressive defending the status quo. But don't knock it until you try it; I'm only including that statement so you don't think I have my head in the clouds!
I should also say, the process of getting through all this stuff took a coupe of months–so don't think I went and soaked all this up in a few days. You don't even have to read and watch it all before you get started!
Also, there are a ton of other books and resources out there that could work for you! If you have any other suggestions, leave them in the comments below–they might help someone on the path to living the Plant Life!


Thai massage treatment recognises the importance of the whole person in relation to holistic health. The power of touch combined with the concept of balance and harmony in the body release tension, enhances relaxation, eases stiff muscles by breakdown of toxins in the body, and enabling general health.
Swedish massage uses long, flowing, soft strokes. The main purpose is to increase oxygen flow in the blood and release-toxins from muscles. This is a relaxing treatment and helps ease muscle tension.
Deep Tissue massage focuses on the muscles and is designed to relieve severe tension, constant pain of physical injury. Our therapist will occasionally apply deep pressure and strokes to achieve a measure of relief.
Using essential oils for the purpose of altering a person's mind, mood, cognitive function and health. (Please advise your therapist if you have skin allergies before treatment begins).
Hot stone massage is a full body speciality massage where the therapist uses smooth, heated stones as an extension of their own hands, or by placing them on the body. The heat can be both deeply relaxing and help warm up tight muscles so the therapist can work more deeply, more quickly.
Booking is essential for this massage as it takes some preparation .
Pomegranates and Acai anti-ageing facial treatment uses the pomegranate and acai extracts,which are high in anti-oxidants,minerals and vitamins to condition the skin and leave it youthful by providing long lasting hydration.Hot towels are wrapped around the face to deeply cleans and tone the skin.The natural anti-ageing ingredients heighten the skin tone and help reduce appearance of pores.
Therapist apply pressure to the leg and feet with thumb, finger and hand techniques with oil. Reflexology creates relaxation, reduces pain, improve blood flow, aids post operative recovery, impact on physiological measures.
A spa treatment body scrub exfoliates your entire body. Using pressure massage movement with warm water to moisturise, soothes skin as it is scrubbed, and sloughing off dead skin cells. (Not suitable for fragile, sensitive or skin allergies).
Ear candling is a pleasant and non-invasive way of removing excess wax build up in the ear. The candle is a small flax tube infused with honey and herbs . During the process a pleasant warm sensation is felt along with faint crackling sounds while the area surrounding the ear is massaged .
Couples Massage is another excellent way that you can relax with your selected partner .Choose from thai , swedish , deep tissue massage . Bring your partner , friends or family members .
Copyright © 2018 Nam Tip Thai Massage - All Rights Reserved.


text:
Rigzhung Football Club era um clube de futebol do Butão. Disputou a primeira divisão nacional pela última vez em 2009.

Clubes de futebol do Butão

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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