Photo submitted by Christine Rogers of SparkFarm
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings has gotten on board with a national program, Dallas City of Learning, which is a movement that aims to provide young people with broader access, more learning opportunities related to their areas of interest and recognition for achievements.
Photo submitted by Christine Rogers of SparkFarm
He partnered with Big Thought to host a citywide summer learning initiative, which includes several East Dallas organizations, including the Lakewood Library Branch, Shakespeare Dallas, the Bath House Cultural Center, Vickery Meadows, the Latino Cultural Center, and more.
According to a press release, the “initiative is born out of research by MacArthur Foundation that puts Dallas at the head of the pack with five other U.S. cities as early adopters of a national trend in education.”
Rawlings and Big Thought hosted an event at the end of May to launch the summer programs. At the event, Rawlings pointed out that learning doesn’t end when school does. “In fact, 80 percent of kids’ waking hours is spent outside the classroom,” he said. “We know this, but the key is in how we address it and build something to scale so more kids have more access to more summer learning opportunities.”
The hope is that the initiative will help kids discover learning opportunities already available to them through the Dallas City of Learning website, which will in turn help students discover their interests, passions and possible career paths. As they move through the system, the students can earn badges, which aside from being recognition for accomplishments also work as a “form of currency” that allows them to gain access to internships, jobs and other opportunities.
You can learn more about the initiative at the Dallas City of Learning website.
