UA in Action - April 2020
Connecting Over COVID - UA & Concordia Shanghai
On Thursday, April 9th, CDC Ambassador Salvatore Puglisi, a CTE instructor at the UA School for Emergency Management , and fellow CDC Ambassadors in China connected students at UASEM with students at Concordia International School in Shanghai for a frank and open discussion about the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on both countries. The students put themselves in the driver’s seat to talk about how they would have handled the pandemic as world leaders, how their emergency management education made them more prepared, and shared experiences and stories about living in quarantine.

Watch Connecting Over COVID: From NYC to Shanghai :
#FundTheGap Makes Remote Learning Accessible for All 
Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the NYC COVID-19 Response and Impact Fund in The New York Community Trust, we are proud to announce that 99% of UA middle and high school students are engaged in online learning through the UA's #FundTheGap campaign . #FundTheGap raised nearly $200,000 to support technology needs for vulnerable students. These funds helped UA provide nearly 200 households with wireless internet access, and dozens more students with chromebooks to keep all students plugged in to their school communities and minimize disruptions to their education.
International Social-Emotional Learning Day
On March 27th, social-emotional learning (SEL) educators and advocates around the world celebrated the inaugural International SEL Day . Elected officials around the country heralded SEL Day with proclamations, and communities around the world celebrated with virtual events that demonstrated the value of SEL in schools. Created by the Urban Assembly and SEL4US , SEL Day earned more than 2 million online impressions and garnered support from a wide range of organizations and public figures including international publishers McGraw-Hill and Golden Globe winning actor Bryan Cranston. 

The UA celebrated SEL Day with an engaging virtual discussion SEL in a Time of Uncertainty featuring well-known SEL experts and thought leaders including Dr. Maurice Elias of Rutgers University, Heather Rieman of The Education Trust, Kristen Hopkins of Dangers of the Mind, Ross Wiener of the Aspen Institute, and moderator David Adams , UA Director of Social-Emotional Learning. 

Watch SEL in a Time of Uncertainty :
Stories from UA schools and UA central were featured in numerous publications over the last month:
  • The NY Daily News: An op-ed by UA's CEO, Kristin Kearns-Jordan, on the imperative to use this crisis to build a more relevant and equitable school system.
  • The 74: An alum from UA School for Applied Math and Science is featured as a sibling taking on the role as a supporter of younger remote learners.
  • eSchool News: Lindsey Dixon, Director of Career Readiness, writes about the importance of including SEL in high school career readiness and CTE programs.
  • CNBC: A math teacher at UA Gateway School for Technology shares how his school is bringing innovation and responsiveness to remote learning.
Coming up at the Urban Assembly...
April 29
Reach Your Students Through Text


Join Stephanie Fiorelli of the Urban Assembly and Yassi Davoodi of uAspire to learn tips for bringing advising to life via text messages. Learn how to craft the kinds of messages that will not only offer students answers and assistance but also, joy and motivation. 


May 5
SEL in the Community: Conversation with Michael Smith

David Adams, Director of Social-Emotional Learning, at the Urban Assembly is launching a conversation series with national leaders in SEL. Our first guest is Michael Smith of the Obama Foundation who will discuss mentorships and social-emotional development.

Spring 2021
Social-Emotional Learning Symposium POSTPONED - 2021

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be postponing our annual Social-Emotional Learning Symposium until the spring of 2021. Stay tuned for details!
Follow Us on Social!