Education
Great minds lead to great solutions. Our education section features solutions and innovations directed at strengthening educational systems around the world.
The school year is ending. Here’s some ideas for thanking teachers
As we wrap up the school year, many parents are breathing a sigh of relief to have a break from the virtual classroom. Many are also experiencing a surge of gratitude for teachers who manage not only their child but 20 others as well every day. If you’re looking to thank your child’s teacher Read More...
Pupils in need will be offered free internet to study online
Lockdown-induced school closures have disrupted the education of millions of students around the world, but thanks to virtual classes many were still able to continue their learning. For those with disadvantaged backgrounds though, a lack of access to the internet has put a halt to their Read More...
Johns Hopkins is offering a free online course in psychological first aid
The pandemic caused a significant rise in anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Isolation, combined with health concerns, social justice frustrations, and economic uncertainty took its toll on all of us. With this in mind, researchers from Johns Hopkins University started offering Read More...
Online choirs thrive amid lockdown as uplifting community connections
Lockdown may have brought concerts and choir practice to a standstill, but in the face of isolation and adversity, people are turning to the power of song more than ever and virtual choirs are flourishing online. In the UK, for instance, more than 1,000 NHS staff members from across the country Read More...
Thought Leader Series: A letter to the class of 2020
You have graduated from college, now what? This question looms large for the class of 2020 as they face a global pandemic, few jobs, and a shaky political climate. In this week’s Thought Leader Series, The Optimist Daily founding impact investor Rinaldo Brutoco pens a letter of support to the Read More...
Drone delivery service will soon start dropping books to kids in Virginia
For many school librarians, getting kids to read over the summer can be a challenge, but a librarian in Christiansburg, Virginia, has found an ingenious way to get kids to read more: drones. In a hope that watching a drone deliver books to their house will entice kids to read more, middle-school Read More...
“Black Lives Matter” is popping up along more streets across the country
Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser made headlines last week after she renamed the intersection at H and 16th streets “Black Lives Matter Plaza” and commissioned artists to paint the words in big, yellow letters on the pavement. Although some criticized the move as a symbolic gesture lacking Read More...
Check out these posters to imagine alternatives to heavy policing
If you experience intimate partner violence, your only option for immediate help may be to call the police, even though an arrest may not do enough to get you out of your dangerous situation and keep you safe in the future. What if instead you could text a number and meet with a trauma-informed Read More...
This artist sculpted a “Coral Greenhouse” and sunk it to the seabed
A British artist by the name of Jason deCaires Taylor is using his love for sculpting to support the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. What the artist has done is create what he calls a "Coral Greenhouse", which has been sunken to the seabed so its cement and steel frame can be a habitat for marine Read More...
How a 10-year-old girl sent thousands of art kits to kids in foster care
A young girl with a big heart has found just the way to cheer up other kids stuck at home during the pandemic. Chelsea Phaire, a 10-year-old from Danbury, Connecticut, has sent more than 1,500 children in homeless shelters and foster care homes art kits to give them something uplifting to do when Read More...