IASB Journal July August 2020

July/August 2020 2019 Vol. 88 87 No. 4 3

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Social Emotional Learning

Understanding SEL, Students, Stakeholders

Returning to School

IASB Member Survey

Front Page

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The impacts of recent events are incalculable. We are all touched, some more than others, by the coronavirus pandemic and then, as its grip on our lives began to ease, by stark racial injustice and the resulting protests and activism. Further uncertainties abound, and the economies of the nation, state, and our households; the political arena and the emotions it evokes; and the impact of all of this on the children.

Current events and pressing issues have prompted two messages from IASB Executive Director Tom Bertrand in this issue of the Journal. Read his “Leadership Letter" on page 4 and “A Final Word" on page 39.

Each one of us, as adults, makes decisions on how to cope — in our homes, families, and communities.

For many, these times have brought uncertainty and inconvenience. For others, the tragedy is immense.

Illness, violence, death, and trauma are occurring in communities that can not afford more.

That our children will be affected by all of this is obvious. How much, we do not know.

In 2020, school districts — board members, administrators, teachers, staff, and the students themselves — rose to the occasion. They took action to continue the paths of education to every extent possible, maintained connections physical and virtual. They carried, and still carry, the weight.

Even before the events of this past spring, schools were recognizing that children need emotional wellness, in school and beyond. Illinois has been a leader in prioritizing social and emotional learning (SEL), defined as “the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”

We planned this issue of the Journal to address social and emotional learning, and that begins with “Understanding SEL” on page 15.

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We are also fortunate to have a piece from Doug Bolton, Ph.D., “The Collaborative Change Model: A Map for Schools through COVID-19.” Bolton addresses the important rituals of endings and beginnings, and how the Collaborate Change model can help address the educational, social, and emotional aspects of bringing closure to the school year, and preparing students for an uncertain summer and eventual, although unpredictable, return.

Stating, “A school board is a vital partner to improve the mental health of our students, staff, and families,” Iowa mental health and education advocate Jennifer Ulie-Wells shares “14 Ways for School Boards to Improve School Mental Health” starting on page 30. The Journal also features a commentary on approaches to SEL for English Learners by north suburban educator Diallo Brown. This begins on page 26. Our regular departments cover the topic as well, bringing additional perspectives to SEL in Illinois school districts.

Patrick McMillion, Clinical Director for AdventureWorks in DeKalb, presented an IASB webinar in June to discuss social and emotional wellness for educators and school leaders. Among his many words of counseling wisdom, he said “Seek solutions and relationship strength, rather than ‘rightness and wrongness.’”

This unprecedented time and combination of events is forcing us to face uncomfortable truths, to question what we’ve learned about right and wrong, and to wonder if there’s a better way. Some people have no choice in facing these questions. Children, especially, do not. But for most people reading this, finding strength and seeking solutions is a choice we can make.

So let’s make the choice. And as we do, let’s take care of each other.  Theresa Kelly Gegen is Editor of the Illinois School Board Journal. IASB’s webinar archives and other Journal resources can be accessed via bit.ly/JA20JRes.

Table of Contents FEATURE ARTICLE

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Member Survey Brings IASB to Light

By Theresa Kelly Gegen

We asked you answered, and now it's time so share insights from the 2020 IASB Member Survey.

COVER STORIES

15

Understanding SEL

Cover art: Getty Images/leekris

By Theresa Kelly Gegen

Social and emotional learning offers children what they need to develop emotional wellness in times of normalcy and times of turmoil.

21

The Collaborative Change Model A Map for Schools through COVID-19

By Doug Bolton

Navigating students through COVID-19 will require an understanding of the rhythms and rituals of the academic year.

26 Examining SEL for Emerging Bilinguals

By Diallo Brown

Commentary: Opportunity gaps for English Learners can be addressed with specific social and emotional learning supports.

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14 Ways for School Boards to Improve School Mental Health

By Jennifer Ulie-Wells

School boards that prioritize can improve the mental health for everyone in the district.

July/August 2019 Vol. 87 No. 3

Kara Kienzler, Associate Executive Director Theresa Kelly Gegen, Editor Heath Hendren, Contributing Editor Britni Beck, Advertising Manager Katie Grant, Design and Production Isaac Warren, Graphics

REGULAR FEATURES 2 Front Page 4 Leadership Letter

Facing the Challenges Ahead

5 Insights 6 From the Field

The Way Forward is Together

9 Policy Page

Addressing SEL Needs of Students and Stakeholders

33 Practical PR

When Preparing for Back to School, SEL Wellness is Key

38 Milestones 39 A Final Word

ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL (ISSN- 0 019-221X ) is published ever y other month by the Illinois Association of Sc hool B oa rd s, 2921 Ba ker Dr ive, Springfield, Illinois 62703-5929 (217) 5289688. The IASB regional office is located at One Imperial Place, 1 East 22nd Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148-6120 (630) 629-3776.

