School Talk with Reaching Higher NH

Reaching Higher policy analyst and former teacher Matt Gerding draws connections between the marvelous world of middle school and his current work as a policy analyst. 

Kayla Provencher experienced the inequities between NH's schools firsthand as a young person, when her family moved from one town to another. Now Reaching Higher's Policy Researcher, she's passionate about making education policy accessible to those most affected by it and determined to stay focused on the real reason Reaching Higher exists: the students. 

A new healthcare pre-apprenticeship offers high school students the chance to prepare for a registered apprenticeship in one of three fields while working at Dartmouth Hitchcock in Lebanon and taking classes at River Valley Community College in Claremont. It's one of several partnerships and initiatives designed to address the healthcare worker shortage and open doors for students. 

What exactly does a school board do? Why does it matter? How do board members get elected? And what does it take to serve effectively on a board? In this episode, we talk with Barrett Christina, Executive Director of the New Hampshire School Boards Association, and two current school board members, to learn what it's like to run for and serve on a school board. 

To support their youngest learners this year, educators are rethinking classroom structures and focusing on building relationships

After the release of the Claremont decisions, the state legislature responds. So why are school districts still suing the state today?  For more stories about New Hampshire school funding, check out our website: https://reachinghighernh.org/

In the early 1990s, five school districts sued the state of New Hampshire. But why?  For more stories about New Hampshire school funding, check out our website: https://reachinghighernh.org/

First-generation college students face specific challenges such as decoding the "hidden curriculum" of college life, but they also bring strong positive traits such as perseverance to the table. Hannah Harding, a summer intern at Reaching Higher, talks about the research she's conducting on "first gens" at UNH as well as her own experiences as a first generation college student. 

What do today’s graduates need in order to succeed and thrive? One school district is taking a hard look at itself to answer that question and make sure its students are ready for the world.

An interview with Scott Marion, executive director of the Center for Assessment in Dover, about school tests, their value and limitations, and the challenges educators face in administering and using them this school year. 

As we round out a year of pandemic schooling, the Reaching Higher staff discuss our own experiences as parents guiding our children through these challenging times. 

During the late spring and summer of 2020, the small town of Hopkinton, NH found itself in deep political turmoil as its school board struggled to pass an operating budget for the 2020/2021 fiscal year. While this event came as a surprise to many, the roots of polarized school politics go back decades in town. For more stories about school funding, check out our website: http://reachinghighernh.org/

In this episode, Reaching Higher Policy Director Christina Pretorius discusses what's coming up in education legislation, including a familiar-looking school voucher bill.

A conversation with Reaching Higher's Policy Director, Christina Pretorius, about the upcoming Legislative session, and a story about 2021 Teacher of the Year, Danielle Boutin, and the support network she's helped create for families at Ledge Street School in Nashua.

On Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, The NH Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the ConVal Lawsuit, which claims the state is failing to adequately fund its public schools. John Tobin, who is representing the 26 school districts who’ve signed onto the brief, discusses what the lawsuit means for New Hampshire schools.

New Hampshire’s Commission to Study School Funding released its final report on Dec. 1. In this episode of School Talk four members of the Commission discuss their key findings and what they could mean for students and taxpayers.