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Jon Comulada

I'm a screenwriter, joke-teller, actor, and semi-journalist interested in telling good stories. I love food, politics, the Internet, every movie, and cats. I once made Stephen Colbert laugh, and I'm too tall to ride on some roller coasters. If you follow me on Twitter or like me on Facebook, I'll probably have a good day.

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The inspiring way this Grammy and Oscar winner is working to transform education.

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Common knows a thing or two about wrestling with tough subjects.

In his 25-plus years as a Grammy- and Oscar-winning rapper, actor, advocate, and activist, the Chicago native has gone up against racial injustice, social inequality, and poverty with his powerful words and performances.

But recently, he has taken an active role in another tough battle: education reform.

All photos courtesy of XQ.

In 2006, he started the Common Ground Foundation, a nonprofit that, as he puts it, isn't trying to "preach" to kids, but rather inspire them to lift themselves up.

"I always believed that if we started with the youth then we would be planting the seeds for our future to blossom," says Common in his organization's mission statement. "Give the children a sense of hope, self-esteem, and love that will better the world."

Common's idea for improving education revolves around one simple concept: Education has to evolve.

"I think education has to evolve when society evolves," Common says. "It's like a constant evolution of what the youth may need and what they're attentive to ... and finding out those things and letting that curriculum be something that's progressive."

"I still think about the periodic charts in science that I can still recite," Common says, remembering a science teacher from his youth who made his students rattle off the elements of the periodic table in a rhythmic pattern. He used an engaging and youthful form of communication to teach a lesson that stuck. "His method was fun," he explains.

XQ Luminary: Common
Thanks to one very special teacher, this rapper can still recite the elements of the periodic table.
Posted by Upworthy on Thursday, December 14, 2017

Around the country, more and more schools are helping their students by engaging directly with their interests.

There's Youth On Record, an organization that helps kids catch up on missed high school credits by teaching them music production, and classrooms like Makerspace in Phoenix, where kids can build whatever they want.

If the American education system is to be improved, finding out what kids actually enjoy — and using that to teach — could be a crucial way to do it.

"We have to relate to one another," Common says. "Teachers have to know how to relate. If we can relate as educators, and teachers and school systems to the youth, they will receive it and retain it. And go out and apply it at a higher level."

Whether it's music, fashion, or building robots, there are lessons to be learned everywhere. Common believes that harnessing the power of those natural interests is the key to our future."But I'm just offering my two cents," he says.

"My Common sense. Pun intended."

Learn more at XQSuperSchool.org.

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Her future was laid out. But a passion for justice took her places she never imagined.

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Christine Bischoff grew up in a small southern West Virginia coal town.

"Everyone's dad was a coal miner, and very few people were educated," Bischoff says. It was the type of place where opportunities were few and far between.

There were about six career choices in the whole town.

Christine Bischoff. All photos courtesy of XQ.

"You basically picked one, and that's what you were going to be," Bischoff says. She went with the one that, to her, sounded the most fun: physical therapy.

Then Bischoff's life changed permanently because of her teacher, acclaimed poet Maya Angelou.

"To a 21-year-old, everything she said was mind-blowing," Bischoff says. "Because you'd never thought of the world like that."

Angelou — whose work extended far beyond poetry into activism, social work, and civil justice — was also an education advocate who spoke on numerous occasions about the power and importance of learning. Bischoff had her as a professor in college.

One day, Angelou gave her class a sage piece of advice: If you don't like the path you're on, step off of it.

"So I literally walked out of the class and said, 'I'm not going to be a physical therapist. I'm going to be a civil rights attorney. I'm going to change the world," Bischoff said.

Now she works as an attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center's children's rights department.

The SPLC's work for children fights for education reform on multiple fronts. They work toward ending the notorious school-to-prison pipeline that disproportionately harms black and Latino students. They ensure equal access to education for children in poverty as well as disabled children, and they also provide the mental health services that low-income and marginalized children often can't get on their own.

Every day, Bischoff works directly with kids who have been discriminated against or put at a disadvantage by the education system.

"When school districts or the state department of education violates [student's] rights, we go in and try to remedy the violation so that all students have equal opportunity that they're entitled to under the law," Bischoff says. In other words, when the SPLC finds a systemic injustice in the education system, they try to fix it permanently.

For Bischoff, fighting for education is a direct way to make the world a better place.

"If we don't fix the problems in our education, every piece of our society is going to suffer," she says. From the global economy to growing industries in science and tech to seemingly insurmountable world problems like climate change, educating every single child is a necessity.

