Teaching & Learning
Education propels change. Stay up to date on the latest educational developments near you and around the world from preschool to post-grad. Here, you'll find out why equitable quality education is essential for fostering healthy and resilient societies.
Illinois high schools equip students with media literacy skills
Misinformation in media isn’t a new problem—but it used to be much more contained. With the rise of the internet and social media platforms, misinformation has gained even more power. In the past couple of years, misinformation ran rampant, wreaking havoc on a population largely unprepared for Read More...
7 Tips to help LGBTQ parents navigate a new school
A new school year is an exciting time, but it can also be stressful and challenging. For LGBTQ parents, back to school can mean new struggles with acceptance and inclusion. Psychology professor Abbie E. Goldberg researches LGBTQ parents’ relationships with schools and shares these seven tips to Read More...
This zombie escape room prepared clinicians for the pandemic
Back in 2019, the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System began running escape room simulations to teach clinicians about the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection-halting measures in a highly infectious medical setting. Organizers Kristy Causey and Grace Boseman created Read More...
Free education takes Congolese kids out of mines and into the classroom
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF, six million children (approximately one in four) were not attending school in 2018. To address this, the following year, the Democratic Republic of Congo became one of the last countries in the world to finally introduce free primary Read More...
Scotland to provide free bikes to kids in need
We at The Optimist Daily are big fans of cycling—it’s good for your mental and physical health, and it’s a better mode of transportation for our planet. So, it’s no surprise that we are happy to report that the Scottish government is planning on releasing six pilot schemes that will Read More...
7 Ways to boost kids’ immune systems as they head back to school
Bolstering your child’s immune system can help protect them from illnesses of all kinds. Here are seven ways to strengthen your child’s immune system as they head back to school. Encourage personal hygiene Aside from mask wearing, hand washing is the most crucial habit to protect from Read More...
This nonprofit elevates minority neighborhoods by investing in youth
North of Delmar Boulevard in the city of St. Louis are communities that are suffering from generations of racist housing policies and failed real estate markets. This leaves the majority Black and brown neighborhoods full of vacant homes and buildings with no access to key services or community Read More...
How an 11-year-old from Illinois helped create a bill to protect pollinators
After learning that bees in her neighborhood were being wiped out by mosquito pesticides, 11-year-old Illinois resident Scarlett Harper didn’t hesitate to take action by launching a campaign to save them. Not afraid of bees or asking lawmakers to support a bill protecting the vital pollinators, Read More...
7 Strategies to make this back-to-school season more joyful for kids
This back-to-school season is a tough one to navigate. Even before Covid-19 restrictions were in place, kids were already dealing with the complexities of social media, extracurriculars, competitive schooling, and the overwhelming pressure to excel and fit in. This year, instead of striving for a Read More...
This nonprofit trains patients' families to become expert caregivers
In India, it is common for some family members to take time off (sometimes weeks) to accompany and support a hospitalized relative, especially if they are moved to another city for treatment. However, these family members’ tasks are limited to making pharmacy runs to purchase medicine and Read More...