Stories of Play
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October 18, 2017
Overcoming the challenges of creating an inclusive school community ›
Educators know that helping new students transition into a school’s culture is critical to building and sustaining a healthy community. This can be tough, especially when students come from different…
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October 17, 2017
Inclusive Play Five Days a Week ›
For over two decades, we’ve been bringing kids and school communities together with play. On Playworks playgrounds, you won’t see kids sidelined. You’ll see high-fives, positive-reinforcement, and different students coming…
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October 11, 2017
Coach Alumna Brings Joy to School Community as Principal ›
Alumni Spotlight: Eleanor Alderman Current Role: Principal, International Community School (ICS), Oakland, CA Before Eleanor began her career in teaching and school administration, she was an AmeriCorps coach with Playworks…
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October 2, 2017
Alumni Spotlight: Odiaka Gonzalez ›
Raised in Atlanta, GA, Odiaka Gonzalez graduated from Morehouse College with a BA in Psychology. Prior to serving as the executive director of Oakland Leaf, a nonprofit that utilizes creative…
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October 2, 2017
From the Playground to USC ›
After graduating from college, McKenna Griffith was searching for an opportunity where she could make an impact on students’ lives. She was interested in youth development and wanted to hone…
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September 25, 2017
More Play, Fewer Suspensions ›
“It was chaos. A lot of kids would get in trouble or get hurt,” said Assistant Principal Peter Wilson, remembering what recess used to be like at Burbank Elementary in…
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August 10, 2017
Want to Change the Classroom? Start at Recess ›
Done right, recess improves classtime. "Our teachers get back so many hours of instruction time because they do not have to interrupt the lesson to deal with student behavior.
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July 27, 2017
Why Kids Like Clinton Need Mentors ›
Last year I had a student, Clinton, who was pretty challenging. He was constantly being put on the fence by his teachers because of something he did in class or…
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April 14, 2017
Steph Curry Plays Rock, Paper, Scissors with James Corden ›
Watch Steph Curry play a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with James Corden on The Late LateShow. Looks like Steph learned a thing or two from the kids at Playworks! Playworks students…