González, Moll, and Amanti first published a book in 2005 entitled Funds of Knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms. Their concept, Funds of Knowledge, is based on a simple premise that people are competent and have knowledge, and this knowledge is gained through their life experiences. In other words, a student’s household should be viewed primarily in terms of their strengths and resources that then help define their pedagogical resources. The authors claim that first-hand research experiences with families allows the documentation of this competence and knowledge and this engagement provides possibilities for positive pedagogical actions. The Funds of Knowledge approach or “asset framing” can be a systematic way to represent communities in terms of the resources they possess and how to harness them for classroom teaching. Since the publication of their original work in 2005, the emphasis of continued work has been to develop theory and methods by which educators can approach and document the funds of knowledge of families and contextualize them based on the knowledge, resources, and strengths they possess.

In a subsequent publication, Moll explains “the goal is to represent families and students as resourceful. The great advantage of this asset framing to education is that it provides a theoretical orientation for valuing students’ households, family practices, and cultural resources. Rather than a piece-meal or second-hand impression of students’ families, an asset framing approach orients teachers to highlight the cultural–historical basis of household life and other formative experiences, such as students’ interests, from which additional pedagogical innovations may emerge. At the heart of the approach is establishing strategic alliances for teaching and learning, developing new capacities and capabilities, and engaging pedagogically in ways that respect the students’ social history and intellect."

The mission at ESTE Leverage is to empower girls to freely explore, pursue, and leverage their inherent interests as they realize their full potential. Aligned with the tenet behind asset framing, ESTE’s core technology recognizes the inherent value that a child brings and works to ensure that the child also recognizes this value. The child emerges empowered to leverage her value in pursuit of educational/career choices. The Funds of Knowledge model is different than the Deficit Model of today, which emphasizes an individual’s strengths; however, this model implies weaknesses and perhaps the inadvertent attention to addressing these weaknesses. Our asset framing approach is grounded in the notion that every individual brings value. Their inherent difference is valuable. Individuality is valuable. ESTE strives to leverage this value by integrating the individual’s preferences and differences into their model of learning and growth.

The ESTE Assessment was developed to extract and present back to the assessment taker, their innate interests and thinking styles in the fields of entrepreneurship, science, technology, and engineering. Following the assessment, the child (and parent/guardian) receives a personalized Career Exploration Experiential Guide (developed in collaboration with Moms, leveraging their real-life experiences and insights), a tool to be used as the mechanism whereby the parent partners with the child, engages in targeted dialogue, and supports activities and outputs aligned with the child’s interests. ESTE recognizes and celebrates our individual differences. Our Moms, of course, have it right – they strive to meet their daughters where they are and build on what they bring to the world. The Assessment and follow-on Guide help ensure that the child’s ‘funds of knowledge’ is both recognized and leveraged.

[González N, Moll LC, and Amanti C (2005). Funds of Knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers; Moll LC. Elaborating Funds of Knowledge: Community-Oriented Practices in International Contexts; Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice 2019; 68:130-138]

ESTE® Leverage - founded in the belief that Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, and Engineering are innate in each of us - grounded in the science of learning & assessment - dedicated to the realized potential in every individual.