Several days into her quest, I mentioned that I work with a lot of schools that look a lot like what she’s described. “You do? Why haven’t you fixed this yet?” she demanded.
As we head into 2024, I’m thinking a lot about that last question. Why haven’t we fixed this yet, and how will we? These family conversations remind me of so many others I’ve had with kids. We must listen and we must act, aiming towards not what we “can” do, but what we “should” and “must.” And if we can’t yet act on all their ideas and needs, we need to bring new energy, urgency, and tools to the task.
I’m thrilled to share that The Learning Accelerator (TLA) has received a $5 million investment to advance this work at the core of kids’ learning experience. In early 2024, we’ll be sharing more on the launch of several new initiatives, working in partnership with networks of providers, researchers, and the broader sector to accelerate evidence-building for and adoption of existing, sustainable innovations that help educators meet the needs of every kid.
In the meantime, I invite all of you to have a conversation with a special learner in your life. What are they dreaming of? Thank you for being in this work with TLA. I’m so excited to learn together more quickly to make our learners’ dreams a reality.
Best,
Beth Rabbitt, Chief Executive Officer
PS – I recommend checking out Transcend Education’s Conversations With Kids or TLA’s Empathy Interviews Strategy as two concrete tools to help kickstart your dialogues.
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