"It's very easy to lose sight — that we all are in this together," Bischoff says. "Everybody wins or loses with what happens to education."

For Bischoff, the path toward a better world began with a simple step off a predetermined path — an opportunity that millions of kids might not get.

Giving kids equal access to education is giving them access to equal opportunity. It's giving them the knowledge that if they don't like where their path is going, they too have the ability to step off and forge a new one.

See Christine Bischoff's full story here:

XQ Luminaries: Christine Bischoff
Her roots in rural West Virginia inspired her to fight for equal education for all children.
Posted by Upworthy on Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Learn more at XQSuperSchool.org.

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These girls are using their love of science to bridge international borders.

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Every day, hundreds of kids in Mexico wake up extra early to cross the border and attend school in the U.S.

It's an unusual commute with border traffic, security checks, and metal detectors all before your first class, but parents jump at the opportunity to have their kids educated in the United States. And for the most part, the schools are happy to have them.

The border in El Paso, Texas. All images via XQ Super School Project.

It's no secret that many of these kids face serious disadvantages in school. There are language barriers and discrimination to deal with on top of the fact that many of the children come from impoverished communities.

Additionally, the proposed border wall between the United States and Mexico threatens to tear some of these communities in half and leave kids further behind.

El Paso, Texas, is a city that shares a deep relationship with its twin city — Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

The teachers in El Paso welcome Mexican students as their own and recognize that giving them the best education possible isn't just the right thing to do, it's essential to building a better world.

"It's really important for people to understand that Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, we are one community," says Liza Montelongo, executive director of the El Paso STEM Foundation. "Yes, we have a river that divides us, and yes, we are two countries, but ultimately if we are depriving one part of our community, then we are doing a disservice to all of us."

To help bring their community together, one school in El Paso decided to form a group that takes aim at another issue.

Women entering careers in science, technology, engineering, and math face a multitude of barriers. There are large systemic biases like the gender pay gap as well as smaller, more personal impediments.

For example, young girls who do well in STEM classes are often teased, and their potential interest in the subjects isn't cultivated as much as it might be for a young boy.

That's where the "Chicas" come in.

XQ Rethink High School: El Paso
They may live in different countries, but they tackle science projects together as classmates.
Posted by Upworthy on Wednesday, November 1, 2017

The Chicas are a badass group of girls who are bridging international borders with their love for science.

They work together building robots, programing computers, and cultivating their love for STEM.

"As girls get older, sometimes it's not cool to be smart," Montelongo says. "So our goal is to try and say, you know what, it's OK to be a nerd."

Not only are the Chicas helping to close the gender gap in STEM, they're creating leaders in a marginalized community.

People in STEM are the leaders and innovators of the future. They're the ones who can use their talents and out-of-the-box thinking to solve the biggest problems facing the world — and research shows that when STEM fields are diversified, they produce better ideas.

For the twin cities of Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, the Chicas provide an opportunity to come together and celebrate a common passion.

"It doesn't matter if you live on the north side of the river or you live on the south side," Montelongo says. "We need to be able to give them some type of opportunity to be able to have their dream."

It's a simple idea — bringing marginalized students together to celebrate science — but anyone who loves STEM knows that simple ideas can change the world.

Learn more at XQSuperSchool.org.

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When these kids are told to create their own classroom, the results are badass.

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Think back to high school. What if your teacher had told you to throw out the curriculum and run the class yourself?

What would you have done? Would you extend recess by several periods? Would you turn the class into Watching "Real Housewives of Atlanta" 101?

Or would you pull yourselves together, get creative, and make something incredible like, say, a piano powered by celery and old bananas?

If your answer is the latter, you'd probably love Makerspace in Phoenix.

These students are defying expectations and turning their scientific ideas into reality.
Posted by Upworthy on Thursday, October 26, 2017

"Makerspace is a place for students to make," says Amber Henry, a Makerspace teacher and coordinator. "It's for them to do what they're passionate about. They get to take an idea that's in their head and make it a physical reality."

Students decide what they want to make and are guided by experts into making it real.

Everything from computer games to rudimentary electronics to art projects to a piano powered by celery and bananas is brought to life by the students of Makerspace, and the lessons are self-evident.

All photos via XQ Super School Project.

"When we tell students that there's math in this room, and there's science in this room, and there's English in this room, they see the collaboration," Henry says. "They see the connection."

More than just a lawless play-space, Makerspace lets students take control of their own learning in a really unique way.