The JOURNAL is supported by the dues of school boards holding active membership in the Illinois Association of School Boards. Copies are mailed to all school board members and the superintendent in each IASB member school district.

Non-member subscription rate: Domestic $18 per year. Foreign (including Canada and Mexico) $21 per year.

Step Up, Step Out, and Lead PUBLICATION POLICY IASB believes that the domestic process functions best through frank and open discussion. Material published in the JOURNAL, therefore, often presents divergent and controversial points of view which do not necessarily represent the views or policies of IASB. Copyright Š 2020 by the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), the JOURNAL is published six times a year and is distributed to its members and subscribers. Copyright in this publication, including all articles and editorial information contained in it is exclusively owned by IASB, and IASB reserves all rights to such information. IASB is a tax-exempt corporation organized in accordance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

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Leadership Letter

Facing the Challenges Ahead

By Thomas E. Bertrand

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Illinois’ public schools face historic challenges and uncertainty while preparing for the opening of the 2020-2021 school year. The theme of this month’s Journal, Social Emotional Learning, is timely. In the midst of a pandemic and resulting unemployment that disproportionately impacts black and Latinx communities, uncertainty about whether students will return to in-person learning, and historic civil unrest, schools must be prepared to care for children impacted by what is happening in their world. While all of us are concerned about learning loss and bridging gaps resulting from the loss of Guidance for Boards in-person education, the Regarding Reopening of Schools emotional impact of these events on our children can not be overstated.

In May IASB issued guidance to help school boards frame conversations about all of the issues surrounding in-person and remote learning, and student safety. It is critical that any School Reopening Plan include a social-emotional component. Some examples include: • Establish and train a crisis management team or activate crisis management teams to address psychological and emotional concerns in conjunction with local mental health services, including post-traumatic stress syndrome counseling.

• Select locations appropriate to confidentially administer psychological and emotional aid.

• Prepare and revise lists of professional mental health services, particularly those willing to provide services via telehealth.

The intent of this document is to provide a framework to guide local school boards in discussions about the reopening of school in the fall. It reflects the fact that Illinois is a diverse state and that a one-size-fits-all approach is inadequate. Local boards of education can use this document to guide discussions of critical issues involving governance, policies, programming, personnel, health and safety of the school community, and the fiduciary responsibility of the board of education.

In a video overview, IASB Executive Director Thomas Bertrand, Ph.D, talks about the board’s role in planning and conversations about the opening of school.

IASB strongly recommends that school districts work with their respective local health departments and local stakeholders to ensure that reopening plans align with the most current scientific knowledge, government orders, and community expectations. It is also important that locally developed plans remain flexible enough to allow for adaptation in changing conditions. Boards should consider a plan that includes any or all of the following areas:

Key Considerations for School Reopening Plans •

Governance and Policy, p. 2

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Social and Emotional, p. 7

•

Internal and External Communications , p. 3

•

Fiscal, p. 8

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School Facilities, p. 4

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Human Resources, p. 9

•

Academic and Program, p. 6

The vision of the Illinois Association of School Boards is excellence in local school board governance supporting quality public education.

www.iasb.com

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• Develop a process for screening students for mental health or trauma and ensure that appropriate district staff are trained to implement the process.

• Review what actions to take when a student screens positive for a mental health crisis.

• Review the district’s suicide awareness and prevention policy and ensure an appropriate number of staff members have been trained to respond to an incident and screen high-risk students.

• Plan re-engagement activities to get parents and students comfortable with a return to the school building.

• Review registration fees and school supply lists to ensure only necessary fees and supplies are included.

• Provide families multiple opportunities to apply for the free and reduced-price lunch program.

If there has been a loss of a student, staff member, or a member of the school community, plan appropriate messaging to the school community and include the availability of appropriate resources to support students and staff.

IASB will continue to support your important work on behalf of the nearly 2 million children attending public schools. Now more than ever, our public schools require steady leadership that is dedicated to facing the challenges ahead.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

— James Baldwin.  Thomas E. Bertrand, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Illinois Association of School Boards.

