Entries in the learn category Learn about the challenge.

9 Dots

Get Coding: Building a CS Educational Pipeline for Underserved Students

9 Dots is seeking a $100,000 LA2050 grant to support a high quality K-6 computer science (CS) education for 6500 elementary school students and to provide CS instructional training to over 200 teachers at 25 Title I elementary schools. Our goal is to provide local underserved students with a complete K-6 CS educational pipeline, from unplugged activities in Kindergarten to an introduction to JavaScript (the language of professional coders) as early as the 5th grade.

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After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles

We Are Ready to Battle the HS Crisis

WAR curriculum teaches students: how to succeed in high school; their high school options; how to study, plan, and stay organized; how to take notes; an introduction to college applications and college campuses; how to build a resume; and numerous career options matching the education requirements. The culmination, CampUs will allow students to attend a 5 day camp that focuses on high school success, the importance of college, college applications, leadership skills, and career panels.

American Digital Diversity Initiative

A Personal Invitation Project

Our proposed API project will directly contribute to our mission of addressing our community’s needs. It’s objectives include: -Create awareness and resources of technological careers to students in High school. -Create a mentorship opportunity with our student organizations and high school students. -Provide a networking resource with technological professionals. -Provide information on various career opportunities within the technological field.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson

College & Career Access Program

The BGCC College & Career Access Program is designed to guide underserved youth ages 6-18, with the support of a Case Manager, as they discover their passions as well as their paths into college and the workforce. Our College Bound Program empowers youth of all ages to make positive academic decisions about financial aid and college. Our Workforce Development Program shares with teens the confidence to be proactive in developing skills to succeed in today’s evolving workforce.

Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE)

Science, Technology, Education for the Next Generation

We will provide dynamic training and mentoring to fifty K-9 teachers in LAUSD Local District South on the state adopted, industry recognized Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In 2013, California adopted the NGSS, modernizing an outdated curriculum and endorsing a more impactful way to teach students. Six years later, implementation is still uneven with limited teacher training in L.A. Teachers trained on the new standards will inspire and enable their students to pursue STEM careers.

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Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU)

Science, Health, Football & Fun!

CDU is expanding its PK-12th-grade pipeline program initiative to provide under-resourced and underserved students kinesthetic instruction in the Saturday Science Academy II Program (SSA II). SSA II offers year-round opportunities for students and parents linked to the student’s current interest in a world setting. Students in the program deepen their understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine (STEMM), as they prepare to be the next generation of STEMM professionals.

City Year Los Angeles

City Year Los Angeles - Whole School Whole Child

City Year Los Angeles unites young leaders of all backgrounds, known as AmeriCorps members, for a year of full-time service to help students succeed and stay on-track to graduate. AmeriCorps members monitor attendance, guide students through their social-emotional development and provide students with data-driven, individualized interventions in math and English. AmeriCorps members also help schools establish a positive culture and climate where students are encouraged to reach their potential.

Deedly Inc

Deedly - 8th Grade Curriculum

We ask The Goldhirsh Foundation to fund the production of our 8th grade custom media content and accompanying curriculum. The focus of the content will take our students on a four-week journey focusing on social-emotional learning, media literacy, then, building on those concepts, explore the reduction of single use plastics, and fast fashion - four issues affecting LA county and worldwide. One of our non-profit partners for this curriculum is LA based non-profit 5 Gyres.

El Porto Shark

Shark Weekends with L.A. Public Library + El Porto Shark

By partnering with the Los Angeles Public Library we aim to increase Los Angeles student's ability to be proficient in english, language arts, and math while immersing them in science, technology, engineering, and math content. Providing a summer learning program for grades 4-8, we will teach students the importance of ocean and shark conservation regardless of where they live and how it affects them and our global ecosystem and climate. They will leave with knowledge and actions they can take.

EnCorps Inc.

EnCorps STEM Teachers: Industry Igniting Education

EnCorps helps address Los Angeles’ critical teacher shortage across STEM disciplines by recruiting, selecting, training and placing experienced STEM professionals as teachers in underserved secondary schools. EnCorps has recruited over 900 career-changing and retiring STEM professionals in California who have an average of 17 years of industry experience relating to subjects they teach; they pass their knowledge to the next generation and future workforce.

Freedom and Fashion

Education & support for survivors of sex trafficking and other injustices.

We're proud to share that our organization is growing quickly and we now need more support to meet the demands for more programs. This project will provide our students with committed educators, providing our team with important players needed to grow our infrastructure and thrive!

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Fulfillment Fund

Destination College +

Destination College + is the first transitional step of students from their previous lives to adulthood. For students in post-secondary education, it helps them secure their first job and start a career. For students in high school, it helps them acclimate into college life. Fulfillment Fund programs encourage and support students to graduate from high school and post secondary but the Destination College + offers the tools to transition into their new lives.

