Your Morning Boost - Honoring Diverse Voices and Measuring Archival ROI

How can your school's history truly reflect your community? In this final installment, we tackle the values-driven core of digital preservation: using archives to honor diverse voices and underrepresented narratives. Dr. Kristen Gwinn-Becker, CEO of History IT, emphasizes that while archives only tell the stories they hold, a comprehensive digital project makes all voices—even those previously less prominent—accessible and ready to be celebrated. Dr. Gwinn-Becker also shares how teachers can leverage a digital archive as a repository of primary source evidence to teach research methodology, making learning resonate deeply by placing students within their own historical context. Finally, on the crucial topic of budget, she urges leaders to view digital preservation not as a "nice-to-have" silo project, but as an essential tool for ROI. The return is measured in tangible results: bolstering marketing, alumni engagement, and fundraising through automated, personalized content (like sending alumni their class photos in a birthday email) that dramatically increases connection and donation likelihood. Key Takeaways: Learn how accessibility highlights diverse histories; discover how archives serve as personalized primary sources for classroom instruction; and understand how to calculate the ROI for digital preservation by tracking engagement and fundraising dollars. Action: Dive deeper into preservation planning! Contact our guest Dr. Kristen Gwinn-Becker at www.historyIT.com or on social media at HistoryIT and #savehistory. Find out more about what we do: AWB Education - awbeducation.org Grundmeyer Leader Services - grundmeyerleadersearch.com Got a mailbag question?  Reach out to us at [email protected] a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/your-morning-boost-forwarded--6630377/support.Thank You for Listening!  This has been an episode from The FowardED Network—Where we are Advancing Voices and Shaping Education. We are dedicated to supporting everyone invested in K-12 success: teachers, leaders, parents, and community advocates.Want to keep the conversation going?Subscribe: Never miss an insight. Hit the subscribe or follow button on your podcast app to automatically receive our next episode.Share the Knowledge: If this episode provided value, please take a moment to rate and review us! Your five-star reviews help new teachers, parents, and leaders find our network.Explore the Network: This show is just one part of the ForwardEd Network family. Head over to our network page to explore our full roster of interconnected podcasts, including CTRL Shift Lead, Vice Principal UnOfficed, From Carpool to College, and Your Morning Boost.Connect with Us: Have a question or an idea for a future episode? Reach out to us at [email protected] or find us on social media using the tag #theForwardEDnetwork.Ready for your next boost? Browse our catalog and discover your next great listen on The ForwardED Network.This episode includes AI-generated content.Thank You for Listening!  This has been an episode from The FowardED Network—Where we are Advancing Voices and Shaping Education. We are dedicated to supporting everyone invested in K-12 success: teachers, leaders, parents, and community advocates.Want to keep the conversation going?Subscribe: Never miss an insight. Hit the subscribe or follow button on your podcast app to automatically receive our next episode.Share the Knowledge: If this episode provided value, please take a moment to rate and review us! Your five-star reviews help new teachers, parents, and leaders find our network.Explore the Network: This show is just one part of the ForwardEd Network family. Head over to our network page to explore our full roster of interconnected podcasts, including CTRL Shift Lead, Vice Principal UnOfficed, From Carpool to College, and Your Morning Boost.Connect with Us: Have a question or an idea for a future episode? Reach out to us at [email protected] or find us on social media using the tag #theForwardEDnetwork.Ready for your next boost? Browse our catalog and discover your next great listen on The ForwardED Network.