IASB’s guidance regarding in-person and remote learning can be accessed via bit.ly/JA20JRes

Insights “... My commitment moving forward includes: 1) Integrating new curriculum lessons designed to explore and discuss issues of racism and the struggle for racial justice. 2) Continuing to focus on professional development for staff that ensures high quality and culturally appropriate instruction.

3) Encouraging youth voice and equipping youth leadership so they are ready to lead our communities and country. 4) Continuing to advocate for funding equity in education within the state of Illinois to ensure black and brown students have adequate funding and high quality instruction.”

— Arthur R. Culver, Superintendent, East St. Louis SD 189, Letter to the Editor, St. Louis PostDispatch, June 11, 2020.

“The $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill, known as the CARES Act, provided K-12 schools with more than $13 billion in emergency funding, an average boost of about $270 per student ... complicated by controversial guidance from the U.S. Department of Education.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is advising public schools to spend far more relief money than they'd planned to on services for students at private schools. … The department's guidance, issued on April 30, confused many school leaders, prompting a letter from the Council of Chief State School Officers telling DeVos that if the guidance is not revised it ‘could significantly harm the vulnerable students who were intended to benefit the most’ from the CARES Act. In a response signed by DeVos herself, the education secretary writes, ‘the Department disagrees with your interpretation of the law.’ Even without that guidance and the confusion it has caused, advocates say, the relief funds in the CARES Act won't be nearly enough.”

— “A Looming Financial Meltdown For America's Schools,” by Cory Turner, National Public Radio, May 26, 2020.

“I have quite literally spent the better part of the past six weeks trying to figure out how we reopen schools safely. ... I see one path to reopening schools — which is not the one I

hear being discussed most frequently. … [A hybrid option] is the only solution that I think works … We open schools with as many CDC and DPH recommendations as possible, including social distancing as possible, while maintaining the ability to serve all of our students at once. This said, it will not "check the box" of every recommendation, and local institutions will choose which ones to adhere to and which ones to not. I think schools need to be ABSURDLY transparent and share this with their faculty, staff, and community. Then, I think people opt in or opt out. Essentially, parents and kids would have to agree to returning to school with a noted increased risk. The same goes for the teachers. In this methodology, you would provide a ‘quasi-normal’ school experience for some and a ‘remote’ experience for others. …

There are no perfect options.”

— “A Superintendent's Thoughts on Reopening Schools in the Fall,

by P.J. Caposey, Superintendent, Meridian CUSD 223 (Stillman Valley), with Larry Ferlazzo for Education Week, May 19, 2020.

Stay connected to Twitter: @ILschoolboards Facebook: Illinois Association of School Boards YouTube: ILSchoolBoards

Subscribe to IASB’s Online Update Read the digital edition of the Journal Keep up with Leading News

www.iasb.com

July/August 2020  5

From the Field

The Way Forward is Together

By Dean Langdon

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As school districts across the state considered how to best honor the class of 2020, one district decided the first step was to simply “ask.” As the spread of coronavirus continued to wreak havoc on the many honors, traditions, and rites of passage associated with learning and our communities, this district leadership team wondered, “What is best for our students and families?”

For many connected to our schools, it has been a disappointing series of cancelations, leaving all with a sense of unfinished business. Should we adapt our traditional ceremony or should we embrace something new? Knowing high school graduation was about honoring both, our graduating seniors and their families, the district surveyed both the seniors and the parents. Unexpectedly, they got two different answers.

The parents indicated a desire to postpone. This was mid-April, when we hoped for some normalcy. They wanted to see their children cross the stage and hear their names over the public address system. They wanted this special accomplishment to be shared with family and friends — in front of the entire community. Their hope was to hold the ceremony later when it would be safe to gather. I get it. These are proud parenting moments!

Moments so important that we gather our loved ones, strategize for the best seats, arrive early, and endure sitting in uncomfortable chairs or bleachers for a long time.

Parents want these moments to reflect on childhood, and appreciate all that has occurred up to this point. We all know our family won’t be the same again.

The seniors, however, indicated a need for closure.

They wanted to move on and, I suspect, needed to move on. Throughout their last quarter of high school, they had missed entire seasons, banquets, concerts, and awards programs. It’s no wonder they wanted to complete this chapter of their lives. Who wouldn’t want to begin anew

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after experiencing three months of stay-at-home? After all, graduation is called “commencement” for a reason.

There is a good lesson here for school boards. An appreciation for where we have been is important. To be sure, there are many lessons regarding remote learning, technology, and meal distribution and we ought to consider what we have learned over the past several months.