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FuturePorts

Ports to People Game

The Ports to People Game designed by FuturePorts is a fun and interactive learning tool to teach players about the important role of the Ports and Goods Movement industry in creating jobs in the Southern California region.

Gladeo

If You Can See It, You Can Be It: Inspiring LA’s Youth With 24 Videos Featuring LA’s Diverse Tech and Digital Marketing Talent

“If you can see it, you can be it." Gladeo will produce 24 inspirational career videos and career pathway profiles of diverse professionals at LA’s top tech & digital marketing companies, expanding our library of career content on Gladeo.org, our free “ Virtual Career Day” platform which has served over 1 million students. The content is created with our Gladeo League, our work-placed learning internship program which trains/mentors first-gen media creators from LA’s community college system.

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Glendale College Parent Education Association

Renovate and Expand Outdoor Playground

We seek funding to redesign and upgrade the outdoor play area at our main campus that is used six days per week for two to four hours per day by children age five and under. The existing play structure was installed in the mid-1990s and does not meet current standards for safety and accessibility. The new outdoor area will enable us to enhance our learning space, recruit more participants, and provide even better early childhood education opportunities.

H.I.P Through Science

HIP Through Science Expansion Project

We have a truly amazing, inspiring, grassroots STEM program, "H.I.P through Science". We are seeking to expand countywide to educate more youth in underserved communities. We will do this by adding additional programming and collaborating with existing afterschool programs. 5,000+ additional youth will be served with top notch quality education in the next three years. As we continue to grow, we will hire a volunteer manager and program assistant to sustain and expand the growth of the program.

Hacker Fund

Compton Innovation Center

Hacker Fund is building the first innovation center in Compton for the following purposes: (1) provide thousands of students from Compton Unified School District (CUSD) with career pathways in S.T.E.A.M. education, (2) promote expansion of the CUSD Career Technical Education Program, and (3) create a homebase for entrepreneurship and professional development for Compton stakeholders. This center will feature classes/workshops, access to mentors, prototyping equipment, and coworking space.

Housing Corporation of America

Rocketeer Club

The Rocketeer Club is a free onsite after-school educational program for the residents of affordable housing complexes in LA County. The program offers high-quality experiences to transform young people’s engagement, interest, and understanding of STEM. The year-long program engages resident youth in two-hour hands-on STEM activities, twice per week. Through activities ranging from robotics to 3-D printing and rocketry, youth explore the world of STEM in an inquiry-based learning environment.

International Visitors Council of Los Angeles

IVCLA Go Global Classroom

IVCLA’s Go Global Classroom is a bold and innovative program that will empower middle school students with the tools they need to build their futures in today’s interconnected world. Students will gain vital skills to excel in an increasingly interdependent world. Through global education programming they will learn to value diversity, discover multiple perspectives and practice empathy as they are inspired to become active and engaged global citizens.

Larchmont Charter School

The Larchmont Model-Teacher Initiative

The Larchmont Model Teacher Initiative codifies the social and emotional learning approach developed at Larchmont Charter School over its successful 14-year history. Larchmont's diverse-by-design, constructivist educational model can reach more kids by defining it first amongst Los Angeles educators and then rolling it out nation-wide. We will train teachers to provide diverse learning environments, dignity in the classroom, and equal access to college education for all students.

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Los Angeles Service Academy

Students Working Together to Engage with and Transform LA

LASA has a proven history and seeks support to continue this work to expand its foundational skills training of student activists; create additional partnerships - specifically with foster care students and new schools; ease transportation concerns; and introduce new modules on the decolonization of LA's water history, environmental impact, and the county-wide opportunities and infrastructural work involved in the 2028 Olympics.

Lost Angels Children's Project

Vocational Training for At-Risk and Foster Youth

Lost Angels Children's Project (LACP) offers a vocational training and life skills development program after-school for disadvantaged youth in the under-resourced community of Lancaster. LACP provides a unique educational experience with hands-on learning by engaging in classic car repair and customization. The program prevents joblessness and homelessness, and promotes self-confidence, self-sufficiency and self-worth for more than 50 at-risk youth ages 13-19, most of which are in foster care.

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Mayor's Fund for Education (Fiscal Sponsor: Community Partners)

Long Beach 2019 Early Learning Initiative

The Long Beach 2019 Early Learning Initiative will support the implementation of the City’s Early Childhood Education Strategic Plan. The Long Beach community recognizes that child’s first 5 years are crucial for building the foundations that will affect how they learn and interact for the rest of their lives. This Initiative will build organizational capacity across multiple institutions to Expand Early Education Enrollment, Broaden Community Awareness, and Increase Family Support Resources.

