Explore the Blog

Every student wins when they’re learning in an inclusive classroom that helps them feel safe and supported. That’s especially true for LGBTQIA+ students: Research shows “that LGBTQ students who attend schools with curriculum that is inclusive of LGBTQ people, history, and events experience a better school climate and improved academic outcomes”. 

This Pride Month, we’re showcasing some of the amazing projects and strategies that DonorsChoose teachers are using to ensure their classrooms are safe and inclusive.

Visibility matters

Thanks to Mr. Sorak and the donors who funded his project, students in his Connecticut classroom can proudly show off their identity at graduation with rainbow and purple graduation cords and stoles.

Students will be excited to have the opportunity to wear these in graduation pictures and at graduation. Representation is incredibly important for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans students and this will help them know that they are seen and accepted. —Mr. Sorak, "GSA Graduation Representation"

The Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) at Ms. Sullivan’s Massachusetts middle school is growing, but many LGBTQIA+ students aren’t ready to share their identity outside of the safety of the GSA. During remote learning, she encouraged her students to create their own hoodie design as a subtle way to share their identity.

[The hoodies] are a great way that kids are able to express themselves and show their LBGTQ+ pride and identity without having to explicitly share it with their families if they are not ready to do so. —Ms. Sullivan, "Help me give my students LGBTQ+ students and allies hoodies that they designed!"

Creativity and community go hand in hand

When you're a student, school feels like your entire world. By bringing in guest speakers from the LGBTQIA+ community, DonorsChoose teachers are showing their students that school is just one part of life’s journey.
Ms. Hinds’ NYC library welcomes queer activists and authors like Adam Eli and comic book artists like Sophie LaBelle, author of the Serious Trans Vibes/Assigned Male Series. In bringing these guests into her classroom, she isn’t just supporting the LGBTQIA+ youth in her school, she’s building an environment of empathy.

At the Sassafras Lowrey [author] event yesterday, I learned that I should be open-minded and understanding of situations that I could not imagine myself going through. I can comprehend that running away from home at such a young age can be difficult, but doing so while figuring out your identity is even harder. —Ms. Jess Hinds, "Guest Speaker on Homeless LGBTQ Youth and Social Justice Books!"

Students in Ms. Money’s Florida GSA got to commission and work alongside a professional artist group to create a pop-up mural experience that represented them. Once the mural was complete, they invited important members of the LGBTQIA+ community in Miami and organizations who have supported their club to an unveiling.

It's a great way to have fun but also allow the GSA to participate and share with their school and local arts and LGBTQ+ community. —Ms. Money, "Help My GSA Engage the Community With This Interactive Mural"

Learning from history, not simply repeating it

The history of the LGBTQIA+ community has a lot to teach us. From representation in the media to the struggle for civil rights, studying pioneers who have changed the course of history can be empowering.

Mr. Fox created a professional development project, ordering copies of “Safe is Not Enough: Better Schools for LGBTQ Students” by Michael Sadowski to challenge his teacher colleagues to take action.

The intent and focus of this book is to push schools to go beyond simply creating "safe spaces" for LGBT students and to work on creating schools that inform all students of the valuable roles and experiences of Queer individuals throughout history. —Mr. Fox, "Better Schools for LGBTQ Students"

Students come to Ms. A’s gender studies class to learn more about identities that have been erased from the curriculum and in doing so, change the climate of the school. In her project for books exploring gender and LGBTQIA+ identity, history, and issues, she was particularly excited about history books.

I am asking for more books that explore LGBTQA history like 'A Queer History of the United States' to challenge the invisibility of these his/her/they-stories in mainstream Social Studies rooms. —Ms. A, "Gender Studies saved me..."

Celebrating multifaceted identities

When DonorsChoose teachers talk about their students, they talk about the whole person. Sexual orientation and gender identity don’t exist in a vacuum and students can tell when aspects of their identity aren’t being celebrated.

Ms. Jones from New York listens to her students’ ideas and book recommendations to make sure the joy they experience and their cultural backgrounds are also reflected in the stories they encounter in the classroom.

Our goal this year is to stock up on as many books as possible that reflect our beloved community of LGBTQ students of color... [And] after reading so many stories and seeing so many films about tragic LGBTQ characters, students realized that there is not enough recognition out there of the joy they experience in their day to day lives. —Ms. Jones, "Reading, Writing, and Rainbow Flags"

Mr Macintosh’s classroom is a place where they can celebrate their LGBTQIA+ identities as well as the talents, passions and teamwork that makes them so special as individuals.

"She Kills Monsters" is a celebration of strong young women and hilarious young men, of sisterhood, geek culture, LGBTQ identity, the power of the imagination, and the way outsiders can come together to create a community that celebrates their unique identities and gifts. I can't imagine a more perfect production to represent the community here at Repertory. —Mr. Macintosh, "She Kills Monsters - Sisterhood in Dungeons & Dragons"

How are you building inclusive spaces for your students to learn? For more great ideas or to support a teacher, here are some inspiring classroom projects curated by our LGBTQIA+ staff and allies.

