Raising kids who care about others and the common good.
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What's New

Read the latest from Making Caring Common! You’re in the right place for our media coverage, general updates, and press releases. Topics include: Access and Equity, Bias, Bullying, Caring and Empathy, College Admissions, Gender, MCC Update, Misogyny and Sexual Harassment, Moral and Ethical Development, Parenting, Romantic Relationships, School Culture, Trauma, and Youth Advisory Board.

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Read the latest from Making Caring Common!

You’re in the right place for our media coverage, blog posts, and event information. Our work spans a range of topics, all connected by our commitment to elevate caring and concern for the common good at school, at home, and in our communities. You can review what’s new below or use the dropdowns to sort by topic and category.

Be sure to join our email list and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, to stay current with Making Caring Common’s news and updates. If you’re a member of the media, please visit our Media Room.


Posts in All What's New
3 ways for families to manage stress

Caring for ourselves and our children is a stressful job. From the number of decisions we make each day, to navigating work, health, and schooling, a parent’s to-do-list is neverending. Even though experiencing stress isn’t enjoyable, it’s important to remember that everyone experiences stress. Exploring ways to better understand and manage your stress can strengthen your connection and relationship with your child. 

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The invisible gift moms really want this year

Every year, Mother's Day prompts a flurry of Hallmark card purchases, brunch reservations, and frantic (maybe even last-minute?) searches for the perfect bouquet. Don't get me wrong—these gestures are lovely and appreciated. But for many moms, the gift they really want isn’t something that can be wrapped. It’s recognition of—and help with—the mostly unseen work that keeps the family ship afloat.

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3 ways to understand and manage our emotions

The emotions we experience influence the way we interact with the people we love. As adults, many of us haven’t had the time (or support) to explore our emotions or build healthy coping strategies. Due to busy schedules, dealing with grief, trying to support our family’s financial needs, and so many other challenges that we experience as parents, understanding and navigating our emotions can fall to the bottom of the to-do list.

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How to support the mental health of teens in your life

As part of our relationship mapping and mental health initiatives, we’ve been focusing much more of our time on creating resources for educators and caregivers to help them support student mental health. We aim to Increase awareness around mental health for both teens and adult in addition to providing adults with actionable tips and strategies to support their teens, and themselves.

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How colleges can help more students thrive

Traditionally, colleges look for students with good grades and test scores, but this approach might not identify those who will flourish on campus. The Thrivers Study suggests a more holistic approach.

The Thrivers Study involves a team of staff and faculty from various departments like admissions, student life, and alumni engagement. Together, they define what it means to be a thriving student at their college and identify current students who exemplify this.

By interviewing and surveying these thriving students, the college can understand what factors attracted them and helped them succeed. This might be unique academic programs, strong support systems, or a vibrant campus life.

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Beyond "Why us?" Crafting essay prompts that matter

College admissions officers face pressure to build a diverse and interesting student body, especially with evolving application trends like grade inflation and test-optional policies. Focusing on non-academic traits can be helpful, but it requires clear communication. Clearer and more engaging supplemental essay prompts can promote a more equitable admissions process and help admission offices gather the information they need to admit students who will thrive in their unique campus environment.

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From grit to growth mindset: Defining character traits in admissions

The college admissions process often relies on vague terms like "grit" and "resiliency" to assess applicants' non-cognitive traits. This lack of clear definitions can lead to miscommunication and bias among admission officers. To address this issue, colleges should develop a shared understanding of the qualities they value and how to identify them in applications. This can be achieved by defining these traits clearly, anchoring them in research, and providing examples of how they might be demonstrated. By being more explicit about what they are looking for, colleges can create a fairer and more equitable admissions process for all applicants.

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15 questions to ask your child's teacher that aren't about grades

Parent-teacher conferences are about more than just academic performance. They offer a critical window into your child's social-emotional development and their contributions to their school community. Here are 15 questions, tailored for grades PreK - 12, to guide you in asking these important questions during your next teacher meeting. 

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Why some students thrive, and how to ensure more can, too

As educators, we can get caught up in focusing on individual goals that we forget to step back and consider a shared vision of what success looks like. In other words, what does a thriving student look like at our institution? What characteristics does a thriving student bring to the table? And how can we create the conditions to cultivate that across our learning community? 

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