"Tell us about your first relative to come to the United States. Where did he or she come from?" A third grader had this question for homework the other day. His dad called me in a panic: "We haven't told him about slavery yet--he's too young. How is he supposed to answer this?" After commiserating with the dad about [...]
Common Sense Media, that great website for all things kids and tech, is encouraging families to join their latest campaign: Device Free Dinners. It is a simple concept: families commit to spending time at the dinner table focused upon each other rather than their devices. As Common Sense founder and CEO James P. Steyer explains, "Everything from better grades [...]
We at GCP were so excited to see poetry included in the opening ceremonies of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, we just had to make this the subject of this week's Thoughtful Thursday. Oprah Winfrey (who funded the museum's auditorium) and Will Smith gifted us with some mighty thoughts in a poetry battle. You can [...]
Here's disturbing news from researchers at Yale University: Teachers may be more inclined to expect bad behavior from black preschoolers--especially black boys--than from white preschoolers. As reported recently in a Washington Post article found here, in a recent study over 130 preschool teachers were asked to view video clips of young children in classrooms and were told to look [...]
The National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington D.C. opened its doors to the public this weekend, and the celebration was glorious. Presidents Obama along with President George W. Bush (who signed the bill authorizing funds to build the museum thirteen years ago) spoke eloquently about the importance of this museum and its place in American history. [...]
If your son is a senior in high school, you know too well that this is the college application season. No doubt, it can be a time fraught with tension as your son negotiates the maze of determining where he wants to go and where he has a shot at getting in, all the while trying to keep up [...]
Just took a look at the list of finalists for the 2016 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, and was delighted to find these books on the list. They are great books to consider for your middle school sons! "Booked" by Kwame Alexander (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt): This novel-in-verse tells the story of 12 year old Nick, a soccer-loving middle [...]
Our hearts break for the families of Alton Sterling, Philando Castle, the slain and injured Dallas policemen and their families. I used to take solace in thinking that no matter how tough/scary it may seem to parent a black child these days, it can't compare to the unsettling times of 60's and 70's when I was young, with the [...]
Hello GCP Parents! Long time. Been working quite a bit on an exciting project that continues where this blog began (think a comprehensive collection of GCPblog posts and lots more--stay tuned) so there has not been much posting this year. Hope you have been combing through the archives for interesting and relevant articles. But today I came across this [...]
Greetings GCPers, Haven't been posting as much recently -- been working on an exciting GCP project which we will talk about soon--but wanted to make sure you knew about tonight's Parent Toolkit talk. Parent Toolkit, who brings you monthly #ToolkitTalks which give parents insight and advice on important parenting issues, is teaming up with the White House Initiative on [...]