All Articles tagged high-school.

The Coalition for Science After School and Enrichment Teaching

November 22, 2011 Brad Hoffman 2 Comments

My Learning Springboard is proud to be a member of The Coalition for Science After School, which “envisions the day when young people from all backgrounds have access to high-quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning beyond the classroom.” The mission is to coordinate and mobilize community stakeholders to strengthen and expand opportunities that engage young people in science after school. At My Learning Springboard, we offer a variety of opportunities for STEM enrichment and mentorship.

The Coalition for Science After School’s most recent newsletter shared the following articles and reports:

STEM Workers Consistently Out-Earn Their Humanities Counterparts: In a new report from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, researchers reveal that STEM workers earn more than non-STEM workers–regardless of degree level. For example, 63% of STEM workers with an associate’s degree out-earn non-STEM workers with a bachelor’s degree. For workers with post-graduate degrees, the comparison is just as stark–61% of STEM workers with a master’s degree earn more than a worker with a doctorate in humanities. The full report is full of rich data that is sure to convince students, parents, educators, and policymakers alike of the importance of supporting STEM education.

Statewide Study Shows Few In-School Opportunities for Learning Science: A new study demonstrated that California elementary school students have few opportunities for learning science from prepared teachers, despite principals’ and administrators’ views on science as an important subject. Startlingly, only one-third of teachers surveyed reporting feeling prepared to teach science, and 85 percent of teachers surveyed have not received any science-related professional development in the last three years. This research further demonstrates the increased need for science content to be emphasized outside of the classroom.

Why Science Majors Change Their Minds: According to this article from the New York Times, about 40% of college students who intend to major in science or engineering change their minds or do not complete their degree. Reasons for the high drop-off rate include low grades, uninspiring curricula, and a lack of support from professors. Could project-based learning–like the fun, interactive, innovative activities found in high-quality K-12 afterschool programs–help maintain student interest? What would it take to have a “trickle-up” effect from afterschool to college?

Closing the Girl Gap in STEM: This companion piece to the article above explores why girls are disproportionately left out of STEM majors in college, and highlights programs and places that are working to close the gap. Recent research shows that female engineering majors are more likely to switch majors than their male counterparts, largely due to a lack of confidence on the part of the female students.

Written by: Editorial Team, My Learning Springboard, Inc.

School Admissions Isn’t a Linear Process, It’s a Human One

November 1, 2011 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

In New York City, it’s buzzing with the frenzy of K-12 school applications. The fall begins a pilgrimage of parents from every part of the city and from every background swarming on independent and select public schools and charter schools for tours and open houses. Parents are eager to figure out just how the system works and how they can get their child a strategic edge in the application process.

Despite the park bench chatter that takes place and is referenced as solid fact in my many conversations with parents, the school placement process isn’t a code that can be cracked. People would like to say that they have it all figured out, but no one has it all figured out because this is a process dependent on human beings, relationships, and certain subjectivity. Yes, standardized test scores are considered, but so much more takes place. Similar to a carefully orchestrated dinner party, schools are interested in inviting the right guests. They want to be sure they can truly meet their students’ needs. They want to be sure they’re diversified.

All of the admissions professionals I’ve met really do care about the individual student and family and I’ve seen admissions directors do everything they can to make a situation work when it feels right. At the same time, I’ve seen great students be declined because of enrollment numbers and I’ve seen less than perfect matches get accepted because of politics. It’s just the nature of the process and it happens at every level and at every organization from nursery school through internships. So what should parents do?

To be as well prepared as possible for the admissions process, I do support students and families working with tutors, coaches, and consultants. There are ways to do this responsibly and to use the application process as an opportunity to practice real life skills, such as preparing for tests, finding your voice with essay writing, and developing interview skills. Even very young learners can work on some of these skills and readiness through structured play. But if there’s no secret sauce to school admissions, what else should families do? Here are five tips I share with families to help get grounded in the frenzy of this process.

Appreciate that you’re in a position of having options.
Visit any school you’re considering and observe teachers, students, and their interactions with one another carefully.
Connect with someone from admissions and share genuine reasons for why your family is a good fit for this school community.
Focus on your child’s needs and your family’s values in an honest way.
Be open-minded and cast a wide net.

