Exemplary Projects Recipients
The following Exemplary Projects are recognized for their outstanding contributions in classrooms, schools, and communities. They may serve as sources of inspiration for replication and/or adaptation in your school districts or communities. Information includes description, vision, process, audiences served, and recommendations for implementation.
Exemplary Awards recipients are willing to share further information about their projects. They may be available for professional development, consultation, and modeling, to be individually arranged. (See “Contact” information.) Please use the links to connect to profiles of the projects.
Alianza Educative’s Navegar Seguro (Smooth Sailing) in Colombia South America, focuses on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) for students and their families.
Arts Conservatory for Teens (ACT), St. Petersburg, Florida, develops creative visual and performing arts and technology opportunities for teens in under-represented communities.
The Babson Financial Literacy Project (BFLP), Babson College, Wellesley MA, is a not-for-profit initiative designed to help teens and young adults acquire the necessary financial knowledge and skills for long-term independence and prosperity.
Baby Brain Connection: Parenting for Early Childhood Literacy, a special project of the Goldin Foundation for Excellence in Education, is a train the trainer model for 1) Parent Providers and 2) Parents of babies and toddlers that provide background information about Early Brain Development and ideas and activities for Talking, Playing & Interacting, and Reading.
Boston Arts Academy’s (BAA) Summer Reading Program in Boston, MA, is a 5-week intensive intervention that takes talented high school students and artists who are reading years below grade level, and empowers them to develop their reading skills from 1 to 4 grade levels in 1 summer.
The Center for Citizenship and Responsibility (CSSR). a district-wide afterschool program in Medford, MA, develops responsible global leaders/heroes who actively address social issues such as addiction, racism, depression, suicide, and bigotry.
Chautauqua Institution Arts Education, a year-round arts education resource for youth, teachers and families in Chautauqua County, N.Y. and neighboring communities, provides authentic, inspirational, and engaging artistic experiences in drama, music, play writing, literature, opera and visual arts.
Residencies for Exceptional Students offer under-served students with disabilities extended engagement and experiences with music and the arts.
Battle of the Books is a lively academic competition that improves reading comprehension, builds vocabulary, and teaches teamwork and good sportsmanship.
Professional Development for Teachers offers professional development workshops in which arts integrated teaching techniques are described and modeled, and also include observations by Master Teaching Artists in schools.
Opera Invasion in the Schools provides immersive experiences in opera, making opera more accessible, using arts integration techniques to advance learning standards in music and English Language Arts.
Cleveland Public Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio, has two major projects that promote performing arts, literacy, and personal and interpersonal skills.
Cleveland Act Now is an afterschool and summer performing arts and academic enrichment program for over 700 children ages 5-14 living in public housing. The on-site program promotes children’s positive sense of self and community through exposure to the performing arts.
Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP), Cleveland’s longest-running arts-based education and workforce development program in Cleveland, has served over 1,000 Cleveland teens, primarily Black and African-Americans, since 1994 to write their own brand-new play and perform it on tour across the city.
The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) addresses the societal impacts of a changing climate by supporting educators and their students in teaching climate and energy topics effectively. CLEAN is co-lead by a team from the University of Colorado, Boulder, the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Columba Leadership, South Africa, activates youth to make a difference in classes, schools, and communities; fosters a community of teachers and learners; and encourages and promotes civic awareness and engagement
The Early Childhood Development Task Force (ECDtf) is a global network of more than 800 professionals and parents committed to ensuring that young children with disabilities will achieve their full potentials.
Education Foundation of Sarasota County: Technology and Innovation Initiatives in Sarasota, Florida invests in innovative programs and initiatives that enrich the learning experience for countless students and teachers. Technology and Innovation are integrated into its many initiatives and have evolved through the years to adapt to 21st-century education demands and help prepare Sarasota County students for college, careers and beyond.
Enough! Plays to End Gun Violence, Chicago, Il, a nationwide program, has teens confronting gun violence by creating ten minute plays, six of which are selected to be performed as staged readings in numerous community settings on the same evening.
Facing History and Ourselves, Brookline, MA, integrates history, literature, and human behavior with ethical decision making and innovative teaching strategies to enable secondary school teachers to promote students’ historical understanding and connections to current events, critical thinking, and social emotional learning.
Fiske Mentor Program, Lexington Public Schools, MA, is an English Language Learner program, providing mentoring to “newcomer” elementary school students and peer leadership opportunities for former ELL students.
The Innovation Hub in North Little Rock, Arkansas uses tools, skills, and expertise to inspire students, innovators, and entrepreneurs to expand the range of educational and economic opportunities for themselves, their communities in our state of Arkansas, and throughout the world.
Kids4Peace Jerusalem is a grassroots interfaith youth movement dedicated to ending conflict and inspiring hope in Jerusalem and other divided societies around the world. It brings Jewish, Christian, and Muslim youth of Jerusalem and their families together, to create a community of leaders acting for lasting change.
The Leadership Academy, a national organization based in Long Island City, NY, builds the capacity of educational leaders at every level of the school system to disrupt systemic inequities and create the conditions necessary for all students to thrive.
League of Women Voters Pittsburgh Civic Education in Schools and Community, PA, fosters more active and informed citizens by providing free nonpartisan, reliable resources and educational opportunities that advance the understanding of our representative government, elections, and voting.
