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March 25, 2021
STARS 2.0: Still Seeing STARS
Last week, we heard of the new $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, President Biden’s massive relief and stimulus bill that aims to support economic recovery for the millions of American families and businesses who lost income due to the pandemic. Those that stand to benefit include an often-ignored group: children in low-income families. The stimulus […]
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January 14, 2021
Two Years of STARS: Supporting Teachers & Ready Students
It’s fair to say that education begins the moment we see children as innately curious and open to the world around them. (That’s every child from birth!) That moment is our cue to be the purveyors of all that feeds a child’s curiosity. With a goal to support child care teachers who spend their days […]
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May 20, 2020
How we can work together to help kids recover their learning
As a community, we are responsible for helping to support our families and teaching professionals in order to advance our society. It’s not just an economic necessity, it’s a moral imperative that we practice a mind-shift now for a new future.
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March 29, 2019
Why the first five years matter…to our kids, to Akron, and our foundation
Over the last year, GAR Foundation has been working with key community partners to take a closer look at a systems-focused strategy that will enhance early learning and childcare in Akron. Our work led us to the launch of STARS: Supporting Teachers & Ready Students, a demonstration project that will engage 24 community-based early learning […]
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July 18, 2018
Why We Ask: Out of School Time Portal
This post is part of a series. Click here to read all of the posts in this series. The Out of School Time Portal is a remarkable, no-cost tool, provided by Summit Education Initiative that gives Out of School Time Providers (OSTPs) private, secure access to the grades, attendance and other records related to student success […]
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January 05, 2018
One-Size Does Not Fit All: Unlearning Traditional Education Systems
A recent commentary in EdWeek by Christopher Dede, a professor in learning technologies at the Harvard Graduate School of Education argues that “the biggest barrier we face in this process of reinventing our (what will soon be) obsolete educational models is not learning, but unlearning. We have to let go of deeply held, emotionally valued […]
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July 25, 2017
Showing up for Akron
Showing up is just the start, but we need to start somewhere. Sometimes we have to start, or restart with a clearer vision in mind. I think of this when I think about the exciting opportunities that lie ahead for Akron and especially our children in Akron Public Schools. Showing up is the important first starting […]
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February 08, 2017
Progress with Privacy: New Portal for Out of School Time Providers
Impact: nowadays, that seems to be the watchword of the nonprofit sector as we engage more deeply with students both in and out of school. For-profit organizations have long been able to assess their impact using financial measures like net profit margins, profitability ratios, return on investment, etc. But for nonprofits, where success is not […]
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June 30, 2016
Equity in education: Leveling the playing field for all students
After many years Congress recently updated the former No Child Left Behind Act, and replaced it with the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA.) ESSA essentially answers criticisms about perceived federal oversight into local educational standards and accountability decisions by reverting many decisions back to the states. Under ESSA, the U.S. Education Secretary shall not […]
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November 20, 2015
The purpose of higher-ed: an either-or proposition
When it comes to a well-rounded culture and productive society, which do we want: someone who is a critical thinker, writer, broadly exposed to humanities and arts, and a skilled listener, perhaps with some hands-on work experience? Or, do we want someone who has acquired skills in a particular field of study who can apply […]
Kirstin Toth