PLACES
The reason that Big Picture Learning focuses its efforts on one student at time is because we know that learning has to be tied to identity. What interests one student is completely irrelevant to another. There is no one size fits all approach to teaching and learning.
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So too do we understand the important role that identity and culture play in community and leader development. And integral to identity and culture is the very idea of place.
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Place. Where you come from. Where you call home. As important to who we are to become as our DNA.
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While Ashé is a national effort, it is built upon a specific place-based focus. We believe that a direct focus on a few select places will help us better know those communities and create the trust and partnership necessary to foster change at scale.
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This is not quick work. This is investment.
Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a week, a month or a year. It is the struggle of a lifetime.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN LEWIS (GA)
AKRON/CLEVELAND
OHIO
Cleveland and Akron, two of Northeast Ohio’s most storied cities, reflect the region’s rich cultural, athletic, and industrial legacy. Cleveland—home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame—boasts a vibrant arts, sports, and culture scene. As the largest city on Lake Erie, its historic connection to the local waterways helped shape it into a major metropolitan hub, with strong ties to the East Coast, the Midwest, and even Canada—earning it the nickname “the best location in the nation.” Just 40 miles south, Akron was once known as the rubber capital of the world, but today it’s perhaps best recognized as the hometown of NBA legend LeBron James. While his career has taken him across the country, LeBron’s roots in Akron run deep. His commitment to revitalizing the city includes the creation of the I Promise School and the upcoming House Three Thirty—a 60,000 square foot facility dedicated to job training and financial literacy. Together, Cleveland and Akron embody a spirit of reinvention, community pride, and cultural impact that continues to shape the region’s future.
