Promising Practices
FOR Middle SchoolERS
ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY
Type: Group Activity
At the Brooklyn College Community Partnership (BCCP), students work on projects that build their STEAM and social-emotional skills. BCCP staff recognize that middle school can be a difficult time in a young person’s identity development. In response, teaching artists start sessions with self-reflection, give students a platform to practice positive affirmation, and recognize the strengths of individual students.
BCCP at S.T.A.R. MS at Erasmus was a Bright Spot in Academic Self-Efficacy and Self-Advocacy.
BELONGING
Type: Group Activity
YMCA staff at IS 126Q facilitate “Teen Talk” sessions-- structured group discussions that teach communication and coping skills, while fostering connections and trust between counselors and youth and among students. Counselors facilitate single-gender groups of students discussing topics relevant to middle schoolers like bullying, self-love, and self-expression.
Y Scholars at IS 126Q was a Bright Spot in Belonging, Interpersonal Skills, and Self-Regulation.
GROWTH MINDSET
Type: Group Activity
During after school academic time, instead of only having the option to do homework, students can pick an academically-inclined “Learning Choice” activity from a consistent menu of options. Staff facilitate the activities while building relationships, modeling enthusiasm, and giving prizes to students who return to the activity each week.
Center for Family Life - “Life Lines” Community Arts Project was a Bright Spot in Growth Mindset.Type: Group Activity
Over 7 weeks, students were tasked with choosing a new skill from a list of possible choices and learning it via YouTube videos. Staff explicitly taught growth mindset using ClassDojo’s video series.
City Squash Bronx Middle School Cohort was a Bright Spot in Growth Mindset.
Type: Student Check-in
PS 149 students reviewed progress reports and set weekly academic goals with the Program Director. Staff leverage strong relationships to set goals and create action plans with students.
Harlem Lacrosse PS 149 Boys was a Bright Spot in Growth Mindset.INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Type: Group Activity
Y staff introduced a group meeting model that grants opportunities for older students to take leadership roles and for all students to share insights and advice.
Prospect Park YMCA Leaders Club was a Bright Spot in all SEL factors measured by the Network survey.
Type: Group Activity
YMCA staff at IS 126Q facilitate “Teen Talk” sessions-- structured group discussions that teach communication and coping skills, while fostering connections and trust between counselors and youth and among students. Counselors facilitate single-gender groups of students discussing topics relevant to middle schoolers like bullying, self-love, and self-expression.
Y Scholars at IS 126Q was a Bright Spot in Belonging, Interpersonal Skills, and Self-Regulation.
SELF-ADVOCACY
Type: Selection Process
Citizen Schools students apply to participate in multiple extracurricular activities throughout the year. The rigorous selection process requires students to justify and advocate for their top choices.
Citizen Schools Urban Assembly Unison School was a Bright Spot in Self-Advocacy.Type: Program Structure
Staff foster youth-adult partnership in decision-making by (1) including two committed teens in weekly staff planning meetings (2) giving teens input and choice in many aspects of programming from discussion topics to trip plans, (3) checking in with students who don’t return to program to ask what they want to see and (4) balancing incentives with structure and accountability.
Leaders Club at Coney Island YMCA was a Bright Spot in Self-Advocacy.
FOR High SchoolERS
ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY
Type: Group Activity
During “Wish I Had Known” Panels, college students in the Success program return to share what they’ve learned with high school seniors in the Access program. Goddard staff step out of the room to leave space for students to ask and answer questions they might not be comfortable discussing in front of staff.
Goddard Riverside Options Center was a Bright Spot in Academic Self-Efficacy.
BELONGING
Type: Group Activity
Harlem Lacrosse coach asked student athletes to brainstorm values that they wanted to see in a team, chose values that recurred in students' responses, and consistently reinforced those values throughout the year through activities and printed materials.
Harlem Lacrosse Boys Team at FDA I was a Bright Spot in Belonging.
Type: Group Activity
Staff give students opportunities to see people who look like themselves represented as leaders in the tech industry. Staff build in discussions about representation during activities, personalize activities to student backgrounds, and encourage students to engage with industry professionals.
New York on Tech at Google and Carat were Bright Spot Sites in Belonging. New York on Tech at 360I was a Bright Spot Site in Self-Advocacy.Type: Group Activity
Phipps staff asked students to vote on the lesson they teach in after-school courses from among three different choices.
Phipps Neighborhoods at Urban Assembly School of Wildlife Conservation was a Bright Spot in Belonging.