Learning in Concert is an educational outreach program of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra in New Bedford MA, that provides local schools with authentic, concept-based arts integration learning experiences designed around shared concepts that connect classical music to other subject areas across the curriculum.
A Life with Drums: Harlem Samba, New York, New York, is a nonprofit organization that promotes: inclusive music programs with a strong emphasis on samba percussion; professional development; and expansion to other schools.
Moreland Middle School’s Academic Empowerment for Student Success in San Jose, CA pairs middle school students who are at risk with adult volunteer mentors to improve their self-confidence, habits of mind (purpose, flexible thinking, communicating with teachers, organization) social responsibility, and a renewed interest in school.
Mosaic Interfaith Youth Action, Boston, MA region, (formerly Kids4Peace Boston) Youth from various backgrounds and beliefs connect across differences to build community and advance social justice through action and advocacy.
Needham’s Art in Bloom: a collaboration between Needham, MA High School Art Department and Beth Shalom Garden Club creating a free community event showcasing student artwork with floral interpretations by garden club members. This event attracts an ever-increasing audience.
New Arrival Centers, “NAC,” a program in Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD) in Houston, Texas, strategically provides accelerated language instruction to students who move to Texas from all over the world; who exhibit minimal English upon enrollment; yet who demonstrate remarkable proficiency achievements as a result of this one-year program.
Norwood High School Global Citizenship Program in Norwood, MA provides students global awareness and competency in 21st century skills, integrating academic achievement, co-curricular activities, community service, and international travel.
One World Education, Washington DC, serves 5000 middle school, high school, and adult learners a 20 schools annually as the city’s largest writing program. We improve critical thinking and writing skills – the two most important skills students need for college and life.
Our Children’s Trust, Eugene, Oregon, supports and empowers young people to activate their rights regarding the climate crisis in state, national, regional, and international courts using the best available science.
Our Sisters’ School (OSS) Community Core Program, New Bedford, MA, focuses on Social Emotional Literacy as integral to educating and inspiring economically disadvantaged girls, grades 5-8.
ParentChild+ (formerly the Parent-Child Home Program), Mineola, NY, and 15 U.S. states and 6 countries, uses early education to break the cycle of poverty for low-income families by engaging toddlers, their parents, and family child care providers with early literacy and school readiness supports to create opportunity.
Play On Philly (POP) provides underserved children in Philadelphia, PA a transformative music education experience that develops and inspires behaviors and skills necessary for successful lives. Throughout the school year, students receive tuition-free daily in-school and after-school music education. POP also provides students a free to low cost 6 week summer music camp and over 25 performance opportunities throughout the year.
Reach Incorporated in Washington D.C., is an out-of-school time program through which teens, who struggle with reading, are hired as elementary school literacy tutors and supported in becoming children’s book authors, resulting in reading improvement for both the elementary school students and their teen tutors.
Renew Our Schools, Boulder Colorado, is a powerful national 6 week friendly energy conservation competition that gets students and staff in schools excited about responsible energy by making immediate energy-saving changes.
Sinamune in Quito, Ecuador provides children and young adults having special needs with musical education, training, therapy, and participation in an orchestra.
ThinkGive, Concord MA, provides schools and youth organizations with a research-based and standards-aligned social and emotional learning (SEL) program that explores questions around identity, inclusion, social courage, and empathy, and challenges students to act in ways that impact both themselves and others.
Thrive Scholars, a national program with offices in Los Angeles, California, and Boston, Massachusetts helps high-achieving, low-income, under-represented junior and senior high school students to get into and graduate from top colleges equipped to reach their full career potential.
Urban Improv in Jamaica Plain, MA uses interactive theater workshops and improvisation to teach violence prevention, conflict resolution, decision making, and impulse control. The program’s innovative curriculum helps students deal creatively with major issues in their lives; it is truly a rehearsal for life.
Walls of Hope and The Perquin Model, El Salvador and Colombia, is an international art and human rights project of art, education, conflict resolution, crime prevention, diplomacy building, community development and preservation of historic memory.
Wellesley Centers for Women is a research and action institute at Wellesley College, MA, which advances gender equality, youth education, social justice, and human wellbeing.
NIOST, the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, a program of Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College, continues to support the healthy development and wellbeing of children, youth, families, and communities by improving the quality, availability, and sustainability of programs during out-of-school time, including before school, after school, expanded learning time, summer, camp, and vacations.
Open Circle, a program of the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College, provides a unique, evidence-based social and emotional learning program for grades K-5 that 1) proactively develops children’s skills for recognizing and managing emotions, empathy, positive relationships and problem solving, and 2) helps schools develop a community where students feel safe, cared for and engaged in learning.
The National SEED Project (Seeking Equity and Diversity) is a 31-year leader in peer-led professional development that promotes greater equity, diversity, and positive change from within organizations for more equitable schools campuses, workplaces, and communities.
Work, Families, and Children: For more than 25 years, the Work, Families and Children research group (WFC) has studied the lives of children and adults, and the workplaces, early care and education programs and families in which they live, work and grow. Based on this research, WFC has developed innovative programs and materials for practitioners, policymakers and advocates.
The YouthLine, a service of Lines for Life, Portland Oregon, is a free 24-hour teen-to-teen crisis and support help line.