BUILDING COMMUNITY

Annual Report to Board of Education

Director of Student & Community Engagement, September 2014

CHECKING IN TO THE CONVERSATION

People who only know me outside of BoE/Bexley

would describe me as…

One piece of feedback I’ve received related to my “authentic self” is

(that I was/am)…

People who know me well are able to bring out

the best in me, such as…

People who only know me from BoE/Bexley would

describe me as…

KEY FINDINGS FROM

2012 CHAIR ACADEMY

CONFERENCE

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• People who know me authentically think more positively of me (68%+, 20%-)

• People who don’t know me authentically think more negatively of me (35%+, 41%-)

• People who know me best get the BEST out of me

If educators struggle to navigate code switching, identity and esteem as adults, how can we expect our students to manage these same issues WITHOUT social-emotional support and expect them to perform excellently?

DEFINING NON-ACADEMIC

BARRIERS OF STUDENTS

STUDENT VOICES ON HEALTH, WELLNESS & SAFETY 10 Things We KNOW (Now)

1. 1+ out of 10 of our students is culturally diverse (and that # WILL increase)

2. Over 200 of our students live below the poverty line

3. At least 180 of our students have a documented disability

4. Nearly 90% of our students are engaged in some extra/co-curricular activityOnly 18% of those students are culturally diverse

5. Just ½ of our students believe they can resist drugs, alcohol and sex

6. Significant differences showed up between the developmental assets of white BCSD students as compared to culturally diverse BCSD students

7. Over 200 of our students have an IEP

8. Minimum of 13 BCSD families experienced extreme trauma in 2013 – 2014

9. Only 5% of BCSD employees are culturally diverse

Nearly ½ of them are custodial staff

10.2 culturally diverse BCSD teachers on the secondary level in 2013 – 2014

STUDENT VOICES ON HEALTH, WELLNESS & SAFETY

Peer pressure transitions from playground dares in ES to drugs, alcohol and sex by MS

Bullying presents itself as exclusion, rumors/gossip and coarse language

Social media is not an issue until MS, specifically Twitter and Snap Chat

A population at great risk of risky behavior due to poor coping skills are GATE students

Mental health issues showing up as lack of coping skills and home dysfunction

Students prefer to be actively engaged with adults via interests vs. passive space sharing

Students have concerns about teachers’ competence, attentiveness and awareness about student, playground and classroom safety and safe space creation

MS/HS student behavior and Bexley “outsider” events have heightened ES student stranger danger

Students are aware of adults protecting them from consequences and edgy, accurate information

Students are trying to create and enforce their own safe spaces instead of entrusting adults

STUDENT VOICES ON HEALTH, WELLNESS & SAFETY

What We DON’T Know How many students attempt suicide How many students are cutting How many students actually drink and/or use drugs How many students have been sexually assaulted How many students are currently in recovery from an addiction

The WHYs…We have not yet had THESE conversations uncensored and openly WITH

students

…so how can we create INFORMED solutions for their problems?

STUDENT VOICES ON IDENTITY & CODE-SWITCHING

STUDENT VOICES ON SUPPORT SYSTEMS

STUDENT VOICES ON BIAS AND STEREOTYPING

STUDENT VOICES ON LANGUAGE AND CLIMATE

THE REAL ISSUES - UNVEILED

Safe, Welcoming and Inclusive Community

Mental Health (including trauma)

Empathy, Compassion (and

Neuroscience)

Implicit Bias

THE ROCKY ROAD AHEAD

SCHOOL CLIMATE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Challenges to expect IF we choose to respond to the real issues Messy processes and uncomfortable dialogue Negative adult feedback to leadership and BoE re: subject matter Decrease in disciplinary sanctions (e.g. suspensions) Slow progress to gain trust of youth and young adults Hindsight information on matters that may irreparable Unpleasant feedback/awareness about ourselves and colleagues

…And RESPECT, TRUST, RELATIONSHIPS & COLLABORATION

DYNAMIC TENSION

COMMUNITY BUILDING PLANS FOR 2014 - 2015

REAL RESPONSES TO REAL ISSUES

Safe, welcoming and inclusive community

Differentiated & Pro-Social Learning

Options

Mental Health (including trauma)

B3 System of Care

Empathy, Compassion and Neuroscience

Professional Development

Implicit Bias

Culturally Responsive Initiatives

B3 SYSTEM OF CARE

PROACTIVE & REACTIVE SUPPORT

Elementary Prevention Program

Cool Parent Network

Pre/Teen Learning Community

Weekly Teen Recovery Meeting

School-based mental health professional

DIFFERENTIATED & PRO-SOCIAL

LEARNING OPTIONS

OPTIONS FOR CREATIVITY & ADVOCACY

YGB Experiential Learning Program

Weekly Spoken Word Open Mic

Improvisation Club

Hip Hop Institute (Club)*

CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE INITIATIVES

AFFIRMING ENGAGEMENT Cultural heritage and history month initiatives

Hispanic Heritage Month Black History Month Women’s Herstory Month Jewish American Heritage Month LGBT Pride Month

World Cafés and other forms of dialogue sessions

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

ADULT AWARENESS, EMPATHY & COMPASSION

Pono Learning Community

Staff In-Service

Faculty and Staff Safe Space Development

School Climate Committee

Family and Civic Engagement Committee

WRAPPING UP

REMINDER: NO ONE’S IMMUNE TO BARRIERS

People who only know me outside of BoE/Bexley

would describe me as…

One piece of feedback I’ve received related to my “authentic self” is

(that I was/am)…

People who know me well are able to bring out

the best in me, such as…

People who only know me from BoE/Bexley would

describe me as…

HOW BOE CAN SUPPORT THIS WORK

SAFE, WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY

efforts showing up by seeking student stories for BoE

meetings

Consider student MENTAL HEALTH

(INCLUDING TRAUMA) when shaping district engagement,

curriculum and policies

BoE representation at trainings and/or

conversations about EMPATHY AND COMPASSION

Regular IMPLICIT BIAS “unpacking”, even in BoE

meetings

FINAL WORDS ON BUILDING COMMUNITY

“Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible - the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.”

– Virginia Satir, American Psychologist and Educator