{"id":19655,"date":"2025-01-06T10:25:31","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T15:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/?post_type=cw_post&p=19655"},"modified":"2025-01-07T10:33:23","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T15:33:23","slug":"full-steam-aheadtogether-a-shared-tagline-for-the-cbe-community","status":"publish","type":"cw_post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/cw_post\/full-steam-aheadtogether-a-shared-tagline-for-the-cbe-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Full Steam Ahead\u2026Together: A Shared Tagline for the CBE Community"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Educational
Educational leaders standing at Symposium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This post about ways to work together on a shared message is part of our <\/span><\/i>Aurora Institute Symposium 2024<\/span><\/i><\/a> series moving ideas from #Aurora24 forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

One of the biggest shifts I noticed at the Symposium was how advocates from all sorts of educational strategies \u2013 like project-based learning, deeper learning, SEL (social-emotional learning), ed tech, work- and community-based learning, personalized learning, and competency-based education \u2013 are finally feeling like we\u2019re all moving in the same direction. Instead of each of these being seen as <\/span>the <\/span><\/i>magic fix for our education system, there\u2019s now a deeper understanding that each approach is just one piece of the puzzle in building a modern, effective education system. We\u2019re all pulling, pushing, and wiggling our way forward together!<\/span><\/p>\n

With this shared sense of purpose, I heard repeated calls to create a unified vocabulary \u2013 a common language that everyone would use. It makes sense: how much easier would it be to understand each other if we didn\u2019t have to pause to ask, \u201cWhat do you mean by personalized learning?\u201d or \u201cWhich aspects of SEL are central to your work?\u201d We\u2019d cut down on the confusion and make it simpler for policymakers and the public to understand our work if we all spoke the same language.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, do I believe we\u2019ll ever have a perfectly shared vocabulary with universal agreement on every term? Not holding my breath. Each state is going to stick with language that fits its own history and culture. And, let\u2019s face it, the innovative spirit of our field (not to mention the competition for funding) will always keep generating fresh ideas and dazzling new language.<\/span><\/p>\n

But maybe there\u2019s another way to build our collective voice and power.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a journey back to 2007. A group of funders who each focused on different strategies \u2013 juvenile justice, foster care, homeless youth, and supporting youth who hadn\u2019t earned a high school diploma (then labeled \u201cdropouts,\u201d as if they had complete control over their schooling) \u2013 joined forces as the <\/span>Youth Transition Funders Group<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They realized they were competing for policymakers\u2019 attention and creating confusion with varied solutions and terminology. Thanks to the leadership of Tia Martinez and Michael Wald, who produced a paper looking across these youth facing major barriers in the transition to adulthood, the funders coalesced around the shared message of \u201c<\/span>Connected by 25<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u201d For about seven years, this unifying idea brought everyone together. (Why it eventually faded, I\u2019m not sure. Maybe it lost its effectiveness, or maybe leadership changed?)<\/span><\/p>\n

As we worked under this common banner, we saw guiding principles begin to flow across policy solutions. We encouraged, though never required, local partners to use \u201cConnected by 25\u201d in their communications or at least include it as a logo. All of our reports whether it was about juvenile justice, older youth, or foster care carried the branding Connected by 25. And it made an impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

The work I was involved in \u2013 a loose coalition of foundations, policy advocates, researchers, and alternative schools \u2013 helped turn policy on its head. Instead of blaming students for dropping out, we pushed for schools and districts to take accountability for helping all students earn their diplomas. Districts began to understand the importance of early intervention, so fewer students would start high school with elementary-level reading or math skills. High schools explored ways to keep students engaged, and districts expanded alternative schools that could better support students facing tough challenges. Federal and state policies began monitoring 5- and 6-year graduation rates, breaking the assumption that all students should finish high school in just four years. And that\u2019s where I first encountered competency-based education and started seeing how traditional views on education can sometimes hold students back.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, here\u2019s my question: <\/span>What kind of unifying message could we all rally around? <\/i><\/b>Something that, when parents, educators, and policymakers hear it, they instantly know it\u2019s about fostering the joy of learning and growing great thinkers and problem-solvers. The Reinventing Schools Coalition used the motto, \u201cDoing What\u2019s Best for Kids,\u201d a phrase you\u2019d hear in every school following their model. Sydney Schaef and I are working on a book using \u201cLet\u2019s Get ReaL\u201d \u2013 a nod to the <\/span>RE<\/span><\/i>search <\/span>A<\/span><\/i>bout <\/span>L<\/span><\/i>earning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get creative! I\u2019m sure together we can brainstorm a few slogans that say, loud and clear, you\u2019re on the team that\u2019s <\/span>Lighting the Love of Learning<\/span><\/i>. Share your ideas in the comments of this LinkedIn post<\/a>, and let\u2019s see what we come up with!<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn More<\/span><\/h2>\n