This toolkit from the Parabola Project helps school leaders make key decisions driven by the values and priorities of their school or district. Leaders need to determine the resources they have available (time, people, and space) and think creatively about scheduling for a hybrid or fully in-person model.
On this episode of What Will We Take With Us?, a series featuring our conversations with education leaders across the United States on how they grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic in K-12 education, we speak with two leaders at Distinctive Schools in Chicago: Mike McCarthy, Executive Director of Student Services, and Stephanie Cardella, Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. They share with us how Distinctive developed a community of care, nimble practices, and targeted instructional strategies to support students in balancing their learning and well-being through a year of uncertainty as schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This report offers guidance for K-12 districts and schools by synthesizing the latest research and knowledge on emerging practices for: 1) developing local habits of success frameworks, 2) addressing equity and cultural considerations in implementing habits of success and lifelong learning skills, and 3) promoting and assessing habits of success. The report also provides recommendations and next steps to support all students in building strong habits of success.
Habits of success are the skills, dispositions, and mindsets needed to continue as a lifelong learner and participate effectively in work and civic life. (They are also called 21st century skills, personal success skills, social-emotional skills, and noncognitive skills.) Schools, districts, and states have recently devoted an increasing level of attention to helping students develop habits of success.
Success in most professional and personal pursuits requires an additional set of skills and dispositions, in addition to academic knowledge, that can be learned in school and anytime/anywhere. These “habits of success” include self-direction, collaboration, communication, self-awareness, social awareness, and others. The extensive practice examples and research findings synthesized in this report will help practitioners implement frameworks to support students in developing essential skills for learning, work, and life.
In response to the pandemic, Cedar Rapids Community School district implemented a districtwide family engagement plan based around quarterly phone calls to surface needs and concerns from families. Learn how the district created consistent touchpoints to offer opportunities for family engagement.
Cedar Rapids Community School District implemented “Community Circles” as part of its social-emotional learning curriculum. The circles take place every morning in grades K-8.
This guide provides solutions to common problems educators may face in implementing circles, such as students being silent, the process taking too long, or students exhibiting behaviors that derail the circle.
Cedar Rapids Community School District implemented “Community Circles” as part of its social-emotional learning curriculum. The circles take place every morning in grades K-8.
This slidedeck provides guidance for educators on how to effectively implement circles with their students.
Cedar Rapids Community School District implemented “Community Circles” as part of its social-emotional learning curriculum. The circles take place every morning in grades K-8.
These prompts can be used by teachers with students during the circle time, based on topics such as “team-building” and “anti-racism, white privilege, and equity.”
Cedar Rapids Community School District implemented “Community Circles” as part of its social-emotional learning curriculum. The circles take place every morning in grades K-8. This lesson plan guide is for a specific circle activity around “Dimensions of Identity.” It includes connections to Social Justice and Equity standards, as well as Iowa SEL competencies.
Cedar Rapids Community School District implemented “Community Circles” as part of its social-emotional learning curriculum. The circles take place every morning in grades K-8.
Metro Nashville Public Schools created a new district-wide point-person program to ensure every student was known, cared for, respected, and supported. This dashboard shows data to support high-level planning for student supports.