___________

 ¹Advocate for Inclusive & Affirming Curriculum (Glsen.org/inclusive-curriculum)

For the past decade, Chevron has supported thousands of teachers through Fuel Your School. This year, they did something a little different: instead of encouraging folks to fill up their tanks to unlock Chevron’s donation to public schools, Chevron directly matched donations to projects driving racial equity in education. 

With a donation of nearly $2M, Chevron doubled and tripled donations to racial equity projects from schools in their priority regions. Funded projects included those requesting anti-racist and inclusive resources, STEM projects from schools serving a majority Black, Latino/a, and Indigenous students, and STEM projects from Black, Latino/a, and Indigenous teachers.

The results? Learning magic, of course! Take a look at 5 of our favorite moments from the past year with Chevron.

Students used art to express identity and explore culture.

Self-expression and exploration are at the core of art. In her project, "Mexican Sun and Moon Folk Art," Utah teacher Ms. Coyle requested art supplies so that her students could create masterpieces inspired by traditional Mexican folk art.

 In California, Mrs. Aviña noticed a hole in her art supply closet — resources that would let her students represent a diversity of skin tones! Her project “Promoting Diversity and Inclusion through Art” funded paint, clay, pencils, and more that would allow her students to create self portraits.

“Art celebrates different perspectives and celebrates the uniqueness of artists and their subjects; having supplies that honor and celebrate the many diverse cultures of my students will enhance our art lessons.” —Mrs. Aviña

Chevron leaders shared why they’re supporting racial equity in education

“Chevron’s contribution builds upon a long-term commitment to supporting education in the communities where we operate,” said Chevron Social Investment Manager, Melissa Rosenblatt. “Chevron’s long term partnership with leading education organizations like DonorsChoose provides funding to support educational resources for students and teachers throughout school year during these unprecedented times. We have long-made support for K-12 education one of our top priorities because we know that it is the key to powering the workforce of the future.”

Students connected with nature through STEM investigation

The classroom — and the laboratory — are wherever learning and experimentation is happening!

Mr. Byrns requested materials to help his California students surround their school with plants native their area, restoring biodiversity and giving students the chance to document ecological observations. Coach Sims, on the other hand, wanted to bring nature inside with his project Nature in the Classroom: Building a Hydroponics System. His request for a hydroponics system gives his students hands-on experience managing an ecosystem.

“Planting native plants helps bring back pollinators and other beneficial insects. After all the plants are in the ground, we will begin to take biodiversity surveys around campus and count all animals that we see.” —Mr. Byrns

Teachers celebrated their funding on social media

6,621 projects were brought to life!

We’re still floored by this incredible support from Chevron and from our community. Check out even more great projects supported by this campaign!

From May 3rd–May 7th, the DonorsChoose community celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week with help and funding from a number of partners and over 39,000 citizen donors all over the country — raising $7M for teachers and students in the process! These posts from the DonorsChoose Teacher Facebook Community are just a few reactions that give a hint of what it meant to be a DonorsChoose teacher this May.

1. Does a better reaction to Craig Newmark’s amazing contribution actually exist?

2. This teacher who hit an amazing milestone

3. Check out these future scientists in the making!

4. This teacher had the sweetest week.

5. It doesn’t take a microscope to see that this teacher knows how to spread the love!

6. Heartwarming moments were abundant ❤️

7. We indeed felt like Napoleon Dynamite all week thanks to the teacher who shared this.

8. Teacher Appreciation Week saw a ton of swift deliveries, and uber excited teachers!

9. This teacher shouted out the power in random acts of kindness.

10. Let's just say, it was a week of in-tents reactions!

These teacher reactions were just the tip of the iceberg. To see what inspired all the love, check out the full recap of the week here! 

Founded in 2000 by a high school teacher in the Bronx, DonorsChoose is a nonprofit website that empowers public school teachers from across the country to request materials for their students. Supporters from all over the country contribute gifts to public school classrooms of their choosing — helping teachers get the exact things they need for their students no matter where they’re learning.

"Charles Best and W.Kamau Bell on supporting students. Interviewed by Raisa Bruner"

Watch the full interview at time.com.

"Third-grade teacher Shana Prue is turning to online crowdfunding during the COVID-19 pandemic more than she usually does to ask donors to buy supplies for her students.Prue, who teaches at Long STEAM Academy in Las Vegas, uses DonorsChoose, a nonprofit platform where public school teachers can get funding for classroom projects. She used it to help meet needs for digital resources like computer mice for her students during distance learning and to purchase basic school supplies and books for her classroom library. Teachers really come to rely on it and their students really benefit from people who make donations to any of the projects they find on there,' she said."
‍Read the full story on reviewjournal.com.

It’s nearly time to send off the most challenging, unpredictable, memorable, exhausting, story-filled school year ever. Wherever you’re teaching, there’s a fantastic way to wrap up the year on the right note, and you can get all the supplies you need on DonorsChoose. Read on for a few extra special ideas from your fellow teachers. The end of year countdown begins now!

1. Get this party started!

In your classroom, throw a themed party: from costumes to camping, beach day to outer space, you can request all the materials to throw a themed bash that fits your end-of-year-curriculum or is just pure fun (without having to travel!) Send students into summer with one more favorite classroom memory.

