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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana teachers and mental health experts are advocating for communities to implement mental health programs emphasizing a method called “trauma-informed care” inside schools. “Trauma-informed care started from something called the ‘Adverse Childhood Experience Survey,’ and it shows that childhood experiences affect behavior,” said Stephanie Shene, communications coordinator for the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS). “Instead of ‘kids act badly,’ some...

In the glittery bustle of the holidays, teachers often scramble to fit in last-minute lessons and refocus students dreaming of vacation excitement. It’s worthwhile to pause in the middle of all that excitement to build in reflective moments of gratefulness. Yet without a clear plan to foster classroom gratitude, we risk missing the improved attitude , improved physical and psychological health , and enhanced social and emotional skills that giving thanks can bring. Positive psychology...

Most teachers enter the field of education to make a difference in children’s lives. But many end up, as author Lisa Lucas puts it, “tired, wired, and running in circles.” This leads to many new teachers abandoning the profession or to burnout among veteran teachers. Drawing upon her own experiences, Lisa has written a book to help you more successfully manage the frustration of feeling overwhelmed. Written in an informal, conversational tone, Practicing Presence is filled with ideas,...

Ivan Godinez arrived at Sunnyside High School one recent morning in an angry mood, rudely responding to Principal Ryan Maxwell who noticed Godinez was late and asked him if he was going to class. That’s when teacher Felix DeLeon stepped in. “He’s like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa.’ He calmed me down,” Godinez said of DeLeon, who immediately took the teen aside and talked with him privately rather than confronting him in anger. A junior, Godinez has attended several Yakima Valley schools, having moved...

Funding opportunities for social and emotional learning are available through the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) — but how exactly? After-school providers would like to know more. “There’s still a learning curve around ESSA,” said Kari Denissen Cunnien, executive director of Minnesota’s afterschool network, Ignite Afterschool . Katie Landes, director of Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network , said: “There are still questions floating around about what it will look like and how it will...

“She’s just going to be a maid anyway.” This was the reason given to me by a fifth grade teacher as to why I, a student teacher at the time, shouldn’t give extra help to a child who was working hard to improve her reading. Once my shock at this disturbing statement wore off, I realized that the teacher’s beliefs and assumptions were potentially jeopardizing the quality of life and future aspirations of this student. Bar none, reading skills are essential to life. And while there is...

A new platform helps teachers in different countries connect their classrooms and encourage an appreciation for different perspectives. Fourth-grade teacher Jesse Ediger wants her digital learners to realize that they can tap into opportunities far beyond their hometown of Hutchinson, Kansas. “I want to draw back the curtain, show them the world, and let them see how connected they are,” she says. Some 1,500 miles south in Maninalco, Mexico, English teacher Karina Cavazos Almaguer has...

Last month, California’s top education official announced suspensions have been cut in half since five years ago, and expulsions are down more than 40 percent. The state has encouraged these reductions as mounting evidence has shown out-of-school suspensions and expulsions do more harm than good. But the story behind the numbers is complicated. As schools stop relying on suspensions and expulsions to discipline students, some struggle to find other ways to keep bad behavior in check. At one...

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana State Teachers Association published its 2018 legislative priority list Thursday, calling on lawmakers to make big changes for Hoosier students and schools next year. The ISTA has 16 wishes for the new year ranging from changing teacher qualifying exams to making kindergarten mandatory. “We are often accused of complaining about a lot of things but never offering solutions,” ISTA President Teresa Meredith said. “We have really been cognizant of solutions. We...

Rick Alleva is a field specialist at the University of New Hampshire and co-author of a curriculum called “ Courage to Care ,” which promotes empathy for middle schoolers. He has been researching and promoting positive youth development and the use of mindful learning as well as social and emotional learning (SEML) for many years. After graduating from Tufts University with a degree in psychology, he traveled cross-country, coming across many teenage runaways. That later heightened his...

On Dec. 7, 2017 , the California Department of Education published the California School Dashboard for schools and districts. The dashboard shows progress, or lack of it, on multiple measures. This database shows indicators of progress on five measures, in color codes selected by the state. (See below for details.) Other indicators will be will be added later as the state develops them, or collects the data needed to populate this database. To find indicators from a school or district, enter...

Earlier this year, a representative of a California advocacy and civil-rights organization asked me if the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence , the new state agency that I head, has a “genuine sense of urgency” about its work in getting the right kind of help and assistance to districts, charters and county offices of education. I told him that the very first meeting that we had in the very first district that we agreed to take on was at Ironwood State Prison, which is...