We also should celebrate all our school systems have accomplished. The transition for our instructional pro-

Just like the class of 2020, you should be looking ahead.

grams and our food-service operation has been nothing short of amazing. But this is also an opportunity to look ahead, put our past work behind us, and start anew.

Let’s start with the goals for the school district. As representatives of the “owners” (your community), the number-one responsibility is to articulate a vision for your school system and consider the goals needed to make that vision happen. It may be time to press pause on some priorities that don’t make sense in an environment of uncertainty, or that don’t address your most pressing needs. Alternatively, it may be time to accelerate those projects with the greatest impact right now. This may be the opportunity to completely reimagine an instructional or operational program in your district that will have a positive impact for many years to come. Just like the class of 2020, you should be looking ahead.

Once your goals are revised and rearticulated, board members will want to consider their relationships with other board members and the administrative team. Let’s

fully understand and accept these stressful times for everyone. Our lives have been turned upside-down with remote learning, social distancing, and the continual uncertainty of information. The only way forward is together. How can we support one another as we work toward our shared goals? A pivotal moment for a school board member is the realization your individual priorities aren’t embraced by your colleagues and the only way to move forward is to embrace the collective goals of the board. Today, this moment may be more important than ever, as each of us reconsiders how our own vision of public education aligns with those around us. For the board to move on, everyone may need closure on what could have been, in order to embrace what can be in the future.

What did this district leadership team do when faced with the dilemma of parents and students wanting different solutions to the graduation dilemma? They listened to the students. They communicated the survey results to all and decided a combination virtual experience to honor each individual graduate along with a parade, providing a common celebration would be best. Delaying the ceremony created more uncertainty in a time when the class of 2020 simply wanted closure. Closure on last year allows us to begin the work needed to accomplish our goals for the coming year and beyond. As we honor the accomplishments of the class of 2020, let’s not linger too long.

The closure of this year allows us to reimagine next year and beyond. Dean Langdon is Associate Executive Director for Member Services with the Illinois Association of School Boards.

Illinois Association of School Boards Administration and Staff OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Thomas E. Bertrand, Executive Director Benjamin S. Schwarm, Deputy Executive Director

MEMBER SERVICES Dean Langdon, Associate Executive Director

Meetings Management Carla S. Bolt, Director

Field Services Reatha Owen, Senior Director Patrick Allen, Director Lori Grant, Director Nakia Hall, Director Perry Hill IV, Director Sandra Kwasa, Director Laura Martinez, Director Dee Molinare, Director

Executive Searches Thomas Leahy, Director Timothy Buss, Consultant Jim Helton, Consultant Dave Love, Consultant Alan Molby, Consultant Valorie Moore, Consultant Patricia Sullivan-Viniard, Consultant OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL Kimberly Small, General Counsel Legal Services Maryam Brotine, Assistant General Counsel Debra Jacobson, Assistant General Counsel Policy Services Ken Carter, Director Angie Powell, Director Nicholas Baumann, Consultant Boyd Fergurson, Consultant ADVOCACY/ GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS Benjamin S. Schwarm, Deputy Executive Director Susan Hilton, Director Zach Messersmith, Director Deanna L. Sullivan, Director Ronald Madlock, Assistant Director ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES Jennifer Feld, Associate Executive Director/ Chief Financial Officer

Board Development Nesa Brauer, Trainer

COMMUNICATIONS/ PRODUCTION SERVICES Kara Kienzler, Associate Executive Director Theresa Kelly Gegen, Director/Editorial Services Heath Hendren, Director/Editorial Services Jennifer Nelson, Director/Information Services Katie Grant, Director/Production Services Isaac Warren, Assistant Director/Digital Communications CONTACT IASB Springfield Office 2921 Baker Drive Springfield, Illinois 62703-5929 (217) 528-9688 IASB Lombard Office One Imperial Place 1 East 22nd Street, Suite 20 Lombard, Illinois 60148-6120 (630) 629-3776

Staff Email: First initial and last name preceding @iasb.com

July/August 2020  7

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Policy Page

Addressing SEL Needs of Students and Stakeholders

By Boyd Fergurson

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As a youngster, I remember the stories told by my grandmother, who was a teenager during the Spanish Influenza pandemic. Who could have known that more than 100 years later we would be dealing with a similar crisis?

