SchoolSmartKC worked with the KCPS district administration to identify eight neighborhood schools who showed meaningful and regular academic progress and invited each to create a new strategic plan that could lift the achievement of their students to statewide levels.
SchoolSmartKC
The Intersection of Education and Health Equity
Awais Sufi, CEO, SchoolSmartKC, and Qiana Thomason, CEO, Health Forward Foundation, share in this 15 minute discussion on health equity, education, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Kansas City community. In this session, Awais and Qiana discussion how education and health equity intersect, and what the equity needs are in Kansas City.
Exceptional Student: Dacia Hindsman
My name is Dacia Hindsman. I was born in Kansas City, Missouri. I was selected as the Valedictorian of my class at Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts.
Inspiring Educator: LaChelle Nichols
LaChelle Nichols is a native of Kansas City. She graduated from Lincoln College Prep Academy and then went on to graduate with B.S. in Industrial Technology from Virginia State University. She holds a M.S. in Adult Education with a concentration in Higher Education from North Carolina A & T State University. Nichols has spent the past eight years helping young people prepare for life after high school.
Profile in Leadership: Marnie Morgan
Marnie Morgan Executive Director, 20/20 Leadership Marnie Morgan currently serves as the Executive Director of 20/20 Leadership having taken over for the organization’s founder, Marilyn Alstrom in 2018. Morgan has a BS in Education and an MS in Human Development and...
Thank you for your Service
For many, this time of year is a sprint: full speed from Halloween, speed bumping through Thanksgiving on a headlong path to the Holidays and the end of the year. We pack in Star Wars costumes, overeating, travel, wrapping paper and revelry into the smallest window possible. However, for me, my entire immediate family and around 19 million other U.S. veterans, we also sneak in celebration of a holiday that should be ripe for pause and reflection for all of us.
Building a Community of Restoration
Since I can remember, I’ve been taught to serve. First by my parents, who reminded me often that we “lift as we rise,” and that “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
It’s Not About the Size of The Give
I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase “it’s better to give than to receive,” but if you were to ask your co-workers, family, or friends what it means to give, and whether giving only makes an impact if it has monetary value, I’m sure each person would give you a different response, and it can be hard to identify the “right” way to give, and financial giving isn’t always an option for many families.
Life Lessons From My Childhood Educators
Choosing education as a career came because of many lessons learned, restarts, and developing a deep understanding of what mattered most to me. The choice to become an educator, and dedicate my life to the education of others, was grounded in my belief that education is one of the most important roles undertaken in our society, and one of the greatest and most significant resources we have to empower individuals.
The Importance of Being “the Bumpers” For Others
Denzel Washington says, “at the end of the day it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished. It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.”