Newborn infants in Rhode Island will leave the hospital with two things: a birth certificate and bank account.
Starting this month, the Ocean State is streamlining an existing college savings program known as CollegeBoundBaby. Since the initiative’s start in 2010, enrolled infants each receive $100 in a 529 savings plan from Rhode Island, but it’s been highly underutilized due to a unwieldy application that required parents to supply multiple pages of information and pick an investment strategy. As a result, only 400 families enrolled, according to the Providence Journal.
But now, parents can now sign up the day their child is born by simply checking a box on the birth certificate form, a small fix that the newly elected governor hopes will boost the program’s reach.
“The system now requires parents to take the initiative to open an account,” says Governor Gina Raimondo, the state’s first female governor. “With this program, before the parents leave the hospital, all they have to do is put an X in the right box and boom, the account will be set up.”
Here’s why this simplification matters: More than one-third of all Americans have no money in savings and even fewer have funds stored away for college. Many low-income youth will leave college burdened by debt, if they choose to attend at all. State governments like Connecticut and a cluster of nonprofits are aiming to change that by incentivizing families to open 529 accounts by fronting the initial seed deposit. (It’s worth noting that there can be cons to putting money in a 529 plan, so families should always look at the specifics before investing.)
The small cash incentive not only provides some economic certainty, it also forces the parents to think about long-term financial planning and sets goals to which young people can aspire. It’s proven to work. Studies show children with dedicated savings for higher education are seven times as likely to attend college. (For those not seeking a B.A., money in 529 accounts can be used to pay for trade, technical or vocational school; if not used by age 25, it reverts back to a state’s education fund.) Even beyond the benefits that come with a college degree like higher job earnings, one study found that just having a bank account aids children’s social and emotional development and correlates with optimism and decreased depression for the children’s mothers.
“From the research, we know that kids who have a college savings account, regardless of the amount, are much more likely to get an education beyond high school and graduate,” says Raimondo, a Democrat who previously served as Rhode Island’s state treasurer. “Some think it is because they have the money. The real reason is they know they are college material. It changes the way they think about themselves.”
Because the underlying principle is that families can advance themselves through smart fiscal planning, college savings accounts have bipartisan appeal to both Republicans and Democrats, Andrea Levere, president of the Corporation for Enterprise Development, notes in a New York Times op-ed. The accounts have a number of models — publicly funded, donor-supported or a mix — but so far, they haven’t taken off widely: only about 200,000 young kids have the potential to receive seed money for one instead of the millions who should have access, Levere says.
Rhode Island’s streamlining of the process could improve the national model. According to Margaret Clancy, policy director at Washington University’s Center for Social Development in St. Louis, where researchers first posited college accounts in 1991, this initiative makes Rhode Island one of only three states promising universal savings accounts. Nevada starts every kindergartner with a $50 deposit, and Maine recently switched their $500 grants from opt-in to opt-out, automatically applying to every infant.
“Everybody thinks their child will grow up to be President of the United States or go to college when they’re born, but what we see is that at age 4, those goals have decreased in a lot of people’s mindsets,” Clancy tells NationSwell. Children never develop a “college-bound identity,” then financial and academic preparation fall by the wayside. Universal sign-ups, which have proven to enroll 18 times as many families as would sign up voluntarily, Clancy notes, are the most efficient way to set babies crawling in the right direction.
Raimondo admits this largely bureaucratic change is “hard and unsexy work,” but she believes “it’s going to really change people’s behavior. Small changes like this can have big, powerful impacts.”
Tag: education
At This School, Parents and Kids Learn Side-By-Side
School is in session, but at the Briya Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., the students are certainly not who you’d expect to be roaming the hallways. Instead of just kids, there’s adults in attendance, too.
Back in 1989, Briya began as a family literacy center run by and for immigrants, but it gained charter school status in 2005, reports National Journal. Since then, the school has doubled as a place for both adults and young children to learn, as well as a day care for the adult students’ young children. While not a requirement, most students are immigrants, who attend for free.
The philosophy behind Briya? That the only way to stop the cycle of low-income families is for parents and children to have access to the same essential resources: education, health care and work skills. So Briya combines all three of those into one, offering classes for adults in English language, basic computer skills and parenting. While classes, which are held each day for two-and-a-half hours, aren’t compulsory, it’s expected that adults will attend for at least one year (some may enroll again the following year).
Through its “two-generation” approach, Briya is aiming to tackle the problem of poverty at its core: the family.
“They’re getting English classes, and someone’s going to take care of [their] kid,” Briya Executive Director Christie McKay tells National Journal. “They want [their kids] to do well in school, better than they did.”
And for many, that’s the first step to success.
