Welcome to Gateway Impact’s Conversation Spot. Though some might refer to this as a “blog,” we disagree.

Yes, we will publish periodic online writings that share thinking and educational practices that are near and dear to us at Gateway. However, blogs tend to be one-sided; our goal is to start conversations.

Too often in schools, we are isolated from each other. We work hard to support our own students and to make our schools successful, vibrant places. Even in schools with fantastic cultures of adult collaboration, educators rarely have the chance to communicate and problem-solve across schools. As a profession, we strive to be agents of social change, but isolation can lead to division, and it starts to erode our sense of power and hope.

At Gateway Impact, we believe in the power of teachers, and we believe that when people exchange ideas, progress happens. Therefore, we seek to engage educators and community members with different expertise, different perspectives, and different backgrounds in thought-provoking conversations about public education and social justice issues.

If you are reading this, I assume you care deeply about the success of young people. You know that each student is capable of greatness and our job is to help them discover and harness their unique potential. And, I also assume you are engaged with some very big questions about how to do this.

These are important questions that we need to solve. Together. At Gateway Impact we believe that through collaboration and conversation, we will find the answers.  We hope that you will join us.

Here’s a few questions that will frame our Conversations moving forward:

• How do we ensure that our most vulnerable students – those who have traditionally been marginalized and discriminated against – feel valued and safe in their classrooms and gain the skills, habits and knowledge necessary to unlock their potential?
• How do we foster heterogeneous, integrated schools that nurture and celebrate diversity and build on students’ strengths and passions?
• How can government, businesses and individuals better support schools and honor the important work of teachers?
• How can all schools – traditional public schools and charter schools, independent schools, parochial schools, online schools – work together to improve the craft of teaching, to better meet the needs of our students, and to demonstrate and share our successes?