Glow Up Party, Ms. Ramirez, 3rd Grade

Light Up Unicorn Headband • Black Lights • Glow Sticks • Glow in The Dark Wall Stickers

“My students have been through so much emotional distress this school year. They definitely deserve to end the academic school year with an amazing glow in the dark party.”

Classroom Transformation (Camp Site), Ms. Casso, 1st Grade

LED Flashlights • Forest Scene Camping Backdrop • S'mores Granola Bars

“As school gets closer to the end of this crazy year, my team and I would love to transform our classrooms into a campsite for students. We have listed some decorations and camping play set to really transform our rooms for this special theme.We cannot wait to read some stories around our make believe fireplaces to students. They will be so excited!”

2. Go on an epic (virtual!) adventure.

Give your students one more exciting adventure to end the year: request a virtual field trip or class visitor! Especially if your classroom has continued distance learning, a class celebration is just a Zoom link away.

Virtual Field Day, Mrs. Richards, Grades K-5
Water Balloons • Foldable Flying Discs • Scrub Sponges • Ping Pong Balls

“Our goal of Virtual Field Day is to continue our work to get students moving. This year may look a little different but we are still working hard to provide fun student center lessons that they can do in the comfort of their own space at a time that is convenient for them. This project would allow us to send some basic items home to every student to participate in field day.”

Saving Up for an Unforgettable, Interactive, & Fun Experience, Mrs. Koenig, Kindergarten
“I can’t express how happy my students were when they saw Elsa and Spider-Man pop into our Google Meet the last two Wednesdays.  My students love seeing and listening to our special virtual guest read us a story and do a little singing while she read. Next two Wednesdays, Ariel and Captain Marvel will be coming as our new virtual surprise guests. Thank you for your support and for helping me make our few weeks of school exciting!”

3. Commemorate instead of celebrate.

It’s been a tough year. Consider honoring students’ challenges and experiences by making time to reflect and find closure. Request arts supplies or other materials for your students to use in creatively expressing these past few months.

Painting Memories, Mrs. Gonzalez-Pasa, 5th Grade
DIYMosaic Kits (Sun, Butterfly, Hedgehog, Heart, Ladybug, Turtle)

“Usually at the end of the school year, we celebrate our accomplishments. This year is different in that I need to provide my scholars with a celebration we can all participate in since I have in-person students and virtual students learning from home. My students have worked diligently and I want to reward them with an art painting experience as an end of the year celebration. My goal is to also use this as a therapeutic strategy to help students cope with the many feelings of uncertainty brought upon by the pandemic.”

Celebrating the Successes!, Mrs. O’Connor, 9th-12th Grades

White Crew Neck T-Shirts • Tie-Dye Kit• Paper Flower Decorations

“The students will work together to plan and create their celebration including invitations, menu, and creating their own t-shirt representing their own uniqueness. Our end-of-the-year celebration will also be used to help provide closure for those students transitioning to other vocational training programs in the community. Our students have significant special needs and they often struggle with transitions and changes. We want to help our students by providing them a way to celebrate their individual accomplishments in a meaningful manner as well as provide closure as some transition.”

It Was Tough But We Made It Work!, Ms. Lee, 3rd Grade

Stretched Canvases • Acrylic Paint Assortment • Flat Paint Brushes Set“The candy will be used to award students during and after testing for their commitment to getting through the exam. The soda, chips, and cookies will be given to the students during our end of year party. The paint materials will also be used during the end of year party to give my students a chance to express their feelings toward the year that has passed. They will create a collage of the awesome memories we shared, as well as some experiences that may have been difficult for them.”

4. Make sure the basics are covered.

The need for warmth, care & hunger supplies doesn’t end just because the school year does. Request vital materials your students may need to carry them through the months ahead.

Food for Summer Break, Ms. Paden, School Counselor

Goldfish Crackers • Gatorade • Nutri-Grain Bars • Chicken Noodle Cup-a-Soup

“Over 95% of my students receive free lunches. They eat breakfast and lunch at school for free. We try to send food home with the students on the weekends so they have something to eat. The snacks and microwavable food items will allow my students some extra food during summer break.”

End of the Year Snack Bags, Ms. Berghorst, 9th-12th Grades

Water Tumblers • Nutella Snack Packs • Savory Cracker Variety Pack 

“Help me provide a great send off bag for my students. I would like to send my kids off with a bag and tumbler filled with their favorite snacks for their summer vacation. It has been a different kind of year, I would like them to know that they will still be on our minds even if we don't see each other every day.”

Send some sunshine.

In the absence of end-of-the-year hugs & high-fives, let your students know how much you care by sending home a handwritten note of congratulations. Request cards and postage to drop a little love in your students’ mailboxes.

