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  Joel Tolman           July 23, 2017

This spring and summer, Common Ground is trying to do something we’ve never done before. Well, two things actually. We’re trying to build a new, integrated 9th grade experience. Imagine four big units of study, each lasting a quarter of the school year, tackling really big questions like, “How do we feed ourselves, and what does our food tell us about ourselves?” Imagine these units bring...

  Joel Tolman           February 9, 2017

What happens when students sit at the center of conversations about improving their schools? Last Friday at Connecticut River Academy in Hartford, we found out. Twenty students from five urban public high schools sat down for a conversation about their schools. Two dozen teachers and school leaders perched and stood around the circle, leaning in to hear. Kerry Lord -- a Teaching Our Cities...

  Joel Tolman           December 7, 2016

Last week, Keilly Solano -- a Common Ground High School senior -- took the mic at the front of a room full of classroom teachers, young people, and school leaders from across the Northeast United States. She described her journey from a shy and inward-looking freshman to a senior who’s organizing peers, leading workshops that help other young people find their voice, and pushing to make Common...