Reaching High Standards: An Intentional Focus on Social Emotional Development

1. Reaching High Standards: An Intentional Focus on Social Emotional Development Dr. Charlene Myklebust, Psy.D. ckmyklebust@district287.org

2. Intermediate District 287: Strategic Plan • Promote students reaching high standards. • Raise social emotional focus to rigorous level of academics. • Provide structured emphasis on social emotional domain.

3. Models that Support Social-Emotional Development • Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) • Minnesota Department of Education “Early Warning Signs of Children’s Mental Health Disorders” Training • Eric Jensen: Brain-based Learning • Daniel Amen, M.D., “Making a Good Brain Great” • Ross Greene, Ph.D., “The Explosive Child” • Restorative Practices • Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

4. Models that Support Social-Emotional Development • Mindfulness Education: Goldie Hawn Foundation • Breathing, relaxation • Labyrinth Activities • Relaxation, expression of feelings, conflict resolution • Project M Mentoring for African American Youth • After school program for middle school students • Co-located mental health services • An array of mental health support services, including chemical health • Power of Positive People • Culturally relevant model for connecting with positive people

5. Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Key Features: • Creates school environments that are positive, preventive, predictable, and effective • Provides a safer and more caring environment • Supports enhanced learning and teaching outcomes • Provides a continuum of behavior support for all students • Includes positive adult and peer role models • Consists of regular positive reinforcement • Promotes academic and social behavior development and success

6. Minnesota Department of Education Mental Health Disorders Training • Module I: “Early Warning Signs of Children’s Mental Health Disorders Training”* • Module II: “Understanding Children’s Mental Health Disorders and the Impact on Learning and Everyday Functioning”* *A “Train the Trainer” model was used to facilitate trainings.

7. Minnesota Department of Education Mental Health Disorders Training Key Features of Modules I and II include: • Defining the most prevalent mental health disorders in children • Identifying key warning signs of mental health disorders • Presenting brain-based information and etiology of mental health disorders • Understanding interventions to support children with mental health disorders at home and at school • Practicing interventions using case scenarios

8. Eric Jensen: Brain-based Learning Eric Jensen is a world-renowned author, teacher, and member of the National Academy of Neuroscience. Intermediate District 287 has hired Eric to train all of its staff members on the research based, practical strategies related to learning and memory. “Teaching with the Brain in Mind: 2nd edition”

9. Eric Jensen: Brain-based Learning Key Features: • Learning about how movement affects cognition. • Recognizing the power of emotional states in the brain. • Arranging a physical environment (e.g., lighting, temperature, noise to maximize learning potential • Managing the social environment of a school to decrease stress and improve peer relationships.

10. Eric Jensen: Brain-based Learning Key Features: • Learning about the common causes of de-motivation and the nature of intrinsic motivation. • Recognizing and nurturing critical thinking skills. • Learning ways that the brain encodes and maintains memory.

11. Daniel Amen, M.D.“Making a Good Brain Great” Daniel Amen, M.D., is a child psychiatrist who uses brain scans to diagnose and treat mental health disorders. Dr. Amen’s recently developed curriculum, “Making a Good Brain Great,” is being taught to educators in a two-day seminar. Twelve educators took an Intermediate District 287 Summer Institute course. Hamline is offering the course this summer.

12. Daniel Amen, M.D. “Making a Good Brain Great” Key Features: • The brain is involved in everything we do. • Certain parts of the brain are involved with certain types of behaviors. • The brain can be helped as well as hurt; the brain can change. • The brain is not completely developed until the mid-20’s.

13. Daniel Amen, M.D. “Making a Good Brain Great” Key Features: • Dr. Amen compares a psychiatrist who treats a patient without looking at a brain scan to a mechanic who diagnoses a car without opening the hood. • Brain scans consisting of measurements of blood flow and activity level can reveal evidence of drug abuse, exposure to environmental toxins, or brain injuries. • Dr. Amen believes that most psychiatric illnesses are complex and multi-faceted and that brain scans can help to determine the correct treatment for each particular illness; he finds it incredible that psychiatrists are the only medical specialists who never look at the organ they treat.

14. Ross Greene, Ph.D.“The Explosive Child” Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., is Director of the Collaborative Problem Solving Institute in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. He specializes in the treatment of explosive, inflexible, easily frustrated children and adolescents and is the author of The Explosive Child and co-author of Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem Solving Approach. He is also Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Greene's research focuses on the classification, longitudinal study, and treatment of inflexible, easily frustrated, explosive children; long-term outcomes in socially impaired children with ADHD; and student-teacher compatibility.

