Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • How collaboration builds networks of support for Michigan children

    Brilliant Detroit is a nonprofit that aims to create “kid success neighborhoods.” It reaches this goal by building over 70 partnerships with organizations throughout the city. From working with Eastern Market to providing fresh produce to SNAP recipients, to working with maternal health groups and safety-focused nonprofits, Brilliant Detroit knows it is stronger as an organization when it works with others. Together, these creative collaboration efforts are more likely to help neighborhood kids succeed.

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  • Why didn't this program aimed at boosting teacher effectiveness help students?

    The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's teacher-evaluation reform initiative failed to generate the expected improvements in student performance, according to a recent study published by RAND. Critics point to the program's singular focus on teacher improvement as a reason for its shortcomings. Frederick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute summarizes, "It was an expensive experiment, but it was a reasonable hypothesis. ... For good or bad, we've learned a lot."

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  • Feeding—and healing—the hood

    Project Feed the Hood, a community effort to increase food access and security for lower-income families, has established gardens and pilot programs at ten schools in Albuquerque. The program originally aimed to convert lawns into gardens while giving youth an alternative to military recruitment. Now, it is run by community volunteers and also offers paid internships for youth. “We’re here to resist, to reclaim our food systems, our community spaces,” explains one of the project's dedicated staff members.

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  • “The Price on Everything Is Love”: How a Detroit Community Overcomes a Lack of City Services

    In response to a decline in city services, local Detroiters have begun providing for neighbors out of a sense of goodwill. Detroiters Helping Each Other distributes donated items, ranging from school supplies to beds and winter clothing. The Detroit Mowers Gang is another local group that cleans up the city by caring for vacant lawns. There are other similar organizations that rely on community buy-in and a sense of care to succeed, and recipients of donations pay it forward by volunteering on other community projects.

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  • How little investments can lead to big community change

    Wellness for All, a community organization in Seward, Alaska, provides funding for community members to take action on projects they think will improve their city. Funding from the Seward Community Foundation supports these community-led ideas, such as an urban garden and a hospice program. The Alaska Community Foundation, which funds projects across the state, has distributed over $1 million in grants over the last decade.

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  • How Rwanda Tidied Up Its Streets (And The Rest Of The Country, Too)

    In Rwanda, "Umuganda" is compulsory community service once a month—citizens 18-65 must all clean up their local community. The rule is enforced by police officers who may stop citizens and force them to work on the spot. Though it's compulsory, one of the side effects is community pride.

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  • Tiny Homes Are Baby Steps Toward Reversing the Housing Crisis

    Tiny homes, proposed across the world as a solution to housing problems, come in many forms. Baltimore is trying its own model. A creative partnership under the non-profit Civic Works is connecting people who want affordable homes with youth who want to learn construction skills and get their GED. Though still in the prototype stage, this project will show the potential for collaboration between non-profit groups, developers, and the local government.

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  • How the efforts of a single resident (and a few friends) beautified Yorkshire Woods

    In the Yorkshire Woods neighborhood of Detroit, where there was once blight and vacant properties, there is now a community garden. Thanks to the enterprising efforts of Mose Primus, a community activist, the neighborhood has gained the funding, volunteers, and land to change the area. Little by little it is being restored to the tight-knit community of families it used to be.

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  • Cleveland uses literature to empower youth, overcome social divides

    Cleveland has been quietly building a network of book clubs, libraries, and empowerment groups "using literature to empower marginalized groups, foster economic dynamism, and bridge social divides." From workplace and veterans literature discussions led by community professors to youth writing initiatives, the city has uniquely woven literacy and social justice into its daily fabric. Journalist Christopher Johnston asks, could it be a model for other divided cities?

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  • Can Science Save Development Aid?

    A data-driven approach to foreign development/aid, one that centers randomized controlled trials and other markers of rigorous study, is gaining steam as a way to push forward programming and solutions that actually work. There are critiques that the method is expensive and doesn't scale easily, but many are excited by the potential for a new era of accountability and impact.

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