Helping High School Students Prepare for Their Futures!
Yesterday, I met with our high school leadership team. We were discussing how to help our students prepare for a future career or goal. One colleague stated that we should teach our students autonomy. Another argued that we need to put family values first and help students grow with this focus. A third leader suggested that we needed to identify how those values might challenge a student’s future career and college success. The more we discussed this topic, the more I am convinced that we need to help students learn how to take care of themselves to ensure their future success. [Read more…]
Yvette King-Berg, is the Executive Director of Youth Policy Institute’s Charter Schools. She was the former California Charter Schools Association Vice-President of School Development and Outreach-Southern California. Ms. King-Berg has over thirty years of experience working with teachers, students, parents, and organizations in a variety of positions including Director, Assistant Director, Curriculum Advisor, Bilingual, and Title 1 Coordinators, classroom teacher (K-12) in Pasadena and LAUSD. She has been married for twenty-three years, and is the proud mother of her son, EJ, who attends UC Berkeley.
It is difficult when we see our middle and high school children disengaging with school. They could be struggling academically, socially with their friends, or in their relationships with their teachers. Possibly, something going on at home may be weighing on their mind and causing them to lose focus. This disengagement sometimes reveals itself as problematic behavior. When the behavior is addressed in a punitive way without looking deeper for the reason behind it, behavior will get worse.
How can we teach our children to respect people who are different than they are? One way we can do this is by teaching them about themselves and others. February is the beginning of the Heritage Month celebrations for 2018. Here is the schedule for each month that a cultural heritage is designated to be recognized. Additional infomation can be found on the 
1. Tests and Assessments Are Not the Same
When I was seven years old, I wanted to create a book with Christmas cards. I had never made a book before. I loved the beauty of the holiday cards and I wanted to save them for future enjoyment. My mom suggested that I glue the Christmas card pictures in a book filled with blank pages. She would then help me write a Christmas story. This one shared bookmaking experience with my mom stayed with me for life. I soon ventured into jounaling and creating books of writing for school assignments. Later I discovered that I loved writing when taking my first English composition class in college. I created a career in writing training manuals for teachers on parenting topics and family literacy projects. Most recently, my passion for writing and self-discovery helped a group of parent and grandparent teachers create the 