To My Students, Ms. MacEntee, 9th-12th Grades

Staples First-Class Forever Postage Stamps • Gold Foil Design Graduation Cards

“As we close out the year many of my students will be graduating and moving on to their next adventure. I want to celebrate the accomplishments of each underclassmen and upperclassmen in a way that is as unique and personal as them. I am requesting graduation cards, farewell cards, and postage to mail each student a handwritten card at the end of the year. I first began this tradition last year after the sudden switch to distance learning. After realizing that I never had a proper "goodbye" with my students I wanted to ensure they knew how much they meant to our class and me. In an area where many students don't receive mail outside of cards from family I want to leave them with one last surprise and memory.”

Memorable End of Year for Freshmen, Mrs. Hutton, 9th-12th Grades

Gel Pens • Colored Cardstock • Congratulations Cards Assortment • Postage

“As we finish out the year I want to make the last remaining weeks fun and memorable for my in person kids and also for my virtual kids. I want to make our review for state testing more fun by including fun puzzles and projects that look awesome on pretty paper. I will also send all of my students "congratulations" cards at the end of the year to celebrate them finishing out this weird COVID year. They are freshmen and I want to make their first year of high school memorable even if they haven't stepped foot in our school this year.”

6. The sky’s the limit!

For many classrooms, getting together indoors isn’t an option, which leaves room for a few out-of-the-box ideas! Whether it’s moving the party outdoors, capturing in-class celebrations in photos to send to parents, or hosting a drive-through party supply pick-up, you can request all the materials you need so your class can stay safe and still send the year off right.

Let's End the Year with Fun!, Mrs. Haynes, 4th Grade
Sidewalk Chalk • Jumbo Inflatable Beach Balls
“As we approach the end of the school year, I would like to provide my amazing students with an end-of-the-year gift. This project features inflatable beach balls and sidewalk chalk. The beach balls will be a "yearbook" where all students will get to sign each one and I will attach a note that reminds them to "Have a Ball" this summer and enjoy each moment of joy! These materials will help end the school year on a fun note and start the summer with fun new summer items.”

We Made It., Ms. Gumina, Pre-K and Kindergarten

Big Bubble Wands • Kids Sunglasses • Mini Watercolor Kids Paint Sets

“These materials will help [us] have a Pre-K and Kindergarten celebration! Unfortunately, parents will not be allowed to join us this year. Therefore, I have requested a photo backdrop and balloon arch so we can take pictures of each child in their cap and gown holding their completion certificate to give to parents! We want to spoil them with an honors ceremony and an exciting day outside chasing bubbles, dancing, and enjoying a bag full of goodies.”

Ending on a Good Note, Ms. G, Kindergarten

Beach Pails and Sand Shovels • Graduation Caps • Jump Ropes • Diplomas“I want to give my amazing students the gift of FUN for the end of this school year! I want them to remember that they are still kids, and even though things are a little different now, they can still learn and have fun. I am asking for items such as bubbles, sidewalk chalk, balls, jump ropes, etc. to put together a fun goody bag for each student to receive when they drive through. Every bag will come with surprises that are sure to put a smile on their face and keep them active, inquisitive, and imaginative (and learning) during the summer.”

Ready for the school year to end but want to keep the learning going? Check out this blog post for ideas to keep students engaged throughout the summer.

Supporting classroom projects focused on mental health is an important step in eliminating stigma.

Born This Way Foundation was founded in 2012 by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta. We aim to support the mental health of young people and work with them to build a kinder and braver world. Through our goals of making kindness cool, validating the emotions of young people, and eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health, we inspire acts of kindness and build communities that understand, prioritize, and foster good mental health.

There is an undeniable link between kindness and mental wellness.

While a majority of young people prioritize their mental health, less than half know where to go for support if they are in crisis. Results from our Kindness Is Action report showed that, while parents and guardians continue to play an important role in the lives of their young people, more youth are turning inward to find the motivation to be kind (51%). Young people are also recognizing their peer networks are key to resilience.

All young people deserve to have someone in their lives show them kindness, and our research shows that mental health improvements come from having someone listen when youth have a problem. Teachers play an essential role in encouraging open dialogue around mental health, and supporting classroom projects focused on this topic is an important step in eliminating stigma. 

Born This Way Foundation connects existing resources in our communities with the young people that seek them, but we can’t do it alone. Teachers are often the first adults outside of family who identify mental health needs of students. Through our partnership with DonorsChoose, we aim to equip teachers and their classrooms with the necessary tools to support their students.

Resources to help support and inspire classroom projects focused on mental health

Channel Kindness 

A digital platform that invites young people and youth advocates, including teachers, to share their stories and put compassion into action in their own lives.

Please Stay

A pledge to stay alive, to keep going, to reach out when you need help, and to promise to stay here. Find resources, connect with people for support, and find your anchor.

#BeKind21

A campaign that calls on participants around the world to practice an act of kindness - for themselves or others - every day for 21 days. An array of programming is offered to make kindness cool and support mental health.

BeThere.org

An initiative that reinforces the importance of equipping young people with the knowledge and confidence to recognize when someone is struggling, lean into tough conversations, and connect that person with resources to support their mental health.

Trevor Project 

A national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ young people under 25. TrevorLifeline is a crisis intervention and suicide prevention phone service available 24/7/365. 

The Jed Foundation

A nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for U.S. teens and young adults. JED partners with high schools and colleges to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems.