15. Ross Greene, Ph.D.“The Explosive Child” Key Features: • Children do well if they can…if they can’t, we adults need to figure out why, so we can help. • Traditional, good discipline does not work with explosive children. Punishments, time outs and threats can make explosive children worse. • Explosive children are unable to cope with frustration. • These children are not spoiled and trying to get attention — ignoring will make matters worse. • Children think less clearly when exploding — almost like losing 30 IQ points. Many times, they don't remember what happened the last time they raged.

16. Ross Greene, Ph.D.The Explosive Child Key Features: • Some children are more vulnerable than others due to excessive TV viewing, video games and violent cartoons. • The majority of explosive children have ADHD. • A fast-paced, over-scheduled society places children at greater risk for explosive behavior. • The pressure we put on kids can affect their ability to cope and deal with frustrations. • "One size fits all" does not work in parenting or in a school setting. Each child needs to be treated as an individual.

17. Restorative Practices Key Features: • Has its roots in ”Restorative Justice." • Focuses on repairing the harm done to people and relationships rather than on punishing offenders in the criminal justice system (although Restorative Justice does not preclude incarceration of offenders or other sanctions). • Includes mediation between victims and offenders (1970’s). • In the 1990’s, Restorative Justice broadened to include communities of care as well, with victims' and offenders' families and friends participating in collaborative processes called "conferences" and "circles."

18. Restorative Practices Examples: • Embrace Circle of Courage principles; belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. • Minimize suspension and dismissal. • Utilize peace making circles. • Engage in peer and staff mediation.

19. Restorative Practices Examples: • Develop reparation contracts. • Hold re-entry meetings. • Collaborate with local law enforcement authorities.

20. Anne Gearity, Ph.D., LICSW Resiliency Literature (enhancing protective factors) • 1) Motivation Interests or Agency (kids need to feel ownership for own outcomes and to buy in to “smart”) Can’t use motivation or self-interest as a reward e.g. “If you do your reading, then you can use Yugio cards.” WE NEED TO SAY, “Show me how to do Yugio cards and get good at it, now show me how to do reading.”

21. Anne Gearity, Ph.D., LICSW • 2) Relational Strengths – we know that children who have positive relationship with adults do better. Sometimes these are the most pro social relationships for students. Depersonalized time out has been largely ineffective. How do we make adult relationships viable for kids?

22. Anne Gearity, Ph.D., LICSW • 3) Reflection – ability to think about oneself; most of our students are externalizers. This is why cognitive interventions don’t usually work e.g. “You feel really bad when things aren’t working.” Statement presupposes that kids have an ability to reflect and think about themselves…however, our students stay in a state of agitation and have difficulty reflecting.

23. Anne Gearity, Ph.D., LICSW • 4) HOPE is a state of mind and is a protective factor. The concept: Someone believes in you. You can learn from the past and move to the future.

24. Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) • A comprehensive model to infuse affective education into schools. • Mission is to advance the science of SEL and expand evidence-based, integrated SEL practices as an essential part of education. • Has been adopted by the states of Illinois (2004) and Alaska (2006).

25. Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) • Key Features: • Downloadable “Safe and Sound” guide, with reviews of over 80 programs • Five SEL competency areas • Self-awareness • Social awareness • Self-management • Relationship Skills • Responsible Decision-Making

26. History of Task Force School Board Initiative • Requested administrative focus on staff and student safety. • Asked for development of a district-wide ad hoc group to make recommendations regarding social-emotional initiatives. • Asked for final report from Social-Emotional Task Force. • Continues to endorse initiatives stemming from Social-Emotional Task Force recommendations.

27. History of Task Force Superintendent’s Agenda • Cost Comparison Discussion • EBD Regional Edge Proposal • Social-Emotional Task Force Best Practices research will guide regional initiatives

28. Decision-Making Process • Criteria: • Inclusive • Broad representation from all divisions • A variety of job roles • Group buy-in • Demonstrated effectiveness • Ability to be sustained

29. Consensus Process: What is it? • The Consensus Process, interpreted by Bob Chadwick, is a group input and decision-making process in which all voices are heard and every contribution is included. • The process can be time consuming, but the pitfalls that accompany hasty decision-making are avoided. • Group buy-in is greater because many perspectives are honored and integrated.

30. Intended Outcome:Vision Our efforts will result in a variety of action steps addressing priority topic areas. Systemic change (in Intermediate District 287 and our member districts) will occur in the areas of social and emotional support and interventions for students.

31. Project Overview In an effort to continue work on an essential component of our Strategic Plan, “We will ensure that each student reaches high standards,” Superintendent Sandra Lewandowski asked that we conduct an exhaustive review of current practices relating to social-emotional support and development of students within the district.

