I was a founding teacher at a failed school. It prepared me to help my school reset as we emerge from the pandemic.This year comes with a narrow window to turn things around. As an eighth grade teacher who spent the entire 2020-21 school year teaching remotely, I was eager to return to school in person last year. I was ready for the aspects of teaching that can’t… Sep 15 22September 15, 2022Article at Chalkbeat
Zoom Made Me a Better TeacherThe start of the new year at the middle school where I teach in South Los Angeles has been stressful; the rapid spread of the Delta variant shook us from the tenuous sense of security we were lulled into over the summer. Fans blow in the hallway,… Nov 03 21November 03, 2021Article at Zocalo Public Square
Life During Lockdown: Carl FinerPeter Abraham Sep 24, 2020·9 min read Carl and I got to know each other through the running community back when I worked at the LA Marathon, and we both trained with Track Club LA. Carl is a teacher at the Animo-Jefferson Charter Middle School near… Sep 24 20September 24, 2020Article at Peter Abraham Blog
Rise High School for One Day MagazineThis was one of my favorite assignments as of late. Until I arrived, when I realized I was to do a portrait series in a parking lot. Next to a shed. At noon. When I first heard about the story, I was so excited for all the possibilities for these… Jul 20 20July 20, 2020Article at One Day Magazine
Help From Peers Increases Chances for College SuccessIn Southern California, a charter network that includes 18 high schools says it has found a way, at the relatively low cost of about $200 per student, of helping more first-generation college aspirants finish four-year degrees by protecting them from… Jun 09 18June 09, 2018Article at One Day Magazine
Rising High: Los Angeles School Aimed at Disconnected Youth ExpandsWhen high school student Kia Reid’s brother was arrested, she withdrew emotionally, missing more than a week of school. But in her absence, Reid didn’t fall through the cracks. Her teachers texted and called to check on her. “They told me [they were]… Sep 06 17September 06, 2017Article at The Imprint
Casting Calm: Nonprofit Uses Fly Fishing to Connect Foster Youth to Outdoors, Inner PeaceJess Westbrook’s panic attacks began with the birth of his son three years ago. He felt overwhelmed by a lack of sleep and worried about his son’s future. His anxiety relief came in an unlikely place. A friend persisted in taking him fly fishing,… Jun 16 17June 16, 2017Article at The Imprint
California Child Welfare Bill WatchThe Imprint is tracking key bills on child welfare making their way through California’s legislative session. Below are of the some of the most significant bills being debated. Easing Access to College Financial Aid for Foster Youth In California,… Apr 21 17April 21, 2017Article at The Imprint
Adoption: By the NumbersA new report from the National Council for Adoption highlights American adoption trends, including for infant adoptions, intercountry adoptions and adoptions from foster care. The report, Adoption: By the Numbers, covers findings from the seventh… Feb 23 17February 23, 2017Article at The Imprint
Ken Berrick, Seneca Family of Agencies, Earns James Irvine Foundation Leadership AwardYesterday Ken Berrick, founder and CEO of the Seneca Family of Agencies, received a 2017 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award in Sacramento. The award annually recognizes six leaders advancing innovative and effective solutions in addressing… Feb 10 17February 10, 2017Article at The Imprint
Judge John Romero, Jr. Joins National Committee on Sex Trafficking of ChildrenNew Mexico’s Judge John J. Romero, Jr. has accepted an appointment on the National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth in the United States. In this role, outlined in the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening… Feb 03 17February 03, 2017Article at The Imprint
Taking a Long View on the Common CoreCarl Finer I’m not at all surprised by the present declining support in the polls for the common core. I’m also not certain how relevant that data is to gauging what will happen in the long term. On the face of things, few are questioning the idea of… Sep 11 14September 11, 2014Article at Education Week
How the Vergara Ruling Can Be an Opportunity for TeachersCarl Finer Carl Finer just started his 11th year of teaching in the same South Los Angeles neighborhood, spanning seven years in the Los Angeles Unified School District and four years in Green Dot Public Schools, a unionized charter network. He… Sep 03 14September 03, 2014Article at Education Week
If We’re Serious About the Common Core, Then Put It FirstCarl Finer It’s no wonder many educators are uneasy about the transition to the Common Core State Standards. In many schools, teachers have been left to cross this divide themselves. Learning the new standards, adapting or writing curricular… Feb 18 14February 18, 2014Article at Education Week
Build Capacity to Help Teachers SwimCarl Finer Before I started my first real teaching job, I asked if I could go observe someone at my new school who might serve as a model for my practice. I was directed to the summer school classroom of one of the “expert” literacy coaches. As I… Nov 20 13November 20, 2013Article at Education Week
A Teacher’s Defense of Education ReformIn the midst of new efforts to improve education, from the shift to the Common Core State Standards to the implementation of new teacher-evaluation systems, a set of voices has emerged arguing that these changes are a step in the wrong direction.… Nov 13 13November 13, 2013Article at Education Week
