Overview

Whole Child Well-being and Equitable Recovery

COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Black and Latinx communities in Boston and nationwide. In this unique moment in history, when our communities are faced with the realities of the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racism, prioritizing the social, emotional, and physical wellness of students, families, and staff is a must for addressing equity and ensuring health and safety. We must also continue to prioritize the needs of all historically marginalized students and their families to ensure that equitable student outcomes are centered in our planning. “Ensuring students first have access to physiological and safety needs will lead to opportunities to feel connected and loved by teachers and classmates.” Focusing on individual and collective well-being builds trust. Once basic needs are met, educators should reinforce existing protective factors, build new coping skills, and expand equitable learning strategies. BPS schools must re-open using strategies to build school communities that are safe, healthy, welcoming, joyful, anti-racist and culturally and linguistically affirming. This is the work of every educator and all support staff in every school, every office, and every space that Boston Public School students inhabit. This is exemplified by a Whole School Whole Community Whole Child (WSCC) approach to learning and well-being, currently outlined in our Opportunity Gaps Policy, our Wellness Policy, and our Strategic Plan.

Transformative Tier 1 Social Emotional Learning: Essential 1

At BPS, we believe that strengthening adult and youth social and emotional skills and competencies enhance our abilities to connect and relate to others across race, class, culture, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, and learning needs. Social emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which individuals learn essential life skills and competencies that promote a positive identity, a well-managed self, healthy relationships and agency to successfully navigate their future (BPS 2017). Our SEL competencies were updated in 2019 to reflect a Transformative SEL approach, an equity-based approach to deepen the social, emotional, and cultural competence of adults and students that is aligned with CLSP. We will leverage Transformative SEL in reopening to build trust and safe, healthy, welcoming, joyful, anti-racist and culturally affirming learning environments. We will prioritize relationships and communities focused on well-being, connections and belonging. In this way, we will build a bridge from trauma to healing.

As students return to school this fall, BPS educators will exemplify an asset-based mindset and focus on the rich cultural knowledge and individual skills each student brings to the classroom, whether in person or online. Across all grade levels, schools will implement structures that are intentionally focused on building trusting relationships between students and adults. These structures might include an advisory group with a low teacher-to-student ratio for regular check-ins, check-in/check-out procedures, and individual or group student success plans with specific strategies identified to increase learning and social-emotional wellness.

School leaders and educators will be intentional about building school culture and creating a sense of community within the online or blended learning environment. Schools will institute a weekly or daily ritual for the whole school, grade levels, or classrooms in order to build teamwork and support. Principals and teachers are encouraged to implement support structures that vary based on grade level and may include things such as practicing classroom routines, collaborating on classroom values, setting up classroom norms for communication, building individual relationships, and activities specifically focused on social emotional learning.

In order to build a learning environment that supports student SEL and well-being, schools are called on to foster a supportive staff environment that promotes adult SEL and well-being. Each member of the BPS staff community has experienced some level of trauma from the past few months, including a destabilizing of our work relationships and our professions. Adults need to have opportunities to reflect on their own social, emotional, and cultural competencies, practice self-care, and collaborate with colleagues in order to support our students and families in doing the same. Schools can support this by providing professional learning opportunities, incorporating SEL into team meetings, and leadership practices and modeling it for students in the community and relationship strategies described above.

Health Education, Arts Education, & Physical Education: Critical for Wellness & SEL

Health education, physical education, and arts education can build the rituals, routines, relationships, and SEL competencies across the school, bringing safe, healthy, joyful, anti-racist, culturally and linguistically affirming approaches to learning. Prioritizing health education in student schedules will provide essential knowledge in hygiene, stress management, health promotion and disease prevention (including important safety protocols) to build personal agency and social competence. Physical education and physical activity are imperative during this time considering the benefits: enhancing fitness, reducing stress, increasing concentration, and empowerment. Similarly, dance, music, theatre and visual arts education will provide a whole child and whole school learning environment benefit. The BPS Physical Education and Arts departments are committed to supporting schools in implementing state and national guidance on safe and effective practices of instruction for in-person or remote learning.