For additional resources please visit Born This Way Foundation’s Get Help Page.

If you’ve found a mental health resource that has been helpful with your students, please share it with us on social media at @btwfoundation with the hashtag #BTWFxDonorsChoose.

Need some inspiration for your next project?

Teachers like you have been leading the way in supporting their students’ mental health throughout this challenging year. Many teachers have already posted incredible projects that don’t just address mental health — they change the culture around mental health in their classrooms. We celebrate them and thought you might be inspired by their ideas too: 

• Expanding Emotional Resilience Through Reading and Writing, Mrs. Petty (Grades 9–12)
• Zen in Uncertain Times, Mrs. Asmus (Grades PreK–2) 
• Mental Health First Aid, Mrs. Counasse (Grades 3–5) 
• Sensory/Calm Down Corner for Ms. Bolton and Ms. Dec's rooms, Ms. Bricker (Grades PreK–2) 
• Breathe Through Change: Teaching Social-Emotional Wellness Through Mindfulness and Yoga, Ms. Cipov (Grades PreK–2)
• SPOT of Emotions, Ms. Jimenez (Grades PreK–2)
• Focus, Flexibility, and Positive Mental Health!, Mrs. Amanda (Grades PreK–2)
• A Little Touch of Home, Mr. Brian (Grades 9-12)

Let your students and fellow teachers know that your classroom is a safe place to talk about mental health.

Your classroom is an essential place to encourage a brave, open dialogue around mental health. Use these graphics on social media and in your classroom to keep the courageous dialogue going.

Student engagement has been one of the hallmark challenges of this unruly school year. Now with the end of the year just weeks away, teachers everywhere are thinking about how to equip students with the items they'll need to stay engaged with learning throughout the summer.

Before you wrap up your school year, consider posting one simple project that will shift vacation to exploration, like Ms. Fahy from Florida:

“Statistics show that every summer, many students experience the 'summer slide'. Help me to get my 6th grade scientists outside this summer! This could be the summer of STEM, instead of the summer of slide.”

“Summer Slide”, “Summer Brain Drain” — Whatever you call it, you and your students have worked too hard this year to let it happen. Check out some of the most popular summer project items to bridge this school year into the next, while keeping fun at the forefront:

Art Supplies

“Little backpacks with a watercolor paint set, art journal, colored pencils, and a sharpener will allow my little guys and gals to have their very own art supplies. I'm hoping my students will limit their screen time this summer and choose to spend the time doing art instead.” (Ms. Skiles, 2nd Grade, Arizona; Choosing Art Time Over Screen Time for a Colorful Summer!)

Mindfulness Materials

“A Self-Care Summer is about self-love, self-care, and self-respect. These materials will make a difference in the student's learning because they will learn (through the characters in the stories) how to make sound decisions; and, develop empathy for those who do not.” (Mrs. McKinney, Grades 9-12, Oklahoma; Self-Care Summer!)

Basic Supplies

“These deodorants, toothpastes, toothbrushes, and personal hygiene products will be supplied to my students as summer care packages. These items will help to meet the basic needs of my students during the summer when they may not have access to resources from teachers and other staff members.” (Mrs. A, Grades 6-8, Texas; Summer Supplies)

Outdoor Games & Toys

“My students and families deserve recognition for their active participation throughout a crazy school year – so I'm rewarding them with a Summer fun family bucket including squirt guns, sunglasses, otter pops, and a ring pop.” (Mrs. Pick, Kindergarten, Washington; Summer Fund Buckets!)

Board Games

“The school year is about to end, but the learning does not have to stop! Besides, summer time is a great opportunity for kids to enjoy a great read and have a productive family time around a board game!” (Ms. S., PreK-2, New York; Summer Learning, Having a Blast)

Gardening Supplies

“With these resources, we would be able to explore gardening...by taking what we grow at school in starter pots to transplant in the student’s home garden and continue growing during summer break. Students will be able to grow vegetables started in class in the spring and continue harvesting produce for their families in the summer growing season.” (Mrs. Hankins, Grades 6-8, Arkansas; For the Love of Gardening)

Books

“These books will give students inspiration to continue to read during summer break at home. With these new books, it will enhance their creative thinking and still stay on grade level, if not above, during the summer.” (Ms. Ivey, Grades 3-5, Virginia; Reading for Vacation!)

Writing Prompts

“The envelopes, stamps and labels will help my students and I to communicate in the summer as Pen Pals. By writing to me during the summer, my ELL students will continue to develop their writing skills.” (Ms. Tapia, Grades PreK-2, Maryland; Summer Pen Pals)

STEM Kits

“I want to give my students the summer gift of seeing our local marine environments, with swimming goggles for all face to face learners. I hope that by providing my students with goggles & in-class printed local field guides that they may be able to experience a spectacular summer of STEM exploration in their own backyards!” (Mrs. Fahy, 6th Grade, Florida; See the Sea this Summer)

A few more bright ideas from the DonorsChoose Teacher Community:

“Woodworking projects for summer school. A little hands-on building to ease students back to in-person learning.”