In New York City, families have hundreds of choices with schools specializing in so many different philosophies, program offerings, methodologies, and learning support services. In the last two weeks, I’ve visited Birch Wathen Lenox, the Dwight School, Trevor Day, Parkside, Central Synagogue’s nursery school, and PPAS. Over the next two weeks, I’m visiting Nightingale, Brearley, Manhattan School for Children, and NEST+M. All of these schools are terrific and offer something special for the right students and families.

When I visit schools, I generally meet with an admissions director or administrator and often accompany families as they tour schools. My primary focus is on assessing the school climate. What values are expressed? What evidence of student work is visible? How are adults and children interacting? How are children interacting with each other? How does the space feel? Simultaneously I’m considering the curriculum, the quality of instruction I’m able to observe, the programmatic elements and the support services. When I tour with parents, I’m trying to imagine their child in this space. When I tour on my own, I’m asking myself if I would want to teach at this school and if I would want my own child to be a student at this school.

At the end of the day, it really boils down to one simple thing. Community. School selection should be about finding the right community for your family and your child. We find the right community through due diligence and we know we’ve found it when it just feels like all the stars have aligned. We apply these same rules to finding the right apartment, finding the right church or synagogue, finding the right college campus, finding the right job. In all of these searches, we begin with certain requirements and then accept that there will likely be some type of compromise. Anyone who has searched for an apartment in Manhattan knows that there’s always a compromise.

Having taught in a variety of school environments, having visited dozens of schools, and having tutored students from a variety of independent and public schools, I can assure you that no school is perfect all the time and certainly no school is perfect for every type of learner. The process shouldn’t be focused on “how can I get my kid into School X?” The process should be focused on identifying options that can truly meet your child’s needs and then making the best possible situation work. You can always supplement what you feel a program is lacking, and you can always construct a team of experts to bolster, enrich, or help motivate your child. What’s essential is finding the right community where you know your child will be safe, happy, challenged, and provided with opportunities to realize his or her full potential.

By Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed.
Board Certified Educational Planner and Learning Specialist
My Learning Springboard, Inc.

Taking Control of the Application Process from Preschoolers to Interns

October 23, 2011 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

During this fall season, my team and I are busy supporting students and families as they prepare for a variety of school and career transitions. Preschoolers are preparing for the kindergarten entrance process; fifth graders are preparing for the middle school transition; eighth graders are preparing for the high school transition; juniors are preparing for standardized tests as a precursor to the college application process; and seniors are finishing their essays and mailing early decision/action college applications.

As the courting ritual begins for summer internships, college students and 1^st year MBAs are another group gearing up for applications and interviews. Starting early in the fall, these students are inundated with corporate representatives on campus eager to attract the best and the brightest. In my work as a recruiter and internship specialist for Time Warner, the recruitment cycle was a full-year effort. October through April included networking with career services, campus presentations, rounds of interviews, and making offers to secure top talent. May through September was spent finalizing the program and placements, managing the program, evaluating students, making job offers, and planning for the fall recruiting season.

The part that I find most unique and gratifying about the My Learning Springboard platform is that our educational professionals are equipped to support students along this entire continuum. With students as young as three years old and students well into their careers, we have specialists at every level.

We understand where students come from and where they need to go. We understand that many of the skills students develop at young ages are, in fact, the same skills that need to be advanced and refined as they prepare for high school, college, and their careers. For example, a preschooler doesn’t need to be concerned with Skype interviews, but making eye contact, connecting with a stranger, and demonstrating curiosity are the same skills that need to be in place whether you’re three years old or 20 years old. Interviewers at every level want to see passion, curiosity, demonstrated persistence, and creativity. Obviously it’s assessed differently, but the core attributes are really very similar.

For students and families, the fall is both an exciting time and a stressful time because it’s such a competitive landscape. How does a student set himself or herself apart from the crowd? How do you make sure you’re casting a wide enough net and leaving yourself with options? How do you tune out the rumors and speculation about these processes that often overshadow the thrill we want all students to feel?

