Blog

Every month, America Forward is highlighting a few examples of the vital work being done by our Coalition members to support students, families, educators, workers, elected leaders, advocates, and communities across the country. If your organization has resources, an announcement, or a story that you would like to see included, please send it to america_forward@newprofit.org.

iMentor

As students across the country work to overcome the challenges of the past year, personalized approaches to learning are more important than ever. To help their mentors foster strong, positive relationships with their mentees and best support their individual growth and development during the recovery from the pandemic and beyond, iMentor has launched Mentoring Toolbox, “a new blog series about the nuts and bolts of mentoring” that aims to “provide useful information for current and prospective mentors… from what it’s like to volunteer for iMentor to how to support your mentee in transitioning from high school to a college or career path.”

PowerMyLearning

The past fifteen months have only further highlighted the importance of engaging families in student learning, to ensure all students have the support they need to thrive. To help strengthen school-family partnerships, PowerMyLearning has teamed up with Panorama Education to promote their “Family Playlists” — “fun learning assignments that empower students to ‘learn by teaching’” and “invite families to participate in deeper, more meaningful learning conversations.” The playlists are exclusively available on PowerMyLearning Connect, the nonprofit’s free digital learning platform. However thanks to this new partnership, educators can now access select Family Playlists content via Panorama Education’s Playbook, an “online professional learning library that equips practitioners and school leaders with strategies for creating a positive school climate and implementing SEL in K-12 classrooms.”

Genesys Works

Genesys Works recently released their 2020 National Annual Impact Report, detailing the ways in which they were able to support their community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some report highlights include:

• “Provided nearly 250 businesses with skilled, diverse talent;
• Served approximately 2500 students, 97% of whom are people of color and 80% who are first-generation college students; and
• Helped students collectively earn over $8.9 million in wages, and reinvest those earnings back into their communities.”

Compass Working Capital

To address the numerous challenges created by the pandemic and break down critical barriers facing families, Compass Working Capital built two innovative new tools to expand access to relevant programs and support their community — an online enrollment portal and a client coaching app. In a recent webinar, Spotlight on Tech, the Compass Working Capital team offered a deep dive into these new resources, which will help them better reach more eligible families.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)

As school systems across the country begin to reimagine and re-envision what education can and should look like in a pandemic-managed future, the need to build and empower a strong, diverse pipeline of talented educators has never been more important. To advance their commitment to elevating the teaching profession and supporting educators, NBPTS offers key resources for those interested in candidacy for National Board Certification or Renewal, candidate support providers, and advocates for accomplished teaching.