FLASH NEWS
FLASH NEWS
Thursday, January 21, 2021

Tag: Conversation

Where is ‘education’ in the national conversation?

The staggering impact of COVID-19 on American lives and the economy was understandably the central issue in the first presidential debate and the vice presidential debate. But somehow, critical questions around education were absent in both debates. In fact, according to transcripts of both debates, the candidates used the word “school” fifteen times, but not always to describe K-12 education. The word “education” itself was stated just three times.

Clearly, this is a school year like no other. A recent Education Week analysis found that 74 percent of the 100 largest school districts in the United States opted exclusively for remote learning, dramatically impacting the education of over 9 million students. At the same time, increasing our nation’s educational achievement is a persistent challenge. The 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed that American students performed above average in reading, ranking 13th just behind Sweden and New Zealand, but

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Harry and Meghan in conversation with Malala Yousefzai

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have recorded a conversation with Malala Yousafzai highlighting the issues girls still face accessing education.

The conversation marks International Day of the Girl, which is on Sunday, 11 October.

A source close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said the couple spoke to Yousafzai about how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting how women and girls access education.

They also spoke about how the global situation has disproportionately affected women and how everyone can contribute to a more equal future for women and girls.

According to the Malala Fund, there were 129 million girls globally not going to school before the pandemic even began, and their calculations indicate that number is set to rise by a further 20 million secondary-school aged girls even when the situation improves.

Watch: Meghan and Harry urge Americans to vote

Read more: Did Meghan Markle share this skincare tip with

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a conversation with George the Poet

Last week I linked up for a long chat with George the Poet. George and I met through Big Change, an organization working to do something we both care about: to transform the potential of education so that it’s really about learning, not just school. With all the challenges this year in making basic “school” happen, this is the ideal moment to be asking: why are we doing this? What do we really want schools to do? This conversation is part of the work we’re both doing to help build a #NewEducationStory: a new set of aspirations and ideas for what education can be like. 

We started by talking about what makes an infinite game and why education is an infinite game, but school is not.

We reflected on what we got from our own educations and how they helped us to value education as an infinite game. Along

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A Conversation With Deborah Quazzo

Education is in the spotlight like never before, as K-12 schools and colleges grapple with the complexity of engaging students amidst remote learning—and millions of newly displaced workers face the challenges of developing new skills to thrive in a forever-changed, post-COVID-19 economy. 

In the wake of a once unimaginable health crisis, and a long overdue reckoning on race and social justice, I’m convinced that innovations in education can lead us to a more inclusive future. Now is both a critical time for innovation—and a moment to rethink the paradigm of education that has left so many of our students at risk of historic learning loss this year. 

Described by the New York Times as the “must attend” event for a growing, global community of

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Halloween Decorations Aim to Educate and Begin Community Conversation in West Hartford

Halloween is a few weeks away and while some may be staying home instead of trick or treating, one West Hartford resident is looking to educate and establish a community dialogue through Halloween decorations.



a man looking at the camera

© Provided by NBC Connecticut


Along North Main Street, there’s one house that has images and information that may cause some drivers to circle back and get a second glance.



a group of people standing next to a brick wall: One of two panels on North Main Street. This is the COVID-19 side decorated with 3D cells and pictures of those who lost their battle against the coronavirus.

© Provided by NBC Connecticut
One of two panels on North Main Street. This is the COVID-19 side decorated with 3D cells and pictures of those who lost their battle against the coronavirus.

“I literally like turned around and did a U-turn in the middle of the street and asked my roommate ‘Did you see that?'” said Armanthia Duncan of Hartford. “I think to see these two major topics married together is powerful.”

Armanthia Duncan and her roommate, Michael, live in Hartford and stumbled upon what

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