Update: May 2018
Read the May update from Making Caring Common and don't forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter to get updates straight to your inbox.
In the news
In May, Making Caring Common's research on raising caring children, college admissions, achievement pressure, and misogyny was featured in the news. Read more:
The Atlantic: An Unusual Idea for Fixing School Segregation
The Huffington Post: Raising Boys With Healthy Attitudes Toward Women Starts Young: Experts
The Washington Post: Why are young adults the loneliest generation in America?
Harvard Graduate School of Education News: Changing the Troublemaker Narrative: Bene Webster, HDP'18
For more information and resources, check out our website, and be sure to follow Making Caring Common on Facebook and Twitter to join the conversation online.
Kindness across the country
We have been so inspired by our KIND Schools Challenge finalists and the many ways they are creating more caring and inclusive school communities. Read more from seven of our teams:
Students at the Young Women’s Leadership Academy in Fort Worth, Texas hosted small group conversations focused on reducing personal insecurity and building community
Students at Fair Park Preparatory Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana created a "Kind Box" to encourage kindness and build community during the first year of the school’s existence
Students at Dodge County High School in Eastman, Georgia developed a bingo challenge to spread kindness in their school community
Students at Medford High School in Medford, Massachusetts created a collection of videos to help English-language learners (ELL) at their school
Students at Allendale Columbia School in Pittsford, New York are building a wall—of kindness and inclusion
Students at Sacramento Waldorf School in Fair Oaks, California developed workshops to promote upstanding in their community
Students at George Washington Middle School in Dubuque, Iowa have been sparking a cycle of kindness in their community by handing out kindness cards
Stay tuned for the winner announcement and a teacher toolkit based on finalist projects in mid-June.
Caring Schools #CommonGood spotlight: The Agnes Irwin School
Inspired in part by the Caring Schools #CommonGood campaign's call to engage students in activities that enable them to "talk across the aisle," The Agnes Irwin School has started hosting—and evaluating—a regular "Friday Forum."
Wigs Frank, Chair of the History Department, describes the gathering as a way to “help bring more understanding to our students and help bring the members of our community closer, as well as help students to learn how to listen to each other and learn better how to disagree with each other.”
Learn more about the Caring Schools #CommonGood campaign and commit to take action by August 1.
Staff picks: Challenge Success and Design for Change
Danielle Fowler recently graduated from Harvard Graduate School of Education and has been working with Making Caring Common for the past academic year. This month, she recommends Challenge Success and Design for Change.
Challenge Success provides families and schools with the practical, research-based tools they need to create a more balanced and academically fulfilling life for kids. This July, they are hosting two one-day leadership seminars, one in California and one in Massachusetts. Through interactive presentations, workshops, and dialogue with peers, attendees will learn new strategies to improve student well-being and promote academic engagement in school communities.
Design for Change provides free toolkits for educators focused on fostering agency in students. Using a simple design thinking framework, students identify a challenge in their own community and collaborate to take action on it. Each stage is accompanied by supporting tools and resources for teachers and is designed to promote social-emotional and 21st century skills. Learn more on the Design for Change website.