Caring School Community Posts
2 years 49 weeks ago
from Stanley Rutherford
Older here. 60+. Was educated in the days when school meant individual seat work, work sheets, providing the “right” answer to questions that tested your ability to recall the information contained in the reading, but in no way stretched your thinking or required any critical analysis. There were no classroom discussions. The teacher...
(2) 3 years 1 week ago
from Eric Schaps
I recently published an article entitled “How a changing society changes SEL“ (PDF format, pages 20-21) in an exciting new journal that’s dedicated to distilling the implications of solid research for educational practice. (You’d figure there would be a lot more of this kind of thing than there actually is.) Robert...
3 years 2 weeks ago
from Kenni Smith
SEL made the cover of the American Psychological Association's monthly magazine, Monitor on Psychology, in a story called, "Social awareness + emotional skills = successful kids." A short excerpt:
"While SEL programs vary somewhat in design and target different ages, they all work to develop core competencies: self-awareness,...
(1) 3 years 5 weeks ago
from Eric Schaps
I received a “dream” telephone call out of the blue yesterday— the kind of call that every program developer fantasizes about. (Younger program developers may harbor other fantasies as well.)
The call was from Dr. Berta Berriz, Co-Lead Teacher of the Boston Teachers Union School, a new elementary school in Boston’s Jamaica...
(1) 3 years 5 weeks ago
from Ginger Cook
As a former elementary teacher, I relish any chance I get to visit schools, especially schools that have been collaborating with DSC for a while. Last month I got my fix when Sunset Elementary in San Francisco Unified, which has been implementing Caring School Community (CSC) for five years, invited us to its Family Project Night. The gym...
3 years 8 weeks ago
from Lisa Borah-Geller
I once received a winning lottery number. No, I didn’t win money. It was better—I won one of the coveted spots in the freshman-housing lottery at UCLA. My good luck guaranteed me a place in a three-room suite with four roommates rather than a minuscule dorm room with one or two others.
This time I wasn’t so lucky. In January, we...
(6) 3 years 12 weeks ago
from Susan Hult
A Social Epidemic
We’ve been hearing a lot about bullying lately. One of the most alarming findings on the issue is just how pervasive it is—researchers now think that bullying, which was once thought to concern only a handful of individuals, actually affects between one-third and three-quarters of students. This shocking...
(2) 3 years 13 weeks ago
from Patrick Graham
Students as Stakeholders
As the top suggestion on its list of best practices to prevent bullying, the International Bullying Prevention Association says, “Focus on the social environment of the school. In order to reduce bullying, it is important to change the social climate of the school and the social norms with regards to bullying....
(1) 3 years 13 weeks ago
from Linda Rourke
Retired principal Robyne Lewis has a passion for social-emotional learning. That passion, combined with a clear vision for the way she wanted her school to be, helped guide her work with teachers, students, and parents to shape the John L. Sipley School into the Caring Sipley School Community. Under Robyne’s leadership, the Literacy Design...
(3) 3 years 14 weeks ago
from Eric Schaps
Originally posted on ASCD edge on February 5, 2010
I applaud ASCD for this focus on school climate. For students, and especially low-income students, a healthy school climate is nothing short of pivotal. I don’t use "pivotal" lightly—the evidence is overwhelming that students are much more likely to thrive when they...
