Equal Opportunity Schools

🛎 School bells are ringing again 🛎 Jacqueline Greer, VP of Partnership, wanted to wish all our friends in education a happy return to the classroom. In her new blog post, she reflects on the educational opportunities that helped make each new school year exciting for her, and how inequitable access to such opportunities drives the work she leads at EOS.  She also teases some of our new innovations for the 2024-25 school year, which will help us impact more students than ever before. Read more at the link below. #BackToSchool #Education #Teaching #StudentSucces 

Team EOS is ready for the start of the school year! Earlier this month, our staff flew from every corner of the country to convene in Seattle, EOS’ home base. While together, we caught each other up on the work we’ve been doing, shared our goals for the school year, and discussed how we can better serve our district partners and increase our impact on students.  We also talked about some exciting new initiatives currently underway, which we look forward to announcing soon! #BackToSchool #Education #EquityinEducation

AP U.S. History and Government teachers at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools got a jump-start on the school year last week, convening for an in-person workshop on instilling cues and conditions of belonging in their classrooms. The workshop, led by our partnership team, kicks off the district’s Action for Equity in History and Civics (A4EHG) work with EOS, in which we will provide year-round training and support for teachers with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. Next week, these teachers will welcome students back into their classrooms, who can expect to enter spaces of rigor, inclusivity and encouragement. #BackToSchool #studentsuccess #education #teaching 

It's back to school season for students across the country, including EOS partner school alum like Andriah Hawthorne. An incoming senior at Murray State University, Andriah took honors, AP, and dual credit courses in high school in order to prepare for college. The most challenging part of these courses for Andriah was not the rigorous curriculum, however, but the lack of students who looked like her in the room. Despite being one of the few students of color in advanced courses, Andriah was able to succeed thanks in large part to an “inner circle” of trusted adults that included teachers, counselors and administrators.  Read about how Andriah’s trusted adults helped her thrive, and hear her advice for educators looking to similarly impact their students, in our End of Year Report: https://lnkd.in/dKa66VVZ

Vote for our proposed workshop at SXSW EDU to help us show educators how we are redefining student readiness for advanced courses, and helping educators maximize the potential of every student! Partnership Director Erika Cabrera will discuss how EOS leverages data, tools, and strategies to support school districts, and will leave attendees with: 🔹Tangible insights and practices for increasing student enrollment in advanced courses and tracking their success 🔹Strategies to implement in their classrooms and schools that support student belonging, success, and development 🔹Practical advice on leveraging research and data to advocate for reimagining advanced course pathways that empower students and their curiosities We'd greatly appreciate your support, as each vote gets us closer to sharing our impact on the #SXSW stage. Voting is open at the link below, through August 18.

For six years, John Stratton worked with EOS to build access and success in Hernando County School District's advanced courses as its superintendent.  He now brings his deep experience and expertise to EOS as our newest Superintendent-in-Residence. He will be advocating for public education, telling his story as a champion for educational equity in a challenging political landscape, and sharing insights for district leaders looking to follow his path. Read about Stratton’s journey in education, and the mission that brought him to EOS, here: https://lnkd.in/eA5CFrdH #education #superintendents #equityineducation #studentsuccess

There are two things we love most about summits like last week’s #AP Annual Conference: 1. Meeting educators and administrators who share our dedication to improving access and success in advanced pathways, and sharing our approach to accomplishing that goal. 2. Spending time with our close collaborators and friends. At APAC, this included some of the people helming the equity-building work in our partner districts, like Keanon Thompson from Chicago Public Schools and Dr. Keena Ryals-Jenkins from Gwinnett County Public Schools. We were also excited to see our friends at Leading Educators, who were live testing an online course they’re developing with our partnership team. The course will train AP and IB STEM teachers on implementing cues and conditions of belonging in their classrooms – stay tuned for more information!

#AI is transforming the education landscape. But while it may offer endless opportunities for creative teaching and learning, it also comes with risks regarding ethics, safety, and misinformation. Gwinnett County Public Schools understands this. They embrace a “human-centered approach” to AI, and just created a guidebook for responsible and ethical AI use and oversight for students, staff and parents. Every district should have such a guide. We are proud to partner with Calvin J. Watts, Ed.D., Dr. Keena Ryals-Jenkins and the forward-thinking team at GCPS.

Are you at The College Board’s AP Annual Conference in Las Vegas? Come check out our panel about how district leaders can use EOS’ data, tools and strategies to transform their #AP pathways. John Stratton, EOS Superintendent-in-Residence, will share how he increased enrollment for thousands of historically underrepresented students in his Florida school district’s AP classes, and will offer insights for district leaders looking to do the same. The panel will be at 9 a.m. on Friday, at Lando 4203-4204 on Level 4. #studentsuccess #equityineducation #lasvegas

Classes don’t start at Prince William County Public Schools until August 19, but the new Action for Equity in History and Civics (A4EHG) program got rolling last week at our first in-person workshop! AP U.S. History and Government teachers from across the district joined us for an interactive session on cultivating inclusive classrooms in which students from all backgrounds feel empowered to succeed. We will continue to train and support all of the district’s APUSH and AP Government teachers throughout the school year, thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of Education.