“Simple recipes to make and either supplies for garden or gift card to get items so they can practice life skills but also have access to healthy food during summer.”

“Games to send home with students to encourage family engagement.”

“My recent favorite project was pre-prepped craft activities. The pieces are all foam stickers. So easy for my students to complete and work on the fine motor skills of peeling the stickers -- plus it’s super cute after.”

“Art makes little ones happy. Art supplies like watercolors, brushes, art paper, collage materials, canvas, etc.”

“Yoga mats, blocks, balls, stretchy bands to continue stretching, mindfulness that we’ve done in advisory during distance learning.

”
“BOOKS - Always BOOKS! It is so important for students to have books of their very own so they self identify as readers. BOOKS!”

And perhaps most importantly...

“A note to remind students to stay curious, keep learning, and we’ll be anxious to hear what they did over the summer when we return.”

Ready to send your students off with something special for summer? Start your project today!

Five years ago, our Data Science & Analytics team wrote about our centralized data stack in this post. The setup that previous members of our team built has served the organization’s needs very well over time, and we appreciate the eagerness of our predecessors in adopting the most modern tools and technologies to power the entire org’s data work and allow everyone at DonorsChoose easy access to our data.

Since then, we’ve added a few more tools and services to our data stack, and thought it was a good time to write an update.

Our Updated Data Stack

Some of the biggest changes in our stack over the last five years include:

• Integrating more data sources with Fivetran connectors (primarily more Amazon S3 connectors)
• Transitioning some data transformations from Looker to dbt
• Switching from ExactTarget to Simon Data for our Email Service Provider
• Introducing Amazon Comprehend for one of our core machine learning models

Limiting access to our “open data” Looker instance in favor of more broad access to a standardized data set updated annually

A Deeper Dive

The data stack is a little more complicated than it was five years ago, so we’ll break it down below in some detail.

• Data Ingest
• Fivetran still lives at the heart of our data ingestion process. Fivetran connectors are easy to set up and have allowed us to pull data from several different sources into Redshift. Current sources include our site’s PostgreSQL database, Zendesk, Salesforce, several Amazon S3 buckets, and CSV files from our staff users. You can read a case study about our experience with Fivetran. 
• We use Heap Analytics to capture and aggregate end-user interaction events on our website, and Heap pipes that data directly to Redshift. 
• We’ve onboarded Simon Data as our new Email Service Provider. They push engagement data (eg. sends, opens, clicks) into an S3 bucket which Fivetran then pulls into Redshift. Simon Data also pulls data from Redshift (more on that in the Data Security section below). 
• Data Warehousing
• Our data lives in a single Redshift cluster. We use 3 ds2.xlarge nodes, which are storage-efficient and cost-efficient. Currently we’re using about 25% of our allotted storage space. Redshift Advisor analyzes queries and automatically recommends specific sort and distribution keys to optimize table setup over time. 
• Data Transformations
• Up until recently, all data transformations happened in Looker Persistent Derived Tables (PDTs). 
• Last year we started transitioning some of our transformations from Looker to dbt, and it has been a game-changer. For example, dbt allows for incremental updates on tables that would otherwise take a long time to rebuild, and can automatically generate a DAG that shows dependency relationships between all our models. 
• Business Intelligence
• Even though we’re transitioning some transformations over to dbt, we’re still as happy as ever with Looker as a business intelligence platform. On any given week, we’ll have 100 Looker users that spend more than 2 hours per week. In addition to adding Explores and fields as requested, we’ve archived older views and fields that are no longer used. With the newer updates to our data stack, our email marketing team can use Looker to join email engagement from Simon Data with transactional data from our website for a more holistic view of our audience. 
• Machine Learning
• Our most recent machine learning model in production, Taxonomy, is a text classification algorithm in Amazon Comprehend that categorizes requested classroom resources into one of 11 categories, such as Art Supplies and Sports Equipment.
• In addition, we use an Amazon EC2 instance to run machine learning cron jobs on some website data. For example, one model predicts whether current projects will be funded the next day, and another predicts donor lifetime value. 
• We’re also testing a few other machine learning ideas using DataRobot, which has provided us with a free license and expert consulting through their wonderful AI for Good program.

Closing the Feedback Loop

Historically, we’ve analyzed data by using Looker to visualize trends, running raw SQL on our warehouse tables, or conducted more detailed Python analyses using Google Colab. We’re now thinking about how to use our data in operations more effectively. 
One example we’ve implemented recently involves identifying unengaged users based on their email history. We now have two sources of email data: Simon Data and website data from our PostgreSQL database. After combining both in Redshift and transforming it with dbt, we can easily discern which of our users haven’t opened or clicked any of our emails over the last six months. We then feed that list back into an S3 bucket, which our Engineering team uses to send less email to inactive users. The entire process helps us avoid spam traps and keep our domain reputation high.

Data Security

As our data stack has grown in complexity, we’ve thought carefully about improving data security at every level. 

In our warehouse, we provide external vendors with their own usernames with the minimum level of permissions they need for their service. The Heap Analytics user can only write logging data to their own schema. For the Simon Data user, we’ve created a schema full of important views that they can pull a few times a day. The views reference tables in other schemas, but don’t allow the user to actually access the raw data from those other schemas.

