🔊 The Forgotten Four "If we are thinking about our country and the communities that we have routinely left behind and failed to serve, the big four are rural actually." Jonathan Santos Silva maps the geography of educational neglect across rural America: border communities, the Black Belt, Appalachia, and tribal lands. When we connect these dots, a pattern emerges showing how educational inequality impacts the entire country. What innovations are these regions creating that the rest of America might learn from? #education #podcast #ruraleducation (fb)

💡 The Sparkyard: Middle School Edition | Week 2 Winners THEME: "Future Subjects" - What skills should everyone learn? 1️⃣ Nilah from Arizona , 7th Grade – "Fiduciary as a School Subject" We should have a subject called “Fiduciary” that teaches kids how to manage money, invest, and understand real-life finances like credit, debt, and taxes. This class would use fun digital simulations to help students learn how to budget, read financial statements, and make smart choices. It would be for middle and high schoolers so we can start early. Learning this now would help us grow up confident and ready to handle our own money. It’s time we took our financial future into our own hands! 2️⃣Maliyah from California, 6th Grade – "Nutrition Class for Everyone" We should have a nutrition class at school so kids can learn how food affects their body and mind. A lot of students don’t even know what nutrition is, and it’s super important for our health and future. This class would teach us how to build healthy eating habits and understand what foods really help us grow strong. Learning this would benefit our whole community, not just students. Everyone deserves the chance to be healthy and feel good! ✨ Note: Some winning ideas are being kept under wraps (based on student permissions) — but trust us, they’re just as bold! -- 🫱🏻‍🫲🏻 Up next: Week 4: "SCHOOL COMMUNITY" - How could we make sure every student feels like they belong at school? 📅 Submit by: June 8 💰 Win a $100 gift card + featured spotlight 🧑🏽‍🏫 Open to students in grades 6–8 and their educators 🌐 Submit here: https://sparkyard.replit.app/ Know a middle schooler with a bold idea? Tag them below! 🚀 #TheSparkyard #MiddleSchoolEdition #StudentVoice (fb)