The theme of this year’s top stories is: learning from experts. All of your favorite reads include an expert’s point of view, whether it be an interview with an arts researcher or a guest post by the leader of an out-of-school-time organization.
We’re glad you enjoy reading these conversations as much as we enjoy having them and learning from the people who are so deeply involved in the work we do. We look forward to showcasing even more perspectives from experts, peers, leaders, and others working in school leadership, youth development, and the arts in the New Year.
Without further ado, here are Wallace’s top five this year, measured by number of page views:
5. The Future of Diversity and Equity in Museums: The American Alliance of Museums launched a new initiative in 2023 to embed Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Inclusion (DEAI) as an integral part of museum excellence. Here, we chat with Laura Lott, CEO and president of AAM, to discuss the new work and the state of DEAI work at museums.
4. What Young People Want from Afterschool Programs: Jane Quinn, an expert in afterschool and out-of-school-time with more than five decades of experience, shares how the quality of programs can be optimized to improve attendance.
3. School/OST Partnerships Help Kids Thrive, Thanks to Pandemic Funding: This guest post by the Afterschool Alliance’s executive director Jodi Grant delves into examples of how states, school districts, and local governments have invested pandemic funds in programming for youth, as well as what makes a strong program.
2. What Do Black Students Need From Principals? In this article, Wallace’s program officer for education leadership Angel Miles Nash talks with Linda C. Tillman, a scholar with extensive experience in the K-12 and higher education sectors–and one of Angel’s mentors! Among other things they discuss the importance of effective principal preparation programs and principal leadership for Black students in public schools.
1. More Arts = More Benefits for Kids: The number one story of the year brings good news about arts education: it can boost students’ writing skills, build social and emotional skills, and increase school engagement. In this Q&A, two arts researchers break down this and other findings from their 2023 study–the first large-scale, randomized controlled trial of a city’s collective efforts to restore arts education in schools.
But wait, there’s one more…
We recognize that measuring a story’s popularity by page views can give an edge to those that were published earlier in the year and have had more time to circulate. So we’re including one of our more recent stories as a bonus.
Meet Milton, a student from Tulsa, Oklahoma who hated school—until he was offered the chance to join an innovative program where he learned how to garden. Seeds of Success shows how this changed his whole life.