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This Unlikely City Is Cranking out IT Experts
In the Victorian building on State Street in Camden, N.J., computers are whirling as part of the IT training and consulting nonprofit Hopeworks N’ Camden that’s bringing education and help to the city’s residents — and rejuvenating the spirit of the city in the process.
Camden probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking about IT. After all, 43 percent of the population doesn’t have a high school diploma and 47. 8 percent are living in poverty, reports Next City. Hopeworks is working to do something about this and so far, the program has assisted more than 1,000 youth enter college, begin careers and achieve GEDs. It’s also provided training in web design, geographic information systems (GIS) and the global cloud computing platform Salesforce. Additionally, trainees can put their schooling into practice by working in the Hopeworks consulting firm, which services members of their community. The nonprofit has around 60 clients for whom they provide GIS services.
“We offer a service and people hire us to work for them, just like any other consulting firm,” GIS director Luis Olivieri tells Next City. “We just finished a project with the Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission to locate their fire hydrants using GPS technology.”
For the student-employees, the experience is rewarding and something they probably thought wasn’t possible. Theadie White attends Camden County Community College and works at Hopeworks as a web intern as well.
“Yeah, I like it. It pays me, so that’s awesome,” Theadie explains. “But it also gave me a lot of skills I didn’t expect that I needed improvement on. I’ve gotten a lot out of it and a lot of other people can get a lot out of it, as well.”
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With Books in Hand, These Students Are Going on a Ride
There’s a movement traveling through school classrooms across the country. Literally.
Stationary education is becoming a thing of the past as schools are discovering the benefits of blending exercise and learning. Through the Read and Ride Program, health- and grade-boosting exercise bikes are becoming fixtures in schools — and they’re proving their worth.
It all began five years ago at Ward Elementary School in Winston-Salem, N.C. Instead of desks, Ward has an entire classroom filled with exercise bikes. Periodically throughout the day, teachers will bring their students to the room to ride and read.
Not only does the program encourage and promote reading at a young age, the exercise factor improves students’ brain functioning, too. In 2010, Ward Elementary students who were in the program achieved an average 83 percent reading comprehension, while those who weren’t averaged just 41 percent, reports Fast Company.
Due to these standout results, solo exercise bikes are being added to classrooms to use as a “reward” for students or to just allow them to release some excess energy.
“Riding exercise bikes makes reading fun for many kids who get frustrated when they read,” program founder Scott Ertl tells Fast Company. “They have a way to release that frustration they feel while they ride.”
Looking beyond the educational benefits, the bikes also provide great exercise for kids who are confined in a classroom for six hours a day.
“Many students who are overweight struggle with sports and activities since they don’t want to always be last or lose,” Ertl explains to Fast Company. “On exercise bikes, students are able to pace themselves and exert themselves at their own level — without anyone noticing when they slow down or take a break.”
Since 2009, the Read and Ride program has gone national with chapters in 30 other schools. Russell Jones Elementary in Rogers, Ark., is one of those schools. In 2011, students who were a part of the program had an average growth rate of 113 points, whereas those who weren’t scored an average of 79 points.
They say that reading can take you anywhere, so the only question is: Where do you want to go?
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How Technology Can Level the Playing Field for Rural Towns in America
The sleepy town of Piedmont, Ala., sits at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, about 15 miles west of the Georgia border and what seemed to be dozens of miles from the edtech phenomenon that’s transformed communities and classrooms across the country.
But that changed in 2009 when Piedmont first began its foray into embracing technology and when the district adopted a one-to-one laptop program for older students. Since that point, the school district has been adding online courses, and in 2012, rolled out a wireless network blanketing the entire town. But unlike many school districts that have adopted similar high-tech learning strategies, Piedmont is not only aiming to help its children, but also hoping to revive a fledgling town that has seen the closure of several factories — leaving many without jobs. More than 9 percent of locals are unemployed and 25 percent of adults age 25 and older have less than a high school diploma.
“That’s always been the bigger picture,” says Matt Akin, superintendent of Piedmont City Schools. “What can we do to revive a community?”
With just 4,800 residents, the town’s median household income sits at about $33,000, which is about $20,000 lower than the national average; almost 37 percent of Piedmont’s children live in poverty. Which is why Akin and other community leaders are hoping embracing high-tech learning will attract more people to see the town as a great place to settle down.
As research shows, access to technology and the Internet in rural areas has the potential to close critical information gaps and helps residents access higher education and scholarship opportunities, online courses and other educational resources.
“Technology allows people in rural areas to reap the benefits of a rural lifestyle, while not sacrificing access to learning opportunities,” says Karen Cator, president of Digital Promise, a classroom technology advocacy group.
