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Time Off

Hope and Humor

April 9, 2019

Trevor Noah is the host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central. He is also the author of a best-selling memoir about growing up in South Africa. It has been published in a young readers’ edition, It’s Trevor Noah: Born…

United States

Back to Class

January 25, 2019

Los Angeles teachers returned to classrooms on January 23 after a six-day strike. The strike ended when the Los Angeles Unified School District and the union that represents its 35,000 teachers came to an agreement. The district said it will…

Community

Water Run

December 4, 2018

Addyson Moffitt is an 8-year-old from Kansas City, Missouri. Maurine Chelagat is a 9-year-old from a village in Kenya called Bartabwa. It might not seem as if the girls have much in common, but when they met at a dinner…

Technology

Robots at Work

November 30, 2018

When he was a kid, Alex Vardakostas helped out in his parents’ restaurant. “As soon as standing on top of a milk crate made me tall enough to reach the counter, I was making sodas for customers,” he told TIME…

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Health

An Oasis on Wheels

November 30, 2018

In 2011, Josh Trautwein was working as a nutrition educator in Boston, Massachusetts. He wanted to teach kids how to live healthy lives. Then he learned that the neighborhood’s only grocery store was closing for a year of renovations. …

United States

Decision Time

October 26, 2018

On November 6, Americans will vote in midterm elections. Midterms are held halfway through a president’s four-year term in order to elect members of Congress. This year, there are also thousands of state and local elections. Thirty-six states will pick…

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Community

A Promising Start

October 12, 2018

Teachers at a new public school in Akron, Ohio, welcomed students on opening day with applause, high fives, and big smiles. But perhaps no one had a bigger grin than basketball great and hometown hero LeBron James. “This is a…

World

Safe in School

September 27, 2018

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh — Just as the last little kid walks single-file out the door, about 30 very eager 7- to 10-year-olds burst in to take their place. Quickly, they claim spots around the perimeter of the lively one-room Golap…

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World

Muppet Helpers

September 27, 2018

When Hanadi was 4, a bomb destroyed her school. Soon after, her family fled their home, in Syria, to live as refugees in nearby Lebanon. Hanadi enrolled in school there but was scared to go. Her experience is not unusual.…

United States

8 Questions for Sonia Sotomayor

September 21, 2018

Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina U.S. Supreme Court justice. She spoke to TFK’s Kio Herrera about her childhood, her career, and her new book. 1. What inspired you to write The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor? I wanted to…

Community

Fish for Lunch

September 14, 2018

Salmon burgers, salmon mac-and-cheese, and king salmon corn dogs are served in schools in Sitka, Alaska. In Sitka, it’s easy to hook kids on fish. Fresh and locally sourced, the fish tastes great. Thanks to the Fish to Schools program,…

Media Literacy

Making Sense of the Media

August 31, 2018

Students at Capital Preparatory Magnet School, in Hartford, Connecticut, are watching a video of a basketball drill. “Keep track of how many passes the players dressed in white make,” Marcus Stallworth, a media-literacy educator, tells them. Many of the kids…

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Technology

France Makes the Call

August 1, 2018

French children 15 and under will no longer be allowed to bring smart devices to school. Lawmakers in France voted July 31 to ban cell phones, tablets, and other Internet-connected devices from school grounds. The ban will start in September. …

TFK Library

Alexander Hamilton

July 31, 2018

Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757—July 12, 1804) is one of America’s most influential Founding Fathers. In his short life, he served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, was the first U.S. secretary of the treasury, and established…

United States

A New Supreme Court Nominee

July 11, 2018

President Donald Trump has nominated Brett Kavanaugh to be the next person appointed to the United States Supreme Court. If confirmed, Kavanaugh will replace Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy announced his retirement from the Supreme Court on June 27. Trump announced…

Arts

Bridging the Arts Gap

June 14, 2018

Jayden Hairston was frustrated. More than anything in the world, he wanted to learn how to sing. His elementary school in Yonkers—just north of New York City—didn’t offer the music instruction he needed. So he begged his parents to sign…

TFK Library

Sonia Sotomayor

June 12, 2018

Sonia Sotomayor (June 25, 1954—present) made history when she became the first Hispanic U.S. Supreme Court justice. She assumed the role on August 8, 2009. Sonia Sotomayor was born in the Bronx, a borough of New York City. Her…

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World

Live from Kakuma

June 7, 2018

A tent is up. The stage is set. Speakers have polished their presentations. It’s all part of the preparation for TEDxKakumaCamp, which takes place Saturday, June 9, in a schoolyard at Kakuma refugee camp, in Kenya. The conference is the…

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portrait of Jacob Riis

TFK Library

Jacob Riis

June 7, 2018

Jacob Riis (May 3, 1849—May 26, 1914) was a photojournalist who documented the lives of poor New Yorkers in the 1890s. He published the photographs in his book How the Other Half Lives. The pictures shocked Americans and inspired a…