Everyone struggles occasionally with the traditional class structure, and sometimes, reading textbooks and staring at PowerPoint presentations isn't the best way to learn.

"A lot of kids tend to think that high school is boring," says Hayden Araza, a Makerspace student, "because they're not given the opportunity to say what they want to do. ... We're gonna make our own rubric. We don't need one of yours."

That shift in thinking is particularly important for Phoenix's large population of low-income and minority students, who often fall behind in a traditional education system that's stacked against them.

Students in Phoenix are "often from low-income backgrounds, and they're often minorities," says Pearl Chang Esau of Expect More Arizona.

"These kids can change the world. The question is whether we are gonna support them and invest in them and give them the teachers and resources that they need to do that."

As more kids enter this existing educational system, it's going to take creative ideas like Makerspace to give them a chance.

With the job market more competitive than ever, kids need every possible chance to get a leg up. One of the best ways to do that is to give them a space where they can discover their own passions for science — and put real-life skills to use.

The "normal" high school classroom isn't always the most engaging or beneficial place for young minds.

Getting kids excited about learning is about giving them control, letting them try and fail, so that later on, they can succeed. Or, as these minds see it, improving education is about challenging what we've come to accept as standard.

Learn more at XQSuperSchool.org.

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High schoolers actually look forward to this unique class. Mic. Dropped.

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Let's be honest about something: High school doesn't work for everyone.

And things get even harder if you're a student of color, from a poor family, or are one of the millions of kids who grow up with learning disabilities. All of these variables can put you at a demonstrable disadvantage within the education system.

All images via XQ.

The world needs creative solutions to this problem, and one school has managed to find one — a musical one.

Youth on Record is a nonprofit organization in Denver, Colorado, that gives high school youth access to music training.

"We put professional, local musicians in the classrooms," says Jami Duffy, executive director of Youth on Record. "And they teach for-credit high school classes to the kids with the least amount of credit to make sure that our kids get across that finish line and are ready for college."

These classes range from technical training in music production to discussions of race, class, gender, and social solutions. Many classes also involve the Denver community and feature guest speakers and lecturers from the area.

More than just extra classes, Youth on Record is empowering kids to take control of their own education.

"If I had a music program like this, I'd be more engaged to do my other classes so then I could get to that music classroom," says Israel Juarez, an intern at Youth on Record.

Israel Juarez rapping at Youth on Record, Denver.

By engaging students in areas they're naturally passionate about and teaching them the real-life skills associated with those passions, Youth on Record shows kids that education is about much more than passing a test.

"High school is to develop citizens," says Margarita Bianco, executive director at Pathways2Teaching. "It's not just about mastering a content area so that you can pass a state exam. I want students to feel empowered to share their stories and think of themselves as change agents."

For kids who might normally be left behind, Youth on Record provides an opportunity to get ahead.

The best moments in school are the ones when your natural interests intersect with your education, when you start to think of yourself as talented and special.

Not everyone gets those moments, and they walk away from high school feeling defeated.

Youth on Record is doing something potentially life-changing for their students by helping them discover that they're smart and capable, even when they feel the system has let them down.

The most important lesson of all? Even if traditional school doesn't work for them, there's a bright future ahead.

All you need to do is grab the mic and dictate your story.

Watch these amazing students in action:

They're providing a creative outlet for these teen students — and it's actually helping them excel in other areas of school as well.
Posted by Upworthy on Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Learn more at XQSuperSchool.org.

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This 'Project Runway' for fifth-graders makes us want to go back to school.

Shani Perez combined her love of teaching with her passion for fashion to help kids express their individuality.

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When your school year ends like this, having to go back in the fall doesn't seem as bad.

In May, classrooms are full of kids daydreaming about finally being done with their last test and jubilantly running headlong into the nearest pool. School is something you look forward to running from, not toward — that is, unless you're moving down an actual runway.

At the end of every school year, instead of sitting around and staring at some dirty white fan oscillate back and forth, kids in Shani Perez's class at Public School 51 in New York City get up off their chairs and create a full-on runway fashion show.

Shani Perez with her students at PS 51. All images via Old Navy.

That's right, New York City's hottest underground fashion show is put on entirely by fifth-graders.

This underground fashion show otherwise known as "PS 51 Project Runway" is the brainchild of Shani Perez — an educator with a passion for fashion.

Perez is that teacher, the one you can't wait to see each day. She combines her love of teaching with her degree in fashion design to create a unique and engaging program for her students.