Though Piedmont educators have embraced technology in the classroom, they quickly realized that students were unable to translate the tech into their home lives with out access at home. Students were forced to sit outside the school to access the network in order to download videos or assignments, according to Piedmont Middle School principal Jerry Snow.
After receiving a federal E-rate grant to set up a wireless network in late 2011, Piedmont leaders moved on to resolve the next problem, which was a lack of technical experts or IT staff to help locals adapt. District leaders then began welcoming more student teachers to assist educators with technology, as well as partnering with local colleges.
Students laptops have also helped engage parent involvement, including helping them pursue their own opportunities, according to Akin. Parents use the wireless network and laptops to take their own online or GED courses, apply for jobs and access other resources. These types of outcomes are exactly what Akin was working toward.
But now he’s also expanded his goal to include addressing academic needs across the school district — including personalized learning approaches that test individual students and measure progress. Now, teachers vary between group lessons and monitoring individual work and students are assessed by online programs and also receive online lessons based on their academic levels.
“They can work at their own pace now,” Snow says.
While it’s still too early to tell whether Piedmont’s push for a more tech-savvy community will transform the entire town, some parents have seen improvements in their children’s grades and attention span in school. But Akin believes the multi-year effort will pay off in the long run.
“We just want kids to have the same opportunity that kids in other places have,” he says. “The opportunities that our kids have, and the opportunities that any kid has, shouldn’t depend on where they live.
MORE: For Kids That Struggle with Reading, Digital Literacy Programs Show Promise
How Can One Nonprofit Solve Two Big Problems Facing Both Veterans and Low-Income Kids?
Bob Kincaid, co-founder of the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Get Veterans Involved (GVI), has found that it’s possible to kill two birds with one stone. His nonprofit helps two groups — veterans who struggle when they return from service, and elementary school kids in need of mentors — at the same time.
How is that possible?
While veterans train for new jobs or attend college, the organization pays them to visit local elementary schools each week.
“They’ve got no mission. No purpose. The hope is to give them purpose,” Kincaid tells the Times Free Press. “If we can have these service members recognize these kids need them, we have a mission for them.”
Kincaid believes the program, which kicked off in five elementary schools this year, will help veterans feel connected to their community as they work to make a smooth transition into civilian life. Additionally, the work will help low-income kids in innumerable ways. “We mentor the kids, who then mentor the vets,” he adds.
Instead of having the vets come to the schools with a lesson to teach or a talk to give, GVI instructs them to simply help out in whatever way the classroom teachers need them to. One basic task the veterans assist with at Calvin Donaldson Elementary, for example, is helping kindergartners learn their ABCs.
Principal Cherrye Robertson says, “Right now all of my kindergartners know all of their letters, which is phenomenal. We’ve never had all the kindergartners in the whole building know all their letters at this time of year.”
With early successes, GVI is aiming to expand through funding and donations. GVI co-founder Ron White says, “The vision is for this one day to be in school districts around the country.”
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For Students Struggling to Learn English, This Border State is Providing Specialized Help
Being a land of immigrants, America is filled with people speaking a variety of languages. Unfortunately, however, children of these new Americans aren’t nearly as proficient in the English language as they need to be. So one state is doing something about it.
California’s initiative to define and identify “long-term English learners” is the first of its kind and comes in the form of a state law and programs by school districts.
The reason for this move? Data from a California study reported that 350,000 students in grades 6 to 12 that have been enrolled in California schools for at least seven years still aren’t fluent English speakers, according to Governing.
Of that group, 90,000 have been identified as long-term learners. To be labeled as such means that the student hasn’t progressed on California’s English proficiency exam for two consecutive years and scores below grade-level on English standardized tests.
According to a 2010 study by the nonprofit Californians Together, there are three main reasons why English language learning students are performing so poorly: (1) schools aren’t effectively monitoring student progress, (2) the curriculum isn’t suitable and (3) teachers need to be re-trained.
Governing reports that California school district LA United has taken a few steps to reverse their current situation: a third of their 600,000 students are still learning English and after five years, about 35,000 still aren’t at grade level. The district has added two new classes to its curriculum aimed at language skills, and it’s revamped its teacher training program. Additionally, since a relationship between teachers, parents and students is required, all three parties are involved in each student’s progress.
“These kids need to be visible,” Shelly Spiegel-Coleman of Californians Together tells Governing. “In many instances, these students are sitting in mainstream classes and are not getting any specialized help.”
Dasha Cifuentes is one such student. Currently enrolled at Fairfax High in Los Angeles, Cifuentes is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, but a native-born American. She has been in California public schools for 11 years, but is still not proficient.
