Tulsa Beyond is the Tulsa Public Schools project aimed at re-imagining how high schools operate. Design teams at the Tulsa Beyond schools — Webster, Hale, Tulsa Learning Academy and McLain — spent several months creating personalized school models tailored to the unique needs of their communities. Tulsa Beyond is designing a system of high schools that prepare and inspire youths for the “economic, cultural and environmental realities of a radically different and rapidly changing future.”

krameto@tulsaschools.org
Todd Kramer

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations throughout the Tulsa area created hub site programs to address the need for childcare and distance learning support at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year.

The Tulsa Hub Sites address inequity by providing access to free and low-cost childcare programs throughout the city of Tulsa so that parents who are not able to take time off of work or who work from home have a high-quality and accessible option for their children while schools are operating virtually. These hub sites also provide critical access to food and meals for families most vulnerable to hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Courtney King, The Opportunity Project, cking@theopp.org

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Opportunity Project established the Tulsa Tutors program to facilitate the maintenance and growth of academic skills for a cohort of Tulsa elementary school students. The Opportunity Project partnered with the YMCA’s Hutcherson branch to provide tutoring services for 57 elementary campers in the summer 2020 session.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tulsa Public Schools transitioned to virtual learning in March for the duration of the school year. Last year, the Tulsa Public Schools Data Strategy and Analytics Team found that students lost an average of 40% of their school-year gains over the summer. Three months of virtual learning compounded with the prevalence of summer academic losses posed a threat to student achievement and opportunity. As a result, The Opportunity Project saw a clear need for summer academic enrichment and established the Tulsa Tutors program. The YMCA operates a free camp at the Hutcherson branch for any Tulsa GO Club participants. Of the 57 students served by Tulsa Tutors, 86% qualified for free or reduced lunch. Tulsa Tutors participants were 30% African American, 23% Multi-ethnic, 16% White, 16% Latinx, and 16% American Indian or Alaska Native. Tulsa Tutors served 29 girls and 28 boys over the course of four weeks of tutoring sessions. The cohort included nine English Language Learners (ELLs) and seven Special Education students.

Courtney King, The Opportunity Project, cking@theopp.org

Unleash the Brilliance identified our students who were already vulnerable pre-COVID-19 and who could become more vulnerable, and underserved post-COVID-19. Our goal was to maintain a line of communication and provide support for families hardest hit by the crisis. In addition, we provided our scholars with ease of access to teachers to continue their learning.

Equity removes multiple layers of education barriers and creates a platform for enormous opportunities. We intentionally met with all of our scholars, parents, teachers and staff to communicate a sense of urgency around equity and what we could ALL do in solidarity to change the climate and culture of the school environment.

Terrell Dorsey
Unleash the Brilliance
(253) 441-6276

VAPAE is committed to community engagement and dedicated to building bridges between outstanding UCLA artist educators and the surrounding Los Angeles community. In response to pressing needs in our local schools, VAPAE’s Afterschool & Arts Enrichment Programs offer students in the Los Angeles area supportive and constructive out-of-school arts activities.

VAPAE@arts.ucla.edu

Urban Explorers Day Camp is going virtual AND outdoors! Join 4-H Youth Development and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board for week-long, hands-on activities from the comfort of your own home, and still have an opportunity to get outside, explore nature, save pollinators, meet expert naturalists, and investigate science. Each week of camp includes 5 daily check-in sessions, group games, learning challenges, and (optional) outdoor exploration opportunities that connect you with your local green spaces. This program is designed for youth, ages 9-14, though we welcome younger siblings and family participation as well. Campers will be led by high-school camp counselors and adult directors from both MPRB and 4-H. Stay connected, explore the outdoors, serve your local community, rise to new challenges, and make new friends! Be an Urban Explorer this summer! Screen time is limited, and outdoor exploration is encouraged. Scholarships are available! Youth who register will receive Urban Explorers Day Camp swag and activity kit to use for the week together and keep all summer long (and beyond). Please register at least one week in advance so we can mail supplies to you in time! Pending CDC and State guidelines, there may also be scheduled, daytime opportunities to assemble responsibly and enjoy an outdoor activity together, such as canoeing or archery. Please stay tuned for more information. Funding for this project is provided by Hennepin County through the Green Partners environmental education program.

active@minneapolisparks.org

Due to COVID-19 and the global pandemic, MIT App Inventor had to cancel its annual Summit in August, 2020 in Cambridge, MA, where app inventors from around the world converge on the MIT campus to share and learn from each other. In place of the Summit, the App Inventor team decided to run its first virtual hackathon, where individuals and teams from around the globe would work for one week creating apps to address a set of global issues. The App Inventor team has worked in the past with the Boston chapter of Black Girls Code to run in-person workshops, where young girls visit the MIT campus and learn how to make mobile apps. The App Inventor team were eager to include Black Girls Code members in the hackathon, but realized that for many, a hackathon would be a new and intimidating event. To encourage and support them, App Inventor offered two sets of 3 day virtual workshops to introduce the girls to the App Inventor tool, and to teach them how to make mobile apps. The goals was also to explain what a hackathon is, and to encourage the girls to take on the challenge and participate.

future@blackgirlscode.org

Hello Afterschool + Summer Providers! We are piloting a new version of What’s Up 612! this summer! What’s Up 612! is a FREE citywide online resource where youth, parents, educators, youth workers and everyone who knows a young person can find afterschool and summer activities and programs in Minneapolis for ages 5-24.

rachel.oberg-hauser@minnneapolismn.gov

The new mesh WiFi network will address the digital inequity in the Canal by making it easier for students to participate in virtual learning and for Canal residents to access vital information and resources. Canal Alliance hopes the WiFi mesh network is the first step in a longer-term and more permanent solution to close the digital divide. Our goal is to build the foundation of a network with scalable infrastructure that allows us to expand the capacity to support the entire community.

There are many reasons for an equity gap among low-income families including the prohibitive cost of internet and the lack of an extensive broadband network in the Canal neighborhood. Because multiple families often live in a single home in the Canal, the leaseholder is often the only person who has access to the internet. These internet access challenges are compounded by the fact that many families do not have computers, or have only one computer per house, so all members must share a single computer. As a result of this huge inequity, multiple stakeholders realized the urgent need to implement a solution to address digital equity issues in the Canal and empower students to succeed through virtual learning.

(415) 454-2640

The Learning Lab is a new program from the Y offered every day in 52 sites, including a number of Title 1 schools with whom the Y already has strong youth development focused partnerships. The Learning Lab provides youth with the necessary learning space and technology access to engage in distanced learning during the pandemic.

Many of the schools with which the Learning Lab is partnered are funded under Title 1, a federal education program that provides supplemental funds to school districts to assist schools with the highest student concentrations of poverty. Through the Y, these schools are able to contiunue to provide academic support for their students.

YMCA of Silicon Valley, Youth Development Department, yafterschool@ymcasv.org