Where the Teacher's Pet Sleeps in a Dog Bed

Students in a small town in Michigan are outperforming their peers statewide. Over half of the students are American Indian and many come from low-income families. Because the town's reservation can't be taxed, the school receives additional federal funding. And teachers have put it to good use - by hiring more staff, decreasing class sizes, and frequently evaluating students' progress. One fourth grader offered her own theory: "Well, everyone's accepted here for who they are, no matter if they're Irish, Native, African American or just French."

A Mumbai school located in a remodeled shipping container meets kids on the street where they are at. Signal School results from a collaborative effort between the city and a non-profit, and focuses on bringing education to migrant children, so that they are less likely to be forced into child labor or street begging. Signal School does more than just teach, it also provides meals, works with families to change the cultural perspective that education is an amenity for the privileged, and helps migrant families find permanent housing.

In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, where more bears and more people are increasingly occupying the same general space, the Montana Bear Education Working Group is prepared. By holding workshops and events to teach locals how to interact with bears, carry bear spray, and adopt habits to minimize potential conflict, the group reached over 20,000 people last year and continues to educate more people.

In the wake of more than 100 forest fires in Maule, Chile, hundreds of burned acres of forest are being replanted by three Border Collies named Das, Olivia, and Summer and an organization called Pewos. The dogs bound through miles of terrain with special backpacks that release native seeds to regrow the area. So far the dogs have worked in 15 forests in the region and plants are starting to come back.

An initiative on the Moscow metro system has posters on the train featuring cats and dogs that are looking for a home. Known as the “Tails and Paws” train, these animals come from 13 animal shelters in the city and riders can use their phone to scan the poster to learn more about the animals up for adoption. “It’s about forming a new culture of responsible attitude to animals,” says one of the workers at a shelter.

A modest fleet of floating schools in Bangladesh ensures children can continue getting the education they need even if their village is cut off during the rainy season. The boats pick the kids up and they have lessons on the floating schoolhouse before being returned to their villages. There are now 23 such schools in the country and the model has grown to include floating medical clinics and a combination library and playground.

With an influx of COVID relief money, the Russellville school district began hiring and certifying more local, Spanish-speaking staff to help teach English language learners. Districtwide, the percentage of students who met their language proficiency goals increased from 46% in 2019 to 61% in 2022.

The Cowichan Wellness and Recovery Centre works to combat the ongoing overdose crisis. The Centre offers services like mental health support and a community hub where people can access, test and use drugs safely, as well as connect with healthcare, detox, and treatment services. Not only have these services benefited people, and connected them with others in the community, but they’ve also led to decreased criminal activity like theft.

Community groups like Swim For Charlie and Learn to Swim are teaching local youth to swim in an effort to promote water safety and combat high rates of drownings, particularly within low-income and minority communities. Since forming in 2020, Swim For Charlie has taught more than 2,100 second graders how to swim, while Learn to Swim served about 3,000 students across 48 schools just last year.

Caminando est une école primaire qui privilégie le lien des élèves avec la nature, avec beaucoup de temps passé à l’extérieur et des éléments de la nature incorporés à d’autres matières académiques. Par exemple, les élèves apprennent les mathématiques en s’occupant de leurs propres parcelles de jardin, ce qui les oblige à calculer la surface ou à compter le nombre de tomates qu’ils ont cultivées.