Supporting the Whole Child:
Layering Additional Support & Alternatives to Retention
What Shall We Do About the Children After the Pandemic?
Resist the pressure from whatever ‘powers that be’ who are in a hurry to “fix” kids and make up for the “lost” time. The time was not lost, it was invested in surviving a historic period of time in their lives—in our lives. The children do not need to be fixed. They are not broken. They need to be heard. They need be given as many tools as we can provide to nurture resilience and help them adjust to a post-pandemic world.”
What we know about retention:
Academic gains are short term
Negatively effects children's social and emotional well-being.
"We cannot simply go back to a pre-pandemic normal, but must pivot to a new, better normal."
-Michael F. Rice, Ph.D
Michigan State Superintendent
The importance, especially this year, of prioritizing students' mental health and well-being and recognizing on a deep level that schools today have to be more than test-prep collectives. As Carol Ann Tomlinson puts it in her beautiful article on her experiences working with students in fragile states,
"No academic goal is worth the soul of a child."
WHOLE SCHOOL, WHOLE COMMUNITY, WHOLE CHILD
Healthy, Safe, Engaged, Supported, Challenged
Layers of Additional Time & Alternatives to Retention
Scale-up MTSS academic plans & supports
Enhanced Summer Programming
Remote Tutoring
Classrooms assessments to better inform teaching
Teacher Professional Development to teach a wider range of students
Loop Classes or Multi-age Classes
Smaller Class Sizes
Peer Tutoring Programs
Before and After School Tutoring programs
Increase Community Partnerships