New Earth

Caught You Doing Good

"Caught You Doing Good" is a New Earth campaign to reward New Earth students for positive behavior and help them to resist negative influences from their neighborhood. Students will be rewarded for their positive behavior with gifts and cash awards to provide meaningful incentives for positive behavior and desperately needed resources for poor families. We intend to change their mindsets from their concern of "being caught" by law enforcement to "being caught" and recognized for good work.

Partnership for Los Angeles Schools

Charting the Pathway to College: the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools' College Compass Program

Each young person—regardless of skin color or income—has the right to graduate high school well-prepared for success in college and a subsequent career. Through innovative school transformation programs, the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools catalyzes dramatic academic improvements in the 14,000 high-need students enrolled in our network’s 18 LA Unified schools. Our groundbreaking College Compass program further engages and inspires students & parents on the K-12 pathway preparing for college.

Pop Culture Hero Coalition

The Heroic Journey: a School Curriculum to Prevent Bullying, Racism, Misogyny, and Homophobia through Early Emotional Education

Bullying in all its forms forces 160,000 American kids to miss school each day, severely impacting grades and mental health, often leading to trauma, addiction, and self-harm. Research shows the solution is teaching empathy, inclusion, resilience, and other emotional skills, so our psychologists have created a comprehensive 32-lesson plan for Homeroom, Health, or English classes, equipping teachers and kids so all can learn in safety. Vote to improve schools and save lives.

Rise, Inc.

Inspiring Student Action to End Student Homelessness and Hunger in L.A. Through Awareness and Coordinated Services Integration

Even with significant financial aid, many college students in Los Angeles are without stable shelter (20% of community college students) or food insecure. The inability to cover basic needs has decreased graduation rates, overwhelmingly affecting students from low and middle income families. Rise will raise awareness and utilization of the housing and food programs available to students and drive additional resources to address these issues, ultimately increasing higher education accessibility.

learn Winner

Santa Monica College

Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School

While Santa Monica College (SMC) contributes to the Los Angeles learning community in many different ways, the College is seeking specific support for the Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School. The Lab School is a collaborative initiative on the part of SMC and the City of Santa Monica that will prepare community college students for careers in early care and education while providing high quality child care services to SMC students and other families in the west Los Angeles area.

learn Finalist

Spark Program Inc

The Possibility Movement: Fueling the Next Generation of Difference-Makers in Los Angeles

Spark was founded with a simple belief, that regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status, all young people deserve opportunities to explore who they can become. Recognizing that not all communities have the same access to the resources that inspire successful futures, Spark aims to equalize the playing field for students by connecting them to meaningful workplace mentorships throughout Los Angeles. In partnership with passionate LA community members, we show young people what's possible.

The ABC Club

ABC Club Interactive Literacy Program

A child-centric digital interactive literacy pilot program working with schools with low literacy scores to provide supplemental instruction to fill in the gaps so all children can learn to read and write in a fun way. The program includes many games and interactive choose your own adventure stories that teach 23 essential literacy skills. The stories also include global cultural representation to build early positive associations with all peoples in an effort to increase tolerance.

The Engineer Factory, a Project of Community Partners

Engineer Factory #MathSwag

The Engineer Factory will strengthen the math skills of 500 third through eighth grade students at ten (10) under performing schools in South Los Angeles, Inglewood, Watts and Compton. This will be accomplished with weekly #MathSwag Labs at the schools lead by future STEM teachers in the CSU Math Science Teacher Initiative. The program will also use peer volunteers and parent participation.

The Urban Warehouse

Skate-4-Education

The inner-city is known to be a high crime rate area, with high levels of gang and drug activity. The public schools are notorious for being over-crowded and underfunded. The majority of the inner-city youth interested in skating come from low-income or poverty stricken families; many from broken homes. We saw the inner-city youth as vulnerable group with too many chances to go down the wrong path so have created a program called 'Skate-4-Education" that trades skateboarding for education.

Turnaround Arts: California

Turnaround Arts LA

Turnaround Arts California (TACA) supports and guides communities in reexamining their approach to improving chronically underperforming schools by using the arts as a core element of intervention. TACA seeks funding for a second year in partnership with two schools: Garfield Elementary in Alhambra, and McKinley Elementary in Compton. We will leverage the arts in these schools to increase teacher capacity, improve school culture and climate, and increase student and family engagement.

learn Finalist

UNITE LA

Keeping it Real: Breaking Barriers in STEM Education to Connect L.A. Students to the Real World of Science

Prepare high school students with a continuum of life sciences and biotech work-based learning experiences which will increase knowledge, interest, and confidence to pursue careers in STEM related pathways and increase students’ proficiency in math and science.

Yes We Can World Foundation

Yes We Can: Schools On Wheels

The Yes We Can: Schools on Wheels bilingual program consists of a mobile classroom that brings an innovative approach to learning by providing an unconventional learning hub to communities often forgotten. The mobile classroom takes away the challenge of access to quality education by bringing the resource to the community instead of the community having to find it.