We only make personally identifiable information (PII) data available to our internal users when  they need it for their job using role-based access control within Looker, and we time-bound that access. For staff who do not need access to detailed data, they can still see aggregated information. We find that this setup allows our users to get all the info they need while limiting the identification of specific PII of our donors and teachers.
Lastly, our awesome IT team has set up Okta, a single-sign-on provider that enforces strong passwords and multi-factor authentication for account creation and access to our Looker instance.

In a school year like no other, let’s give thanks (and tangible support!) to the teachers who’ve gone above and beyond for our country’s kids.

DonorsChoose was founded by a history teacher in the Bronx and over the last 20 years has become the nonprofit classroom funding site for public school teachers (see our impact). That means we do Teacher Appreciation Week like it’s every other holiday combined. And this year, we’re going all out. 

Throughout the week, you’ll see matched donations and other surprises that make it easy for citizen donors to support our public schools. (Citizen donor support means the world to educators and kids!) Check out the calendar below to see what we’re up to this week and how to participate.

Monday, May 3

Surprise! Starting at 7am ET, our friends at Ford are doubling donations to projects at schools where nearly all students receive free-and-reduced-priced lunch. This match will last until $500,000 in matching funds are unlocked. See matched projects. (Missed the match? Don’t worry — there’s more where that came from this week!)

Double surprise! We unleashed our inner poets and wrote poems for all the teachers who use our site. Here’s just one.

Tuesday, May 4

Starting at 7am ET, SONIC Drive-In is donating $1.5 million to 50% match donations to every project on DonorsChoose — and it’s going to move fast. (Are you a teacher? Get the details.)

Wednesday, May 5

Woah! Our friends at Google.org are bringing racial equity front and center! On Wednesday, up to $500,000, Google will be doubling donations to projects from teachers of color and any teacher requesting resources reflecting their students’ identities. Plus, male teachers of color will receive tripled donations! Get all the details.

Double woah! Here’s a special message from our staff for teachers. Take a look!

Thursday, May 6

Yes! In memory Anton Schulzki, his high school history teacher, Craig Newmark (friend to teachers everywhere and craigslist founder!) just gave a $25 gift to 40,000 DonorsChoose teachers — that's every teacher with a current project on our site and then some! (You can find more details here.)

Here’s why he’s giving this (huge!) gift.

Friday, May 7

High five! To help as many teachers as possible receive a donation this week, donors can use the code FRIDAY on the project of their choice. When they enter the code at checkout, we’ll top-off their donation with an extra $5 gift! (Get the details here.) Ready to give now? Pick the teacher you’re going to high-five with your Friday gift!

In addition to the promotional code above, our partners have stepped up for teachers in a big way today with a few surprise flash fundings to finish the week strong!

• Our friends Biz and Livia Stone just brought to life more than 200 projects from teachers who’ve never before had a funded DonorsChoose project.
• A friend of Hawai’i teachers fully funded all 223 projects from Hawai’i today! Plus, they’ve just launched a match offer tripling donations to projects from Hawai’i educators.
• College Football Playoff Foundation and the Big 12 Conference are huge fans of teachers. They funded 26 projects that support racial equity in Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Kansas.
• Rothy’s fully funded 44 projects in cities where their stores are located. Lookin’ at you, New York, San Francisco, LA, Boston, and D.C.!
• Curry Brand teamed up with Eat. Learn. Play., led by Stephen and Ayesha Curry, to make sure teachers in Oakland, CA and Charlotte, NC had an amazing end to their week. The organizations donated to bring 124 literacy and sports projects to life!
• SONIC Drive-In capped off the week in a big way, fully-funding 568 projects hand selected by their team. Woah!

Teachers and students are working harder than ever right now, and they deserve our support. What a wonderful appreciation celebration it’s been!

Every day DonorsChoose teachers are finding new ways to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage in their classrooms. Join us this Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month as we explore and digest (at times literally) some of the ways educators are celebrating the contributions that AAPI people have made to the history, culture, and successes of our communities.

Emphasizing Diversity

If you’re in Ms. Yokoyama’s California classroom, you know that, “AAPI Heritage Month is a time to recognize, celebrate and honor ALL Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander ancestry.”  This includes small touches like encouraging students to use the term “Lunar New Year” to be inclusive of all the Asian communities — including but not limited to China — that celebrate the holiday. And it also includes a huge amount of fun enrichment, including an Asian Culture Night where they hold workshops for parents and students, offer authentic food, read relevant books, teach dances, and share stories of inspiring Asian people.

Some teachers’ own experiences inform how they choose to bring the month to their students. Mr. Pond has identified a gap in AAPI education in his own high school experience; other than the Vietnam War, AAPI topics and subjects weren’t really talked about.

“I do believe that it's important for students to learn about AAPI heritage and culture because it's a chance to understand and appreciate a diverse group of people who are oftentimes stereotyped and caricatured.” —Mr. Pond

With that in mind, he’s planning to showcase graphic novels, books, and artifacts from various AAPI cultures. For him, it’s a way to celebrate the school’s AAPI students, teachers and staff and demonstrate support and belonging from the surrounding community.