What we face currently is similar from the standpoint of the fear, emotional toll, tragedy, and isolation such a widespread emergency brings to our lives. Our current situation is dissimilar from the era of the horse and buggy, early automobile, and the rural conditions of the one-room schoolhouse, in that we have remote electronic capabilities and well-developed educational systems to address the needs of our students, teachers, parents, and communities.

How can we most effectively utilize those available resources to serve the needs, including social and emotional needs, of our students and stakeholders?

Evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) has had advocates from across the nation for some time. In a March 26, 2020 article in Phi Delta Kappan, authors Timothy P. Shriver and Roger P. Weissberg state they are delighted to see just how quickly the SEL movement has grown over the last several years. Citing findings from

multiple research studies conducted from 2013 through 2019, the article says the principles and goals of SEL have been widely embraced by parents; schoolteachers and administrators; employers; and young people themselves. In addition, they tell us “eighteen states have introduced K-12 SEL standards or competencies and 26 states have produced guidance documents or websites designed to support SEL implementation.” In 2019, they note more than 200 pieces of legislation referencing SEL (or language with similar content) were introduced in that year alone. As a result, many district superintendents and boards of education have expressed strong interest in developing SEL strategies and curricula for their schools.

The authors further indicate, “the Federal Commission on School Safety, chaired by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, has described SEL as a key component of efforts to improve school climate and safety.”

Recent efforts from the California Department of Education (CDE), with additional funding provided by a private educational foundation, have resulted in guidance and resources for supporting SEL during distance learning.

These are specifically designed for

educators, educational leaders, and families/guardians of students in K-12 schools for use in a remote learning situation and are available on the CDE website. The CDE premise is that SEL reflects a critical role of positive relationships and emotional connections inherent to the learning process. These relationships and connections assist students in the development of a range of skills they need for success at school and in life. These skills include the ability to set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and understand and manage emotions.

Information about SEL in Illinois can be found at the website of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Featured are the Social/ Emotional Learning Standards developed in response and accordance with Section 15(a) of Public Act 93-0495. In Illinois, student social and emotional development is required to be covered by board policy by the Children’s Mental Health Act of 2003, at 405 ILCS 49/15(b).

The statute also required districts to submit the policy to ISBE once

by August 31, 2004. For districts who are members of the Illinois Association of School Boards July/August 2020  9

(IASB) and are subscribers of the Policy Reference Education Subscription Service (PRESS), language in Policy 6:65, Student Social and Emotional Development, addresses requirements. The policy defines SEL as the process through which students enhance the ability to integrate thinking, feeling, and behaving to achieve important life tasks. It characterizes students who are competent in SEL as those who are able to recognize and manage emotions, establish healthy relationships, set positive goals, meet personal and social needs, and make responsible and ethical decisions. Policy 6:65 also incorporates the three goals for SEL as stated in the Illinois Learning Standards. It states the superintendent will incorporate SEL into the district’s curriculum and other educational programs consistent with the district’s mission and the goals and benchmarks of the Illinois Learning Standards.

The policy includes a non-exhaustive list of programs, activities, and actions designed to incorporate SEL objectives into the district’s curriculum and other educational programs. Suggested activities include classroom and school-wide programming to foster safe, supportive learning environments; staff development and training to promote students’ SEL development; parent/guardian, family, and community involvement to promote SEL development; early identification and intervention to enhance student school readiness, academic success, and use of good citizenship skills; treatment to prevent or minimalize mental health conditions in students; and assessment and accountability for teaching SEL skills to all students.

Also available to districts subscribing to IASB’s PRESS are Policies 6:270, Guidance and Counseling Program, and 7:250, Student Support Services, which speak to the requirement of districts, as mandated by the Children’s Mental Health Act of 2003, to develop protocols for responding to students with social, emotional, or mental health needs that impact learning.

If a board has adopted Policy 7:250, Student Support Services, the accompanying administrative procedure 7:250-AP2, Protocol for Responding to Students with Social, Emotional, or Mental Health Needs, is available for implementation.

ISBE’s guidance Considerations for Closing the 2019-2020 School Year and Summer 2020 (Part 1 – Transition Plan) notes the importance of considering students’ social-emotional needs during this crisis.

