Welcome to the seventy eighth edition of Small Talks. Every Friday, I highlight 6 areas of weekly joys and reflections in early childhood and the whole family. Small Talks leverages my experience at the intersection of education, philanthropy, and impact investing. Enjoy!
What I’m celebrating -
Rewiring Education for People and Planet report is a call to action to work collaboratively across sectors, levels, and stakeholders to transform education together with wider development transformation…
New research from Alex Smith, Andrew Barr and Jonathan Eggleston shows BIG and long-lasting effects from cash transfers during infancy to low-income single-child families. On a related topic, in Lessons From a Historic Decline in Child Poverty, Child Trends examines the factors contributing to the historic 59% decline in child poverty between 1993 and 2019, highlighting the importance of safety nets.
Remarkable insights about edtech in this Reach Capital impact report. From Partner Jennifer Carolan below:
% of students & teachers with a school issued computing device increased from 46% in 2015 to 90%+ in 2022.
In 2009, 46% of teachers used computers for drill and practice. Today, 97% of teachers use computers for regular instructional activities.
Communication went from annual to weekly. In 2016, 62% of parents received a communication about their students at least annually. In 2022, 52% of parents receive an update from teachers daily·
In 2015, 30% of instructional materials budget was spent on digital materials. Today it is 60%.
Cost of tutoring went from $65-100 per hour (in-person) to $25-50per hour (remote).
Today 33% of all students have or will receive tutoring provided by school by end of this school year.
My team at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning is organizing a Summit on September 28, in collaboration with the Yidan Prize Foundation- bringing the leading minds in learning from across the globe to discuss the toughest issues facing learners. The speaker line-up is remarkable: Sal Khan, Carol Dweck, Condoleezza Rice, Vicky Colbert, Judith Heumann, and more. Livestream sign-up here if this sparks your interest.
An inspiration - The joy of motherhood by artist Faluyi Faith Oluwafemi.
What I’m listening to -
Does preschool teach more than just ABCs and 123s? Haneefah Shuaibe-Peters says yes in this TED Talk “You’ve got early childhood all wrong.”
What I’m reading -
Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divide by Stanford Professor Geoffrey Cohen explains how to address “belonging uncertainty” in education and discusses research he conducted that concluded that supplying students with statistics about how common some of their struggles are and pairing students with mentors increased students’ sense of belonging, especially for students of color.
What I’m watching -
Katrina Babies highlights how the Katrina created one of the biggest displacements of Black families in the US, and the long-term impact of crises.
What I’m learning more deeply -
Sadly, research findings suggests that the well-being of young people has declined compared with older age groups.
Five important pieces from Brookings on the next decade of education transformation:
‘Transforming education systems: What, why, and how’
‘Transforming education for holistic student development: Learning from education system (re)building around the world’
‘Systems thinking to transform schools: Identifying levers that lift educational quality’
‘Shared priorities to transform education systems: Mapping recovery and transformation agendas’
Big Education Conversation
A poem I’m pondering -
“I only ask that you care before it’s too late,
That you live aware and awake
That you lead with love in hours of hate.
Above all, I dare you to do good
So that the world might be great."
Amanda Gorman- Excerpt from September 19, 2022 poem at UNGA
Feedback is a gift. Which part above is your favorite? What did I miss? What do you want more or less of? Other recommendations? Please kindly let me know. Thank to all of you who are sending me amazing suggestions.
If you enjoy this newsletter, please help spread the word by sharing with your friends, colleagues, and networks.
Have a wonderful week. Please stay safe and care for each other.
Isabelle
Katrina Babies is powerful. The lack of a trauma informed care for those children is pure neglect. Hearing that no one asked them how they were doing was heartbreaking.
Amanda Gorman is truly brilliant!