Ideas from Horizons National
The cherished Lyn McNaught Teacher Awards, named after the first Executive Director of Horizons National, honor teachers who have excelled in Horizons classrooms and created exemplary opportunities for young people. Each year, a committee of past winners and Horizons National staff hand-select up to four teachers to win this award, m making it a prestigious honor among Horizons educators.
From February 26-29, leaders from across the Horizons Network gathered in Asheville, NC for the 2024 Horizons National Annual Conference! This is the one time each year when our Network of over 70 sites comes together for learning, networking, and celebration.
If you are part of the K-12 education community, chances are you have read about our country’s skyrocketing rates of chronic absenteeism: students missing 10% or more of school days in a year. According to a new report, the proportion of students attending schools that had high or extreme rates of chronic absenteeism more than doubled from 26% during the 2017-18 school year to a startling 66% during the 2021-22 school year. These numbers are extremely troubling; chronic absenteeism has been linked to diminished health, involvement with the criminal justice system, and poverty. The Biden Administration recently urged schools to address absenteeism with more high-dosage tutoring, and summer and out-of-school learning opportunities.
Horizons is built on long-term relationships, and few students understand this better than those who have been with the program since toddlerhood. This year, we were honored to speak with Ethan Romero, a rising 8th grader at Horizons at CT State Norwalk, to learn more about his years at Horizons since joining the program in pre-kindergarten.
Horizons' Season of Gratitude is a month-long celebration of the people and partners that make our programs possible. It takes a village to advance educational equity for young people, and we are proud to be part of this community of schools, organizations, districts, teachers, families, funders, and volunteers. Join us in celebrating this Season of Gratitude and giving thanks to your own village!