We Could Use A Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Together, we can take it to the end of the line…
Epic Eclipse
Bear with me if you’re tired of the references to the epic 80s song (but how cool must Bonnie Tyler feel about her refresh)?
I had a total eclipse of the heart last week when my partner, Janine Yass, and I visited Comp Sci High. We interacted with awesome students and several other classrooms who were all melding heart, mind, and soul to escape all-too-often baked destinies from living in some of the most challenging communities in the country - like the South Bronx - to instead head to highly selective colleges and Ivys, with some first opting for sophisticated computer training programs.
Founder David Noah could have done anything but this. A Yale legal scholar, he instead recruited the top people from their fields to make computer science literacy synonymous with literacy, instill faith, hope and high expectations in students and imbue them with rich content and skills to free them to become economically independent. Talk about an eclipse in education!
Mother Cabrini’s Eclipse Of The Heart
The movie is truly cinematically brilliant. It’s just beautiful to watch and so captivating. The subject matter is also incredible. It’s not (as some think and thus wish to avoid) about Catholicism with a big C, but with a little c; catholic, meaning community. And what we learn visually that the big C Cabrini does - which we know from history is true - is nothing short of heroic. She took the people who were the oppressed du jour and gave them what they needed - dignity, healthcare, education… a community. Of course, I have a special place in my heart for Frances Xavier Cabrini, not only in helping Italian immigrants but as a role model for women fighting a callous and male-dominated world (which sadly still exists in far too many places).
And then I read my friend Patrick Wolf’s analysis in Education Next about What Cabrini Can Teach Us About the School Choice Movement. Just extraordinary.
“As I watched this moving cinematic masterpiece in the theater, I couldn’t help but see parallels between Mother Cabrini’s crusade to expand the scope of where poor Italian immigrants “belong” and the missional zeal of those who support parental school choice. The residential assignment of students to public schools determines the schools that certain children must and must not attend. Parents who try to enroll their child in a public school outside of their zoned area not only are told “You don’t belong here,” some are sent to prison merely for attempting to create a brighter future for their children. Mother Cabrini would sympathize with their plight. She also would offer advice to those who seek to expand school choice.”
Read it yourself!
Valiant Cross Eclipsing Hearts
Talk about show-stoppers. My most recent guest inPiazza is Anthony Brock who is building a culture of love and honor for hundreds of young Black men in his hometown of Montgomery, AL. If you haven’t heard or read about the work being done at Valiant Cross yet, now’s the time.
Forbes x Yass Prize Combines Minds & Hearts
The Yass Prize alumni have become Forbes contributors, offering their experience and insights on a range of issues, from why we must activate neurodiverse learners to how financial literacy can mitigate student loan debt. Coming up next in these weekly articles you’ll learn about edtech's potential, teacher living conditions, and media narratives surrounding Black males in education.
Eclipsing Innovation at ASU+GSV 2024
My team - and the growing Yass Prize movement - will be out in full force at ASU+GSV this year, and we are proud to be partnering to grow the community and spread more “rays of innovation” across the education solar system! If you’re in person, stop by Booth 241 (Seaport Foyer) to see us, and mark your calendar for some great talks, including on SunstageX at 2:30 on Wednesday, April 17. More to come. Watch your inbox!
You didn’t think I’d leave you without being able to click on the music video, did you? 😎
Jeanne