The Watering Hole
Pull up a spot by the water. This is where the Dreaming Elephants herd and the people who cheer us on gather to swap stories — the latest in education, what’s happening around Philadelphia, learning tips worth trumpeting about, and whatever else is worth gathering around for.
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“Is My Child Behind?” What Philadelphia Parents Should Actually Ask in the First Month of School
“Behind” is the word that keeps Philly parents up at night in September — and it’s the wrong word. Here’s how to replace a vague fear with specific questions, what a real answer from the school sounds like, and when to bring in reinforcements.
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Back-to-School for Neurodivergent Learners: A Philly Parent’s Guide to a Calmer First Month
For neurodivergent students, September’s hardest test isn’t academic — it’s the transition itself. A practical, judgment-free guide for Philadelphia families: previews, regulation, the early teacher conversation, and how to tell a rough patch from a real problem.
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Black Trailblazers in STEM Your Child Should Meet Before High School
Kids decide whether STEM is “for them” long before high school. Here are six Black trailblazers — mathematicians, surgeons, astronauts, inventors — to introduce during the middle school years, and how to make each story stick.
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Education Equity in Philadelphia: Why It Matters and What We Can Do About It
Philadelphia’s public schools are chronically underfunded, and the achievement gap isn’t about student ability—it’s about access. Here’s why Dreaming Elephants was built to address that reality.
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Black History in STEM: Why Representation Changes Everything
Black Americans have been foundational contributors to STEM for centuries—contributions often erased from standard curricula. Here’s why representation in science education matters and how we build it in.
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What Neurodivergent-Inclusive Tutoring Actually Looks Like
Neurodivergence-inclusive tutoring isn’t a special add-on at DET, it’s foundational. Here’s what that means for your student and why it matters.