A four-year-old is a petri dish for word-of-mouth. My son returns home with caches of unattributed information culled from his wonderfully diverse ecosystem of neighborhood, school, after-school program, and family friends. Oddly, you learn to trust this community more than any source. The three schools we're applying to all understand that technology must always evolve more quickly than best practices, especially when children are involved.

the greatest contribution the young programmers bring isn't the software they write. It's the way they think. It's a principle called "computational thinking," and knowing all of the Java syntax in the world won't help if you can't think of good ways to apply it. Unfortunately, the way computer science is currently taught in high school tends to throw students into the programming deep end, reinforcing the notion that code is just for coders, not artists or doctors or librarians.

Actively Building a Robot while learning math, science and engineering. Being on the front lines of technology education, and using that technology to learn the math,science and engineering which is so hard to pick up in a passive chalk talk. Being involved on a competitive robotics team. Whether it's VEX, USFIRST, MATE or LEGO, robotics competitions provide an academic benchmark with a sports like competition. Kids are really motivated to excel because they are involved in something that is real to them.

art, energy, and community. It’s an open-air art environment in the heart of an urban community on Detroit’s East Side. Tyree Guyton, founder and artistic director, uses everyday, discarded objects to create a two block area full of color, symbolism, and intrigue. Now in its 27th year, the Heidelberg Project is recognized around the world as a demonstration of the power of creativity to transform lives.

Financial Education, STEM Education, Civic Egnagement, Health & Wellness EverFi is the leading education technology company focused on teaching, assessing, badging, and certifying students in critical skills. We combine cutting-edge personalized technology, deep education research and data, and a dedicated implementation team that allows each teacher to feel as though they have a blended learning assistant in their classroom. Most importantly, EverFi partners with the private sector and foundations that sponsor this innovation across the country.