More than just a fashion show, this program teaches kids the fundamentals of fashion design, from drawing out concepts for portfolios to sewing and working with fabric. In addition, each show has a theme, like candy or history, that helps guide the young designers and foster creativity.

Perez joins other educators from across the country who partnered with Old Navy's cause platform ONward!to create an album of songs that encourages kids to let their unique selves shine through.

A project like this is about so much more than clothes.

Even if her students don't go on to careers in fashion or design, getting them involved in a large-scale project requires them to organize, delegate, and problem-solve — important life skills for anyone.

Plus, giving students the opportunity to show off an outfit they created themselves is an awesome way to promote self-confidence and individuality.

The songs are catchy and sure to get you strutting yourself, but the most important message of all is for the kids: Own your personal style, and be confident in your individuality.

It's educators like Perez who turn school into something more and events like PS 51 Project Runway that help kids discover who they are and what they — and a functional school-to-playdate ensemble — is made of.

His mom saved his life by sending him mail in prison. Now he's paying it forward.

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Marcus Bullock spent his most formative years in a prison.

He was 15 when he was convicted and served eight years — a shockingly common experience. Of the millions of people incarcerated in the United States, about 70,000 of them are juveniles.

Marcus, though, was determined to become more than just a statistic.

Bullock in 2015. Photo by J. Pratt Jr. via Marcus Bullock, used with permission.

Luckily, he had a family support system that kept in constant touch. He learned firsthand the value of knowing that people are there for you, even when you're in prison.

His mother, in particular, made it a point to send him a steady stream of letters and pictures while he was incarcerated. "She would just send me tons and tons of mail," Marcus explains. "So it created this sense of accountability."

Now Bullock is 35 and the founder and CEO of Flikshop; an app that helps prisoners keep in touch with their families.

Photo by J. Pratt Jr. via Marcus Bullock, used with permission.

After having a hard time finding a job after his release — a ubiquitous experience among former inmates — he started his own painting and construction business that quickly became successful.

His friends and cellmates back in prison wanted to know more about what he was up to and how he found success, but the only way to reach them was through traditional letters.

"My life was just moving too fast to sit down and write a letter when there’s such a thing as Facebook," Marcus says.

The problem is, there was no such thing as a convenient social media platform for prisoners. So, he left his construction business to build one.

Flikshop lets you take a picture on your phone, add text, and turn it into a 99-cent postcard for your friend or loved one in prison.

It's an innovation that has the potential to help millions of families stay in contact with their incarcerated loved ones. And while a postcard may seem like a small gesture, Marcus knows more than most how meaningful it can be.

"For all the things that kind of beat me down when I was [in prison], that mail-call lifted me back up," he says.

Marcus and his mother during his time in prison. Photo via Marcus Bullock, used with permission.

The app quickly found success and is helping families all over the U.S. find a sense of normalcy through communication.

"They want to keep in contact and send those in-the-moment Instagram selfies or say 'this is what we're eating for dinner' to their husbands, brothers, cousins, uncles, or children in these facilities," Marcus says.

For Marcus, Flikshop is more than just a communication tool; it's a way of fostering relationships with a population that is too often ignored and forgotten.

"You probably haven’t seen your first cousin in weeks," Marcus says. "But because you see them on Facebook, you feel close to them. The reality is — that cousin in prison? — You forgot he existed until someone brought him up in a conversation at Christmastime."

It's that difference, Marcus notes, that can lead to prisoners feeling like they're not even a part of their own family anymore once they come home.

Until now, communicating with an inmate involved making a special visitation trip or taking an expensive collect call. If you can't afford to do so on a regular basis, the disconnect grows fast.

Upon release, that distance from life outside, along with dim career prospects, contributes to the United State's high recidivism rate. Simply sending some photos, Marcus explains, is a huge step toward reversing the vicious cycle. "It will keep your engagement going which will help strengthen that relationship, which will inherently help lower incarceration. Thats what we want our technology to do."

Marcus has never lost sight of how important it was for him to stay in touch with his family.

Photo via Marcus Bullock, used with permission.

It's what helped him stay focused, uplifted, and motivated to make a better life for himself once he was released. More importantly though, it's what helped him remember that he was more than just a statistic. He's a human being with dreams, hopes, and a mother that loves him and believes in him.

"The entire time I was [in prison]," Marcus explains, "I was ready to come home and prove to my mom that the love she showed me during those pivotal times wasn’t in vain."