We partner with individuals, classrooms, schools, and organizations to foster new conversations and a new vision for schooling at the local and national levels.
Here we share the stories from students, educators, parents, leaders, and community members across the country. Each story is an expression of an individual's hopes, fears, joys, and aspirations. Each story is unique and powerful on its own. Together they are the collective dreams of a nation.
We hope you will enjoy browsing and sharing your thoughts. You can search for your state, or people you know by using the search bar. Intrigued, Inspired?! Sign up to be a Catalyst!
“I think the reason why we should have a public schooling system is that if you're going to provide everyone an equitable society, you have to give them all a level playing field through their education. They have to have opportunities provided to them by the community and by adults who have their best interests in mind and give them a voice in their lives and figure out what it is they want to do. They want to figure out what the good life is. That's the whole point.”
Read More“Often when I visit classrooms, I ask the kids, "What are you learning about? How are you going to know when you know it?" And then I ask them, "*Why* are you learning about it?"
Too much of the time the "why" is because some adult told them to.
Even in like really creative classrooms. And I wonder about that. What kind of learner does that lead kids to become?”
Read More“Most of the people in education have a broader picture of what an education should be. But, I don’t think schools are doing it at all and I think it’s because teachers and also administrators don’t have the choice of what they should focus on.”
Read MoreAll throughout my life I have dealt with a lot. I switched schools a lot and I've seen and know when teachers are just working for a check or actually trying to make a difference in students’ lives. I've seen teachers put down students for the way they speak or learn or think and it's not right. I feel like we should open more alternative schools like ours - not as continuation schools, but as just a regular school option for kids to have a safe place to learn and grow into mature adults.
Read MoreI think school should give all of you students a foundation of respect and responsibility. Respect from your teachers, and responsibility because you have to show up and really be here. Schools should give you that. It should also help you develop the habits of heart you need to be empathetic toward others.
Read MoreI think we have school as a society so that everyone can have a education and not just be lazy staying home doing nothing playing video games.
Read MoreThe way we do school is really old fashioned and out of date and that's why often students find it irrelevant and boring. If we did it really differently, and maybe listened to what you guys want more, it might work better and be more fun. Fun is a good thing - slow learning and having learning be fun is positive. Somehow it seems like people want it to be torture and not fun - I don't think life is too short for that.
Read MoreA good life would include a steady job, connections with my family and a place to stay.
Read MoreI think we are basically forced to go to school. If we don't go to school we can get in trouble - as well as my parents. And, we come to school for a better future.
Read MoreI think we have schools as a society to makes us learn something because without school we don't have a career and without a career we don't have a job and without a job we don't have money to pay bills.
Read MoreWhat you think is the most important thing you're learning in school?
“Probably the values that you take from everything.”
Read MoreIn order to have a functioning community the people within it will have to be able to work together so that they have a good life and job.
Read MoreA good life is money, a steady job and health.
Read MoreThree central things would basically be: 1) being able to be with someone that I care about and love; 2) having a stable financial situation; and, 3) doing something that I like to do.
Read More[I think we have schools] to correctly function in society and to learn to become a better citizen.
Read MoreI think the most important thing I'm learning [in school] right now is that what you want to do in your life could be hard, but if you really put your mind to it, if you just try and put a lot of effort into it, you can probably do it one day.
Read MoreI think schools should teach critical thought and a conscious awareness of what's going on in society... it should teach how to think politically and to assess information in an unbiased way.
Read MoreSchool is to prepare us for our dream careers, I guess. Maybe not our dreams careers but just careers in general - whether it's math and you want to go and engineering. Or if you want to become a history teacher or historian. It doesn't help everybody but it helps most of us.
Read MoreA good life is: 1) to have a house with a good amount of bedrooms; 2) to finish high school and go to college and study construction or to study about cars; 3) to have a good job that can help me afford what I want.
Read MoreA good life would be calm and relaxed - not having to stress about anything, just have it be a good easy life. Then, a good family, and a good job, and an easy death.
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