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IASB Board of Directors As of June 15, 2020

PRESIDENT Thomas Neeley VICE PRESIDENT Simon Kampwerth Jr. IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Joanne Osmond TREASURER Linda Eades ABE LINCOLN Bill Alexander

NORTHWEST Chris Buikema

BLACKHAWK David Rockwell

SHAWNEE Sheila Nelson

CENTRAL ILLINOIS VALLEY Tim Custis

SOUTH COOK Lanell Gilbert

CORN BELT Mark Harms DUPAGE Thomas Ruggio EGYPTIAN Travis Cameron ILLINI Michelle Skinlo KASKASKIA Linda Eades KISHWAUKEE Robert Geddeis LAKE Marc Tepper NORTH COOK Alva Kreutzer

SOUTHWESTERN Mark Christ STARVED ROCK Jim McCabe THREE RIVERS Rob Rodewald TWO RIVERS Tracie Sayre WABASH VALLEY Dennis Inboden WEST COOK Carla Joiner-Herrod WESTERN Sue McCance SERVICE ASSOCIATES Mark Jolicoeur

The vision of the Illinois Association of School Boards is excellence in local school board governance supporting quality public education.

The mission of the Illinois Association of School Boards is to Light the Way for its members by developing their competence and confidence through a robust toolkit designed to build excellence in local school board governance, including • Premier training experiences; • Networking opportunities for mutual support; • Valuable benefits, pooled services, information, and expertise; • Advocacy on behalf of public education; and • A platform for a strong collective voice on common interests and concerns.

ISBE recommends that “districts’ Social Emotional Standards board policy may need to be revisited, publicized, communicated, and broadly applied.”

PRESS sample Policy 6:65, Item No. 7 provides that one way SEL objectives can be incorporated into a district’s curriculum and educational program is by “Assessment and accountability for teaching SEL skills to all students. This may include implementation of a process to assess and report baseline information and ongoing progress about school climate, students’ social and emotional development, and academic performance.”

Some school districts are planning to use this strategy at the start of the 2020-2021 school year

by taking a baseline assessment of every student’s social-emotional status (in contrast to simply assessing students’ academic status at the start of a school year). This will gauge students’ present social-emotional needs and know how best to meet those needs moving forward. And, if a social-emotional status assessment reveals that a student needs more support, districts may follow the steps set forth in 7:250-AP to address those needs, for example by referring students to a building-level Student Support Committee, which may then recommend coordinated educational, social work, school counseling, and/or student assistance services.

My daughter just completed her first year of teaching. And what

a year it was! She, too, will have stories to tell future generations about what life was like during the pandemic of 2020, just as my grandmother had stories from her experiences during the influenza pandemic more than a hundred years ago. On a daily basis, I listened to how she and her colleagues interacted with each other, their pupils, administration, and parents/ guardians. Amazing resources and technology facilitated that communication. I saw other marvelous examples on social media of teachers connecting with students and parents, not just for subject matter communication, but for out-of-theway, over-the-top connections to show students they were missed and valued.

As the education community makes decisions regarding what will happen when and how schools open next year, we should not lose sight of how impactful this whole experience is and will be for everyone, particularly for young people whose characters and personalities are still being formed. The repercussions on young people’s mental health are likely to be significant and long-lasting, and far in excess of simply losing a few months of education.

The good news is that PRESS subscribers are already equipped with the policy tools needed to address these repercussions. School boards now need to examine these tools to identify the best ones to use.  Boyd Fergurson is a consultant in the Policy Services Department for the Illinois Association of School Boards.

Resources associated with this column can be accessed via bit.ly/JA20JRes.

July/August 2020  11

Feature Story

2020 Member Survey Highlights IASB Communications

By Theresa Kelly Gegen

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The mission of the Illinois Association of School Boards is to Light the Way for its members by developing their competence and confidence through a robust toolkit designed to build excellence in local school board governance, including • Premier training experiences; • Networking opportunities for mutual support; • Valuable benefits, pooled services, information, and expertise; • Advocacy on behalf of public education; and • A platform for a strong collective voice on common interests and concerns.

The purpose of the recent IASB Member Survey, open from February 25 to April 11, 2020, was to shine a little light into the delivery of that robust toolkit, highlight the information piece of “valuable benefits, pooled services, information, and expertise,” and to make sure IASB is fulfilling its mission regarding the “common interests and concerns” of school board members in Illinois. Specifically, the survey focused on methods of communication and assessed Association products and services to gauge member engagement and satisfaction.

This was the seventh IASB all-constituent survey, although the

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Association sends out targeted surveys to event participants and as part of executive search functions. IASB surveyed its members with long, in-depth surveys every five years starting in 1993. As times and technology have changed, so have these surveys.

Starting this year, IASB plans shorter, focused surveys every two years.

