During fieldwork, a case manager said something that’s stuck with me: “I need something I can reference when I’m trying to figure out where to send clients. Something that explains […]
The Adult Who Was Never There
Gutman and McLoyd’s research found something specific: children whose adults actively organized their engagement with school, institutions, and community resources developed measurably stronger academic self-efficacy than children whose adults were […]
Learning in Circles, Not Lines
Standard curriculum design assumes learning moves in a straight line. Module one, then module two, then module three, each building cleanly on the last. That is not what I’ve watched […]
Redundant, and Ignored Anyway
Tout (1997) made an argument I think about often: the phrase “critical numeracy” shouldn’t need to exist. Real numeracy, properly defined, already includes critical thinking. Adding the word “critical” in […]
The Debt That Was Never a Choice
Some of the residents who come through Fresh Start Housing arrive already carrying debt they never agreed to. Pogrebin et al. (2014) documented this precisely for returning citizens: parole fees, […]
Whose Knowledge Counts
Fricker (2007) describes something called epistemic injustice, the harm done when prejudice causes someone’s testimony to be dismissed, or when a conceptual gap prevents someone from being able to articulate […]
The Test That Showed Nothing, Then Showed Everything
Here’s a finding that reframed how we think about measuring our own program’s effectiveness. Early on, we assessed our financial literacy curriculum using standard, generic financial literacy assessments, the kind […]
Useless at Zero Income
“The budgeting worksheet is useless when you have zero income. I need information about applying for benefits and emergency assistance.” That’s a direct quote from a resident evaluation. Read it […]
Why ‘budgeting skills’ isn’t the same as financial literacy.
“Janet’s 98th Percentile” When Janet entered our transitional housing program, she had a bachelor’s degree in business administration and fifteen years of corporate accounting experience. She could calculate compound interest […]