Better World Day is an annual, national event showcasing student learning that contributes to a better world. Students present learning projects and engage in acts of service that demonstrate the power of EL Education’s vision for public school: a place where children become great scholars and active citizens with the capacity to make a positive impact.
See student leaders in action during Better World Day 2022.
Better World Day: A Collective Contribution from EL Education on Vimeo.
Students at Kuumba Academy Charter School embodied Ujima (Collective Work & Responsibility) by raising awareness about the importance of Health and Wellness in the African American community through PSAs, needs assessments and creating a beautiful environment through art work and performances during the launch of the school’s brand new wellness center.
Students in grades K-7 at Old Sturbridge Academy, in Sturbridge, MA collaboratively authored an original book about civil rights leaders, events, buildings, and objects from New England during the 19th century, focusing on stories that have been pushed to the margins.
Students at Explore PK-8 in Thornton, CO made the invisible, visible by creating unique buttons that communicate the purpose, passions, and identities they wish to express while creating and honoring spaces for all of us.
After studying the Holocaust as part of the EL Education Language Arts curriculum, Whitewater Middle School students in Charlotte, NC leveraged their research and design skills to create a memorial on their campus, serving to pass their learning on to their school community.
As a culmination of deep learning about redlining, Brighton Academy students in Syracuse, NY led community service projects to improve, beautify, and support their local community, including repair work on local houses that have been abandoned, garden preparations around their own school building, and new mural creation.
Students at Allendale Elementary School in Oakland, CA produced a music video that documents several school and community service projects. Project themes include “Becoming Ethical People,” “Becoming Effective Learners and Making a Better World,” fostering a sense of belonging, and the importance of legacy.
Students at Evergreen Community Charter School in Asheville, NC engaged in a weeklong celebration of Better World Day that included celebrating Earth Day and joining their local YWCA’s Stand Against Racism event. Their projects included establishing a campus-wide composting program, participating in a habitat restoration project for a local forest pond, and ongoing service in local community gardens.
Better World Day is made possible by a generous gift from the Klingenstein Foundation made in honor of Lee P. Klingenstein (1927-2020). Lee Klingenstein, EL Education's Founding Chair, was deeply passionate about providing students with meaningful opportunities to contribute to their communities.
More than 50,000 students, educators, and community members, and counting! These citizens are stepping up to serve their communities. With so many involved in one day of service, imagine the impact 1,000,000 EL students have had every day throughout 25 years of "getting smart to do good."
Better World Day in Flint, Michigan: A Catalyst for Contribution (Subtitled) from EL Education on Vimeo.
Better World Day caught fire over the years! See highlights of media coverage from across the country:
Better World Day in Portland, Maine: A Higher Purpose from EL Education on Vimeo.