Over 1,600 individuals responded to the 2020 survey,

with representation from each of IASB’s 21 regional divisions. The survey asked 30-40 questions of the primary targets of communications efforts and users of IASB’s toolkit: school board members, superintendents, other administrators, and school district administrative assistants. A thousand school board members replied.

Board Member Demographics

As in each IASB survey, we wanted to know who IASB’s members and constituents are. For this one, we also asked what members and constituents need, when they need it, how they prefer to receive information from IASB, and even where they want to get it. Here, we share a few tidbits of interest from the survey results. Furthermore, responses will help IASB assess members’ topics of interest, as well as aligning IASB communications strategies, priorities, and delivery systems to improve the member experience.

The survey asked all respondents, no matter what their role, about the urgent issues facing their district. The four-point urgency scale revealed social and emotional learning as the most urgent (2.55 out of 4). Read more about this important topic starting on page 15 of this Journal. As a topic of urgency, SEL was followed closely by teaching, including the teacher shortage (2.53), which was marked as “extremely urgent” by 366 respondents.

Separately, the survey asked board members and superintendents about their interests in a set

Years of Service

of topics related to administrative and governance. The top topics for school board members were budgeting and accountability, which ranked closely, both with 30% of the respondents picking them as most important. Considering the same topics, budgeting was the top interest of superintendents, with almost half ranking it first and 90% putting it in the top three.

Accountability was a relatively distant second, ahead of facilities and technology.

When asked about student-centered topics, board members overwhelmingly chose

Average Hours

of Boardwork Per Month

academic performance and student growth, ranked first or second by 71% of the respondents. Second and third in that category were curriculum and student safety and security. Again, we asked superintendents the same question with the same possible responses. Superintendents had the same top three, but in a different order and closer margins: the topic of academic performance and student growth was ranked first or second by 68%, next came safety and security, and then curriculum.

The survey also requested respondents’ input on IASB communications efforts. We asked how constituents prefer to receive information, and how often. The centerpiece to IASB communications efforts is the Association’s website, which was upgraded in Fall 2019 to meet the changing times in technology and membership. The results of the survey will help IASB tweak some of the finer points of the upgrade, to better meet the information needs of our members. We asked why members use the website and what might be missing, hard-to-find, or July/August 2020  13

under-developed. Our team will take that into account.

The survey responses revealed that board members use Facebook more than any other social media, and are using Instagram more than they were two years ago.

Hardly any use Snapchat. Superintendents don’t Snapchat much either, but they are more frequent users of Twitter.

The 2020 IASB Member Survey focusing on communications opened for responses just as the impacts of the worldwide coronavirus emergency began to reach Illinois. The survey’s midpoint was when the lockdown went into place and school buildings closed on March 17. The survey ended in mid-April, as remote learning was going on throughout the state.

14  Illinois School Board Journal

Did COVID-19 result in any collective differences in responses? Six percent more respondents preferred to have print items mailed to their homes instead of district offices (which makes sense, considering school facilities were closed). There was also a slight uptick in prioritizing technology among both board members and superintendents. But there were no significant differences before and after COVID-19. From that we extrapolate that school board members maintain focus on the big picture for their districts, even as they navigate an unprecedented emergency.

We’d like to thank each of the 1,646 respondents personally, but we can’t, because the survey remains anonymous. We are

grateful to everyone who took the time to share thoughts and opinions. In a survey of this size, you can’t place too much emphasis on individual responses. However people took time to make comments related to the questions, and that’s appreciated as well. The survey may be closed, IASB is always happy to hear from members and improve products, services, and delivery methods. We value your time, and use survey input to focus IASB communications products, improve products and services, develop that strong, collective voice, and help school board members in Illinois continue to light the way.  Theresa Kelly Gegen is Editor of the Illinois School Board Journal.

Cover Story

Understanding SEL

By Theresa Kelly Gegen

H

How are you feeling?

Emotional wellness includes managing life’s daily stresses, the ability to get along with others, adapting to change, and overcoming life’s difficulties, large and small. In times of normalcy as well as times of turmoil, emotional wellness gets us through the days.

How are students feeling?

Children need emotional wellness, in school and beyond, and they develop emotional wellness as they grow, which they do in times of normalcy and times of turmoil.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) brings emotional wellness into schools, with intentionality, in systems and structures designed to help

students learn and grow beyond (yet with) math, language arts, sciences, and social studies. As with academic learning, what students need under the umbrella of SEL varies as much as the individuals themselves. SEL aims to manage that umbrella through storms universal to personal, integrating SEL into the curriculum while considering impacts on academic success, equity, and school safety.