32. Task Force Selection Process Program supervisors and district administrators were asked to recommend 2 people for representation on the task force. From this list, nominees were contacted in an effort to ensure broad representation across the district. In 1-2 cases, there was no representation due to scheduling conflicts (e.g., police liaison).

33. Staff Survey A Zoomerang Survey was conducted and included questions related to: • positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) • student time-outs • character education • social skills training

34. Staff Survey A Zoomerang Survey was conducted and included questions related to: • mental health related services • suspension • punishment • staff safety • the link between social/emotional behavior and academic achievement

35. Project Overview The Social-Emotional Task Force: • Developed and disseminated a staff survey. • Reviewed survey results. • Convened a district-wide task force to examine Intermediate District 287 practices and identify the most promising practices. • Clustered current practices according to theme (e.g., Experiential Learning)

36. Project Overview The Social-Emotional Task Force: • Studied best practices literature that has already been compiled. • Conducted additional research regarding practices that lacked support in the literature. • Recommended “action steps.” • Presented findings of the Social-Emotional Task Force to district administrators and to the School Board.

37. Current Work • Subcommittees: • Crisis Support and Best Practices Intervention Support for Staff • Staff Training • Affective Curriculum Committee (SE Standards)

38. Current Work (cont) • Infusion of SE Practices into Staff evaluation protocols • Pilot “Mindful Matters” Curriculum in elementary EBD program (promising practice) • Advanced prevention, intervention, and crisis training for staff

39. Staff-Centered Beliefs • Education has the responsibility to prepare students for life. Staff can continue to learn to best meet students’ needs. Educational research, not political pressure, should be the source for improving education. We do make a difference. • Mentor programs are essential and effective. Collegial support is important. We can all be leaders. • Affirmation is an integral part of evaluation. Staff members feel supported from frequent recognition of effective work with students. The practice of staff recognition can be rejuvenating.

40. Staff-Centered Beliefs • Staff development and mentoring experiences are essential components in the preparation of staff to work with Intermediate District 287 students. Recruitment and retention of skilled staff is essential for ensuring positive student outcomes. • Innovative interventions, such as animal-assisted support, can positively impact the school climate. outcomes.

41. Student-Centered Beliefs • Positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based practice that can benefit all students. • Control techniques do not teach self-management. • All behavior is a form of communication. • Behaviors are learned and can become habits. • Student behavior is often a survival mechanism.

42. Student-Centered Beliefs • Positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based practice that can benefit all students. • Control techniques do not teach self-management. • All behavior is a form of communication. • Behaviors are learned and can become habits. • Student behavior is often a survival mechanism.

43. Student-Centered Beliefs • Students benefit from an environment that promotes both academic and social-emotional development. Student success may be positively impacted from positive and encouraging staff interventions. All students need emotional support, understanding, and respect. Mental health and academics are inextricably intertwined.

44. Student-Centered Beliefs • All student voices are important. Students’ perspectives are needed and valued. Students communicate in a manner that is developmentally and culturally familiar. Students often bring unresolved baggage to school that may result in compromised communications with staff and peers.

45. Student-Centered Beliefs • Differentiated instruction is important for all students. Students are appropriately served with programming that best meets their needs. Since students learn through a variety of modalities, it is important to modify curriculum and instruction as needed.

46. Student-Centered Beliefs • All students have the right to be proud of their heritages and self-identity. • All students have the right to be safe. • Students’ wellness can be positively impacted by alternative interventions such as experiential education, animal-assisted support, career technical training, etc.

47. Enhancement Recommendations There were 18 recommendations. The following are examples: 1) Staff training must be provided at the beginning of employment and should be continued intermittently. Strategies *Shadowing of staff members in similar roles before assuming duties. *Continuous on-site mentoring

48. Enhancement Recommendations 2) We should conduct a comprehensive assessment of students’ language comprehension and processing skills in order to learn how to effectively communicate with individual students. Strategy * Use non-verbal intervention techniques with students.

49. Best Practice Focus Areas 1) Behavior Interventions/PBIS 2) Brain-based Learning 3) Community Partnerships 4) Communication Links 5) Communication Strategies (Student Focused) 6) Cultural Considerations 7) Curricula 8) Due Process

50. Best Practice Focus Areas 9) Environmental Considerations 10) Experiential Learning 11) Incentives 12 ) Life Skills 13) Mental/Chemical Health 14 ) Mentor Programs 15 ) Parent Support and Training 16 ) Peer Support Programs