It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on student learning and emotional wellbeing. But the tough 2022 NAEP results from the Nation’s Report Card have left many school leaders wondering how they’re going to do more to accelerate growth when everyone’s already working at full capacity.
That’s why this month we’ve curated stories from the field and resources to close learning gaps through SEL, family engagement, and community support. We hope these pieces will inspire and empower your team. Each was selected because it highlights how to support students without asking your team to do more.
Top Read
The good and bad of virtual on-demand tutoring
Districts across the country are turning to tutoring to accelerate learning, because research shows it works. But like every intervention, the success of tutoring depends on implementation. In this article, Dr. Susanna Loeb unpacks how researchers were able to significantly increase the impact of virtual tutoring through family engagement.
If tutoring is on your agenda, this research can help you implement in a way that will increase the power of your program.
Webinar Invite – Happening This Thursday!
SEL Strategies to Help Students Navigate Hard Moments in School and at Home
Young people are dealing with a lot right now, facing challenges that range from ongoing impacts of the pandemic to peer pressure to economic hardship. Stressors like these can affect a student’s cognitive abilities and behavior in the classroom. Join us for a conversation that will empower you to help students build the skills they need to cope in the face of challenging circumstances. PreK-8 teachers, school and district leaders, and school counselors will especially benefit from this webinar. Save your spot or join live at 4 PM EST / 1 PM PST on Thursday, November 3.
Can’t make it today? No problem! Register and we’ll send you a link to the on-demand recording.
Reads Worth Your Time
Voices of Wards 7 and 8: Caring for Students’ Social and Emotional Health in School
Social emotional learning is crucial for student learning and there are so many different ways to incorporate it into schools and classrooms! These eight D.C. educators share success stories, lessons learned, and strategies for supporting student emotional wellbeing at school – and emphasize tending to educators’ mental health needs, too. Pass this along to your team to spark conversations and inspire new approaches.
Boys & Girls Club of Ada County work to close learning gap caused by pandemic
Abby Davis, KTVB7
Schools aren’t the only organizations working creatively to close gaps in learning. This story highlights how the Ada County Boys & Girls Club uses their existing “Power Hour” reading program to help students catch up on pandemic learning loss – and underscores the importance of investing in after-school support for older students especially.
3 ways to avoid hurdles to social emotional learning
Lauraine Langreo, EducationWeek
Struggling to implement SEL in your organization? Two education professionals discuss the importance of talking about mental health, the somewhat positive effect the pandemic has had on these conversations, and their tips for removing common barriers to SEL programs.
Family and Community Engagement Resources
Family-School Partnerships Make Learning Possible
Mental wellbeing and learning are deeply interconnected. For example, when anxiety gets in the way, academics are going to fall to the wayside. Our recent blog post shares how a strong family-school partnership benefits student wellbeing and ways your organization can establish this crucial connection. Read on.
Learning Support Kit
Did you know that the ParentPowered Approach has been proven to increase student growth in as early as two months? Our Learning Support Kit offers low-effort, fun activities to share with your elementary school families. These resources build reading and math skills at home and are available in both Spanish and English. Download here.
