The news cycle can be exhausting (trust us, we know). But it’s important for all our mental health to take a break from the negativity — even if it’s just for a few minutes. So together with Ford, we set out to find good news to help us do just that. 

For the final episode of our three-part mini-series, we feature an elementary school determined to build an accessible playground so all students can play — and they've almost raised $1 million.

In this episode, you’ll hear from Betsy Julien, the Minnesota teacher leading this project, and several of her fifth- and sixth-grade students. Plus, hear about some more good news that made us smile.

This episode is Skimm’d by Alex Carr and our producers Monica Perry, Pam Segall, and Liz Smith. This episode was created in partnership with Wonder Media Network.

Seriously Good News: Making Recess More Accessible

“Skimm This” tackles important topics that impact women, and empowers generations of women to live smarter. Listen to our miniseries throughout the year, airing on Thursdays.

News

1 in 3 students are chronically absent from school.* One surprising reason? A lack of access to clean clothes. We teamed up with Whirlpool to explore this hidden educational crisis. 

For the final episode in our three-part series, our host, psychologist and parent educator Dr. Jazmine McCoy, will cover: how chronic absenteeism impacts a student’s educational growth; the two factors that can determine a child’s success rate – and the most critical grade level to catch regression; how chronic absenteeism affects school funding; and the success of Whirlpool’s Care CountsTM program. In this episode you’ll hear from: Dr. Richard Rende, a developmental science psychologist and researcher; Damon Carraby, the director of national corporate partnerships at Teach For America; McKenzie Roney, the managing director of national corporate partnerships at Teach For America; and Nelly Martinez, senior brand leader at Whirlpool.

Sources: *Based on “Monitoring Data Matters Even More: A Review of State Attendance Data Policy and Practice in School Year 2022-23,” updated June 2023. Damon Carraby, [9:45-9:53], based on Care Counts™ program metrics consider only 2022–2023 school year results according to Impact YOY data

This miniseries was Skimm’d by Dr. Jazmine McCoy, along with our producers Monica Perry and Lizzy Bryce, and scriptwriter Sarah Title. This episode was created in partnership with Ginni Media.

Breaking the Cycle: Exploring the Educational Impact

1 in 3 students are chronically absent from school.* One surprising reason? A lack of access to clean clothes. We teamed up with Whirlpool to explore this hidden educational crisis. 

For the second episode in our three-part series, our host, psychologist and parent educator Dr. Jazmine McCoy, will cover: how chronic absenteeism affects a student’s social-emotional learning experience; how chronic absenteeism impacts their mental health; and the signs you can look for in your own child. In this episode you’ll hear from: Dr. Richard Rende, a developmental science psychologist and researcher, and McKenzie Roney, the managing director of national corporate partnerships at Teach For America.

Sources: *Based on “Monitoring Data Matters Even More: A Review of State Attendance Data Policy and Practice in School Year 2022-23,” updated June 2023. Dr. Jazmine, [2:27 - 2:43], based on “A Theory of Human Motivation” in Psychological Review, 1943. Dr. Rende, [6:16 - 6:28], based on the Department of Education Report "Chronic Absenteeism in the Nation's Schools," updated 2019. Care Counts™ program metrics consider only 2022–2023 school year results according to Impact YOY data.

This miniseries was Skimm’d by Dr. Jazmine McCoy, along with our producers Monica Perry and Lizzy Bryce, and scriptwriter Sarah Title. This episode was created in partnership with Ginni Media.

Breaking the Cycle: School as a Social Environment

1 in 3 students are chronically absent from school.* One surprising reason? A lack of access to clean clothes. We teamed up with Whirlpool to explore this hidden educational crisis. 

For the first episode in our three-part series, our host, psychologist and parent educator Dr. Jazmine McCoy, will cover: what chronic absenteeism is and why it matters; what typically causes it; and what Whirlpool is doing to help break the cycle. In this episode you’ll hear from: Dr. Richard Rende, a developmental science psychologist and researcher; Damon Carraby, the director of national corporate partnerships at Teach For America; McKenzie Roney, the managing director of national corporate partnerships at Teach For America; and Nelly Cecila Martinez, senior brand leader at Whirlpool.

Sources: *Based on “Monitoring Data Matters Even More: A Review of State Attendance Data Policy and Practice in School Year 2022-23,” updated June 2023. Dr. Jazmine, [2:14 - 2:24] based on “Higher Chronic Absenteeism Threatens Academic Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic,” updated October 2023. Dr. Jazmine, [2:24 - 2:28] based on NCEO report “Students with Disabilities and Chronic Absenteeism”. Dr. Rende, [2:33 - 3:02], based on Department of Education Report "Chronic Absenteeism in the Nation's Schools," updated 2019. Dr. Rende, [3:31 - 3:38], Based on “Monitoring Data Matters Even More: A Review of State Attendance Data Policy and Practice in School Year 2022-23,” updated June 2023. 

This miniseries was Skimm’d by Dr. Jazmine McCoy, along with our producers Monica Perry and Lizzy Bryce, and scriptwriter Sarah Title. This episode was created in partnership with Ginni Media.

Breaking the Cycle: Exposing a Hidden Educational Crisis

This is an episode of the podcast "9 to 5ish with theSkimm". Listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts. 
When Jen Psaki became President Obama’s White House Communications Director, she was pregnant. Later, she became President Biden’s Press Secretary, and she had to navigate her role as a mom and as the White House’s chief spokesperson. A big challenge, considering when you work for the president, you’re expected to be on call 24/7. Today, we spoke to Jen about what doing both actually looked like for her – from the hard realities to the help she got along the way. 

In this episode, Jen shares: 

What a job interview with the president is like 

Why she regrets not seeking feedback early in her career

Her non-traditional approach to mentoring 

What she learned from not getting the job she wanted the first time  

How she set boundaries, even when on call 24/7

Seriously Good News: Making Recess More Accessible

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