Connecting Cultures with Cooking

A person’s taste, both literally and figuratively, grows with exposure to different experiences. For many students, exploring different cultures gives them the freedom to develop their curiosity and acceptance of others.

The students in Mr. Andy’s Pre-K class in New York (and their parents) are forming their own culturally diverse family through cooking.

“Food is a big part of family. I want to connect with all of my kids and their family and the way to do it is through cooking. I am requesting materials to create a cooking cart where parents can come in and find appliances and utensils needed to cook a special dish to share with our school family.” —Mr. Andy

The bonding that happens over these special meals can break down the barriers and create strong connections. Check out the items Mr. Andy requested for his cooking cart here.

Similarly, Ms. Nakamura’s students know that the fastest way to her students’ hearts and minds is through their bellies. Even though she teaches in the 4th largest district in the United States, her students aren’t aware that Asia is made up of many countries, including her own, Japan. 

“When I teach them that Pika-chu, Toyota, and Nintendo are all from Japan, they are always surprised.” —Ms. Makamura

To counteract this, she brings her own Japanese culture to the classroom, making origami hats and carp streamers, and teaching them to use chopsticks to eat noodles — slurping noises included! 

Did you know you can request cooking tools, food, and other materials to help celebrate AAPI culture through DonorsChoose? Get started by visiting donorschoose.org/teachers

Dance is a Universal Language

Mrs. Purin celebrates the AAPI community year round by finding fun ways to incorporate games and dances from different Asian cultures, such as the Maori song called Tititorea and the stick game that goes with it, or the dance from the Phillipines called Tinikling.

“One of my students last year had a grandmother from the Philippines and asked her about the dance… her grandmother was so excited to hear that [she] was learning it and they had something they could talk about and share." —Ms. Purin

Did you know you can request clothing, food, and other materials to help celebrate AAPI culture through DonorsChoose? Get started by visiting donorschoose.org/teachers

Books, Books, and More Books

One of the best ways to open a student’s mind is to get them to open a book! It takes them beyond the superficial and shows them that even if someone looks different, eats different food, or speaks a different language, all people share stories of love and growth.

Mrs. O’Neill is breaking down stereotypes by incorporating stories about Asian Americans into her class’ daily independent reading time. Her students read books and share about their learning through weekly student-led book talks.

“[These books] will allow my students to understand and experience Asian and Asian-American people through authentic texts in which they will be able to make real life connections.” —Mrs. O’Neill

Check out Mrs. O’Neill’s project Open Doors To Asia for a list of books that showcase the authentic Asian-American experience.

Let Your Students’ Interests Lead The Way

Regardless of their cultural heritage, all kids are going to have a handful of subjects they prefer above the others. And regardless of the cultural heritage, there are going to be role models in those fields. Mr. Reyes’ students pointed out how rarely schools highlight AAPI role models. so his students are working to change that in their classroom.

“They have asked us to include books like "Role Models Who Look Like Me: Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders Who Made History" so that they can do a Biography project around some AAPI Role Models…. So we have put together a collection of books that will teach our students about a variety of heroes across many different disciplines. We want to make sure that every student finds someone to connect with. We want to make sure we have heroes from Art, Literature, Music, Science, Math, and Sports.” —Mr. Reyes

Take a peek at Mr. Reyes’ project, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: The Untold History to see exactly which AAPI role models he’s picked out for his students.

How are you celebrating the AAPI Community this month and beyond?

___

Do you have everything you need to celebrate the AAPI community during AAPI Heritage Month and beyond? Create a project for what you and your students need!

After founding DonorsChoose from his Bronx classroom 21 years ago, Charles Best has decided to pass the torch to a new CEO in 2022 and transition to our Board of Directors. The search for a new CEO is currently underway. 

Watch Charles’ message to our community.

Theresia Gouw, the newly elected chair of the DonorsChoose Board of Directors, shared with our supporters, “Charles’ spirit of service has been the driving energy of DonorsChoose, and his decision to welcome a new leader into this role shows his unwavering dedication to our mission. I’m excited to work with Charles and my fellow board members to find a visionary leader for the organization.”

Russell Reynolds Associates will lead the search for the new DonorsChoose CEO. Over the next year, Charles will lead DonorsChoose as the organization continues to address racial inequity in education and to support teachers and students through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Share a message with Charles on our Facebook post.

Over Charles’ 21 years as CEO, DonorsChoose has empowered 4.7 million people to give more than $1 billion to nearly 2 million requests from U.S. public school teachers. In 2008, Charles led the organization through an expansion that made the site available to  teachers in every public school in the United States. Today, four out of five public schools across the U.S. have a teacher who has posted a request on DonorsChoose. The organization was the first charity to make the cover of Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies” issue, has been named one of Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things, and has won multiple Halo Awards for its partnerships with the world’s most respected brands. In 2019, DonorsChoose received the largest known gift of cryptocurrency to a single charity: $29 million in XRP to fund all 35,000 teacher requests live on the site at that time.