The answer to all three questions is to take control and prepare with trusted experts. We source teachers, coaches, specialists and consultants who have a track record of success. They’ve been the interviewers, the managers, the admissions specialists, and the parents and they understand what needs to be in place. Here are 3 tips for taking control of your application process:

Due diligence. Develop a list of target schools and companies. Research each one—visit if possible—and make sure you’re clear on why each particular school or company would be a good fit for you. Also get clarity on why YOU would be a good fit for THEM. What value do you bring? Be ready to discuss the salient characteristics of that school, company or position that really speak to you.
Student accountability. With the exception of preschoolers, students should really own this process. Writing essays, cover letters, and resumes is a lot of work and should only be done for schools or companies that a student really wants to attend/join. Ideally, a student should be intrinsically motivated to want to engage in this process. When one of our specialists begins working with a student, that relationship is mainly between the student and the coach. Parent consultation is highly valued and important, but accountability should lie with the student. That’s why many families choose to engage an objective third party. In my role as a corporate internship specialist, I have to admit that parent phone calls and negotiation attempts did not leave the best impression of a candidate.
Branding and Marketing. Whether you’re applying to kindergarten or Bloomberg, each candidate is presenting his or her “brand”. It sounds awfully corporate, but the application process is about marketing and branding. It should be truthful and genuine, but a lot of care should be taken to ensure that a student is making the best first impression possible. A resume is a one-page sell sheet and short answer essays, or cover letters, provide a lens into the humanity behind the applicant. Finding your voice, your style, and your spark of genius is key to engaging the admissions specialist or recruiter.

By Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed.
Board Certified Educational Planner and Learning Specialist
My Learning Springboard, Inc.

Service Learning and Social Action

August 22, 2011

Service Learning (SL) means different things to different people, however the official definition is clear according to the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse: it “is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.” Today, many secondary and post-secondary schools include SL as a part of their graduation requirements.

Service Learning as an instructional strategy helps to create a social awareness in students that impels them to social action with documented success at every educational level—primary, secondary, and post-secondary. For SL to be skillfully integrated into a school program, the educator must engage in curriculum mapping of content and standards. It must not be just an activity, something to do. SL is a hands-on learning experience that provides benefit both to the provider and to the recipient of the service. However, the doing is just the first part. The learning comes from reflection – from evaluation. This is where critical thinking on the part of the student occurs. As a result of one or many SL experiences, a student may engage in reassessing their goals, the impact they can have on their community and/or society, and hopefully gain a greater understanding of themselves and the needs that others have.

At My Learning Springboard, we help students and schools to develop and implement Service Learning opportunities in connection with the curriculum.

Pillars of Effective Service Learning:

Meeting an authentic community need through respectful partnerships.
Careful planning by educators.
Involving students in planning and collaborating with community members.
Students having decision-making and problem-solving capabilities throughout the project to foster their sense of ownership.
Having structured time for reflection on the service goals and learning goals of the project.

Three Categories of Service:

Direct service involves face-to-face interactions between students and their community partners.
Indirect service activities do not include face-to-face interactions, but rather provide financial assistance or goods to another individual, group, or agency.
Advocacy service is intended to raise awareness of an existing need without providing financial aid, goods, or face-to-face interactions.

Please contact our office to discuss your interests in greater detail.

Last edited Apr 19, 2021 @ 11:27 pm

Autism Support

July 15, 2011

Autism Spectrum Disorder:

Because autism is a complex disorder of brain development, My Learning Springboard offers autism support for families with a wide range of needs.

According to Autism Speaks, characteristics of ASD are identified as having difficulties “in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors.” Historically there have been several diagnosis that fell under the Autism umbrella, however in the most recent edition of the DSM-5 diagnostic manual, all autism disorders were identified as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

At times it presents challenges in various areas, such as intellectual disabilities, communication, speech, social awareness, motor coordination, sensory integration, and self-regulating behaviors, including attention and sleep. Individuals with ASD also may show strengths in areas, such as visual skills, music, math, art and academic. The Autism Spectrum Disorder ranges from mild to severe and includes children and adults with Asperger’s Syndrome.

There are varying theories as to what causes autism although most research believes that there is not just one cause. Researches continue to investigate a number of factors that may contribute to the causes of autism.

If you suspect that your child is exhibiting signs of autism, contact your doctor and/or your state’s Early Intervention Services program, usually through your local school system right away. Early intervention has been a hallmark strategy in developing cognitive, social and communication strategies in young children.

Autism Support for Families:

Early and Strategic Interventions
Autism Spectrum Disorder Evaluations
School Admissions and Specialized Program Consultation
DIR® (Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based) / Floortime Model
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
Specialized Yoga and Movement Therapy
Multi-disciplinary approach incorporating services such as Occupational Therapy (OT), Speech
Therapy (ST), and Physical Therapy (PT)

For additional information about services and specialists, please contact our office.

Last edited May 19, 2021 @ 10:56 pm