“I should be more confident in English because I was born here, but I’m embarrassed that I haven’t improved myself,” Cifuentes says. “Now, I’m regretting my life not developing myself into a better person, and that hurts me the most,” Cifuentes tells Governing. “I’m more motivated, like a turtle coming out of its shell.”
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The 10 Most Inspiring Books of 2014
In a year where our country witnessed a widening gap between rich and poor, a toxic chemical leak, long delays for veterans at hospitals and clinics, botched lethal injections, racially-charged protests, record low voter turnout and stunning Congressional dysfunction, we at NationSwell turned to these ten books for stories of hope. Confronted by complex issues, these authors never flinched. Instead, they brought us creative solutions and unwavering heroics. Read on for our top ten books of 2014 (alphabetized by author):
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Are there any inspiring books we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
Can You Teach Someone How to Be Creative?
How do you teach a concept to a child?
For Jeremy Boyle and Melissa Butler, the answer is to put in their hands. That’s the idea behind Children’s Innovation Project, the duo’s program that introduces public school children to the world of technology and innovation.
Boyle is resident artist at Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab and Butler is a kindergarten teacher. When the two met in 2010, they realized that children needed to learn how to be innovative and creative, and in this world that meant technology. So, they formed the Children’s Innovation Project with the purpose to familiarize elementary school children with technology and set them “on a pathway” of comfort and understanding of it, reports the Atlantic.
Boyle and Butler determined that the best way to start was to focus on one area, so they chose electricity and circuits. Boyle designed all of the tools — wires, blocks and accessories — while Butler created the curriculum, which contains precise language and building the habits of asking questions, critical thinking, perseverance and coherent explanations are the cornerstones of the curriculum.
The Pittsburgh Allegheny K-5 public elementary school is an example of the project at work. In one kindergarten class, all of the students sit in an “innovation” circle each holding a length of wire bookended by small alligator clips on each end. The children are then encouraged to analyze, play and explore the wire to determine its purposes and uses. Collaboration is encouraged as the students work with each other and their teacher to experiment.
Throughout all of the activities, students must use the correct language. For instance, “clips” must be referred to by their name, not “these things.”
Students continue with the program through elementary school, and as they progress through the grades, tasks become more difficult. Around fourth grade, students actually start building their own schematics, according to the Atlantic.
While the practical and tangible skills are important to Boyle and Butler, it’s the intangible ones that are the most important. Through the program, Boyle and Butler are trying to instill the qualities of curiosity, inquisitiveness and wonder. In some of the older grades, students will even bring in old or broken toys and take them apart just to observe the parts and understand how it works — demonstrating how important that childlike sense of wonder really is.
MORE: The Three Things That Innovative Thinkers Do As Children
Meet the Guys Tackling Sexual Assault on Campus
While most twenty-something males are concerned with the athletics, girls and grades, Eric Barthold has something else on his mind: stopping sexual violence on college campuses.
Since 2010, Barthold’s Mules Against Violence (MULES) has been raising awareness among Maine’s Colby College student body about the issue. The idea came to Barthold one day while sitting in his “Boys to Men” class where a girl was presenting research concerning sexual assault on campus. In that moment, Barthold realized something needed to be done and that it had to start with men.
Originally, he and two other students formed the group Male Athletes Against Violence, but they changed the name to accommodate female members. (The mule is the school’s mascot.) With that, the group set on their mission to educate the student body and “challenge male athlete stereotypes,” according to Collectively.
So far, group activities include joining the college’s Quilting Club to knit a giant quilt in the middle of the Student Center and encouraging male athletes to attend the Take Back the Night rally every year.
Unique to MULES, though, is the Man Box activity. This hour-long presentation, which targets men, starts with one simple question: What does it take to be a ‘real’ man? From there, a conceptual box is drawn with the responses being written inside it. On the outside are the answers to the question about what characteristics aren’t thought of as being associated with men.
“You almost always get: strong, powerful, controlling, drinks beer or can hold his alcohol, can get lots of girls, heterosexual, no emotions,” Barthold tells Collectively.
On the outside, though, are all the traits that aren’t considered masculine, such as emotional, sensitive, caring, drives a Prius or skinny jeans.
“The exercise shows the anxiety that guys feel to be manly,” Barthold explains. “If they’re in the box, they’re OK. But if they fall outside the box, they get targeted.”
The final questions Barthold asks the group concern how men protect themselves from being perpetrators of sexual violence and how women protect themselves from being victims. While the men have an answer about women, they can’t answer it about themselves.
Due to the success of his program, Barthold has expanded it to all-boys middle and high schools with the hopes of starting change at a younger age.
MORE: How to Fix Alaska’s Culture of Sexual Violence