Type: Program Structure
GWS staff elevates their student leadership cohort by sharing responsibility and ownership of program design and implementation, including but not limited to staff hiring decisions.
Good Shepherd Services Groundwork for Success was a Bright Spot in Academic Behaviors, Academic Self-Efficacy, and Belonging.GROWTH MINDSET
Type: Group Activity
CPEHS aims to maximize positive peer-to-peer contact; one way is through panels featuring alumni. Alumni share their college experience and convey the message, “I was you” and “I made it here, so you can too.” Current students come up with questions for the panel and moderate the discussion.
Center for Supportive Schools at Central Park East High School was a Bright Spot in Growth Mindset.
Type: Group Activity
Y staff facilitate college-readiness sessions during monthly College Weeks, accompanied by one-on-one meetings with students focused on goal-setting and self-reflection to ensure student success in the college application process.
YMCA Rowe Scholars at Bronx Explorations Academy was a Bright Spot in Growth Mindset.INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Type: Group Activity
Y staff introduced a group meeting model that grants opportunities for older students to take leadership roles and for all students to share insights and advice.
in 2018, Prospect Park YMCA Leaders Club was a Bright Spot in all SEL factors measured by the Network survey.Type: Group Activity
Staff and teens at Prospect Park YMCA share program decision-making power through a Teen Committee. Committee members gather input from other teen participants to make decisions about program like activities and trips. Teens seek adults for support and advice.
In 2019, Prospect Park YMCA Leaders Club was a Bright Spot in Academic Self-Efficacy, Belonging, Growth Mindset, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving and Self-Regulation (Academic Behaviors).
Type: Group Activity
Young people and adult facilitators co-create community guidelines. The process generates a space where participants and facilitators can be their whole selves, be vulnerable, and openly explore their own lived experiences and social issues. Participants feel valued as individuals with different perspectives and learn how to be with one another in community.
Sadie Nash Leadership Project Sisterhood Academy was a Bright Spot in Interpersonal Skills.Type: Group Activity
YMCA staff at JREC design lesson plans that feature an icebreaker, a smaller-group activity that requires teamwork, and a whole-group discussion. Their discussion questions ask teens to reflect on (1) their own and others’ feelings (2) their assessment of their group’s teamwork-- what went well, what didn’t go well (3) the impact of their own actions and what they could do differently, and (4) connecting social-emotional skills to their own lives.
YMCA Rowe Scholars at Julia Richman Education Complex (JREC) was a Bright Spot in Interpersonal Skills.
SELF-ADVOCACY
Type: One-on-One Activity
When students ask staff to complete a college process step for them, like asking a teacher for a recommendation, asking a parent for a document, or setting up a CUNY application account, Y staff:
- Refuse, and explain why. For instance, say: “No, because you need to be able to do this. When you enter college in the fall, we are not going to be there.”
- Reassure students that they are capable and their voice matters, while offering support. For instance, say “We’re here to help and support but you can do this.”
Type: Group ActivityExtra Resources: Team Building Activity Curriculum, Assignment and Grade Tracker 1, Assignment and Grade Tracker 2
OneGoal Program Director dedicated each Friday (of a daily 11th-grade college access course) to a team building activity. She also created a visible shared document to track grades and assignment completion. Participants grew more comfortable with each other and with the instructor, allowing them to navigate the college application process together.
OneGoal at Port Richmond High School, led by Meghan Duffy, was a Bright Spot in Self-Advocacy.
Type: Program Structure
Staff foster youth-adult partnership in decision-making by (1) including two committed teens in weekly staff planning meetings (2) giving teens input and choice in many aspects of programming from discussion topics to trip plans, (3) checking in with students who don’t return to program to ask what they want to see and (4) balancing incentives with structure and accountability.
Leaders Club at Coney Island YMCA was a Bright Spot in Self-Advocacy.FOR STAFF
TO IMPROVE YOUTH ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY
Type: Staff Meeting
HEAF staff hold monthly meetings to discuss the social-emotional and academic development of students on their rosters, one by one. Discussions are informed by relationships staff build with students, as well as academic and program data. Staff collaboratively create plans that ensure student well-being and success.
HEAF's 7th Grade Harlem cohort was a Bright Spot in Academic Self-Efficacy.
TO IMPROVE YOUTH BELONGING
Type: Staff Meeting
Coach-mentors and program coordinators hold weekly “Kid Talks” staff meetings, where they speak about each student-athlete on their roster, prioritizing academics, athletics, and personal growth.
South Bronx United's 8th Grade Cohort was a Bright Spot in Belonging.