Ways We Want Our School to Be: Addressing the social and emotional needs of children

Questions We Will Explore What does the research show about how school climate impacts student success? Where might there be opportunities for greater student voice in your setting? What can teachers and students do to create a more caring community?

Ways We Want our School to be Share with the others in small groups and add to your schoolhouse What do you want school to be for your students? Jot a few notes for yourself

Reflection Review Analysis of Schoolwide Community Tool What do you notice? Which quality do you see as your biggest challenge? Turn and talk to a partner Consider this throughout the session

Core Elements of Community Building Respectful and supportive relationships Common values, goals, and norms Opportunities for influence and self-direction Frequent opportunities to help and collaborate with others

What kind of classroom does the Common Core call for? Taking ownership of their ideas with the skill and opportunity to express them. Actively learning as individuals, with partners, and in groups Engaged in “productive struggle” with divergent thinking Students:

Jot some notes to yourself What do you notice in the research? What is significant to you personally or professionally? What are the implications as you think about the common core? Why Does This Matter? Talk as a table

Improvement in Behavior Number of Referrals The average number of discipline referrals in CSC schools went down by 48 per year. 189 The average number of discipline referrals in control schools went up by 88 per year.

9 Control Schools (10 Schools) Percentage Proficient and Advanced 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% One-year Implementation (10 Schools) Two-year Implementation (10 Schools) Three-year Implementation (10 Schools) Improved Math Scores: St. Louis

Improved Language Arts Scores: St. Louis Control Schools (10 Schools) Percentage Proficient and Advanced 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% One-year Implementation (10 Schools) Two-year Implementation (10 Schools) Three-year Implementation (10 Schools)

Enduring Effects in Middle School Outcomes Relative to Comparison Students Higher grades in core academic classes Higher achievement-test scores Less misconduct and delinquency Higher educational aspirations A greater sense of community 25% Higher 19% Lower 18% Higher 15% Higher

Benefits of Social and Emotional Learning Meta ‐ analysis of 213 evaluations of social and emotional learning programs involving a broadly representative group of 270,034 students from urban, suburban, and rural elementary and secondary schools. Reduced risk for failure Conduct Aggressive behavior Emotional distress Good science links Social & Emotional Learning to the following Source: Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., and Schellinger, K. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development, (82) 1, Pp Social-emotional skills Improved attitude about self, others, and school Positive classroom behavior 11 percentile-point gain on standardized achievement tests Student Gains

Building Community School wide Whole Class Partner Work Cross Grade Level

Listening and being heard is at the heart of how we want our schools to be

To listen fully means to pay close attention to what is being said beneath the words. You listen not only to the ‘music,’ but to the essence of the person speaking. You listen not only for what someone knows but for what he or she is …Generative listening is the art of developing deeper silences in yourself, so you can slow our mind’s hearing to your ears’ natural speed, and hear beneath the words to their meaning. - Peter Senge

Exploring Whole Class Discussions 3 class meeting clips 1st grade 4th grade 5th grade 3 different schools

Questions to Consider What do you notice about the teachers’ facilitation? What do you notice about how they facilitate student responses that might be considered problematic? What evidence do you see of students’ sense of community? IMG_0072.jpg

Reflecting on Video What did you notice about the teachers’ facilitation? What did you notice about how they facilitated student responses that might be considered problematic? What evidence did you see of students’ sense of community? IMG_0072.jpg

Grade 5 - Oakland, CA 30 students in class Examining Partner Work IMG_0085.jpg

What evidence do you see of students’ sense of community? Questions to Consider What do you notice about the students’ interactions? - what they say - how they show they are listening What might help the pairs improve the quality of the conversation?

What evidence did you see of students’ sense of community? Debriefing Partner Work What did you notice about the students’ interactions? - what they said - how they showed they were listening What might help the pairs improve the quality of the conversation?

Listening and Speaking: Common Core “Students must have ample opportunities to take part in a variety of rich, structured conversations– as part of whole class, in small groups, and with a partner. Being productive members of these conversations requires that students contribute accurate, relevant information; respond to and develop what others have said; make comparisons and contrasts; and analyze and synthesize a multitude of ideas in various domains.” - Common Core State Standards

Revisiting your intention What’s one concrete step you might take in your setting to increase the sense of community and student voice given our discussion today? What difference could this make for you and for the students you know?

Thank you