An article discussing school safety and security measures in the wake of school shootings, “Does It Make More Sense to Invest in School Security or SEL?” by Diana Anthony noted that, “Social and emotional skills are like any skills, in that students need daily practice

to stay sharp. To make room in the crowded school day for this daily practice, SEL needs to be woven into the culture and curriculum of a school.”

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) was formed in 1994 to establish high-quality, evidence-based SEL “as an essential part of preschool through high school education.” At that time, schools and schoolchildren were presented with a wide but uncoordinated range of “positive youth development programs such as drug prevention, violence prevention, sex education, civic education, and moral education, to name a few.” All of these July/August 2020  15

Why?

programs were SEL, and in the late 1990s SEL developed as a framework to address the needs of young people and align and coordinate the programs. CASEL and others have built that framework, and CASEL’s work includes advancing the science of SEL to expand high-quality, evidence-based SEL practice, and to improve state and federal policies in the areas of SEL. There are skeptics. Some believe schools are solely for academics, especially when time and resources are limited. Others say SEL has merit but belongs outside the classroom. Expectations are enormous; misses can be tragic. Even with evidence-based standards and benchmarks, SEL accountability and evaluation can be elusive.

However, implementation and research over the past three decades are establishing SEL as a vital portion of the whole, towards the 16  Illinois School Board Journal

goal of academic and life success for all students. A landmark 2019 study From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope, developed by the Aspen Institute, joined by CASEL and leaders in education, research, policy, business, and the military, has sparked the current wave of assessing the value of SEL, noting “the movement dedicated to the social, emotional, and academic well-being of children is reshaping learning and changing lives across America.”

CASEL defines social and emotional learning as “the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”

The rationale for social and emotional learning starts, of course, with genuine hope for students to be emotionally well. SEL aims to increase confidence, security, community, responsibility, and resiliency in students. The standards and benchmarks are tools to create practices and give measurement, to improve the emotional wellness of every student. SEL is student-centered, of course, but with benefits that radiate to the school and community. It includes topical issues such as bullying, peer pressure, stress, abuse, and mental health.

Furthermore, there is urgency in identifying students experiencing mental or emotional turmoil that might not otherwise be addressed, in hopes of averting tragedies involving self-harm or serious harm to others.

Beyond mental health issues, SEL develops students with decision-making, goal-setting, time management, and study skills, plus the ability to make healthy choices.

Research has established that fully integrating SEL with the academic curriculum leads to improved academic performance, more engaged students, increased likelihood of graduation, and proceeding to college and careers. According to the work of the Aspen Institute’s National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, “students with healthy social and emotional development are more successful in the workforce and experience greater lifetime well-being.”

Integration

In Illinois, “social and emotional learning … is the process through

which children develop awareness and management of their emotions, set and achieve important personal and academic goals, use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships, and demonstrate decision making and responsible behaviors to achieve school and life success,” according to the introduction to the Social and Emotional Learning Standards established by the Illinois State Board of Education.

The SEL metamorphosis began in Illinois in the early 2000s. Illinois was among the first states to develop standards: In 2003 SEL joined math and language arts among standards required for all K-12 students. Illinois’ Social and Emotional Learning Standards are built upon three goals: • Goal 1 – Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success.

• Goal 2 – Use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships.

• Goal 3 – Demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and community contexts.

The goals lead to a set of 10 learning standards, which “define the learning need to achieve the goals. The standards, in turn, have benchmarks that specify developmentally appropriate SEL knowledge and skills for each standard, defined in stages and in grade-level clusters. The benchmarks drill down to performance descriptors further aligning the standards to curriculum, classroom activities, and assessments.

For example, Illinois SEL Goal 3 is “Demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and community contexts,” acknowledging that “Achieving these outcomes requires an ability to make decisions and solve problems by accurately defining decisions to be made, generating alternative solutions, anticipating the consequences of each, and evaluating and learning from one’s decision making.” Within that, Standard 3B is to “Apply decision-making skills to deal responsibly with daily academic and social situations.”

For example, a third-grader is facing a math problem set. The lesson plan includes instruction in how to solve those problems. Integrated SEL might come into play when the student struggles to solve the math problems. How does the student decide what to do? Does the student know what resources are available?

Does the student know when, to whom, and how to ask for help? An SEL lesson plan example includes “I can’t do this” strategies, such as developing methods that encourage students to ask for help from their

peers, reframing mistakes as opportunities for learning, and adding one word to the child’s coping mechanism, “I can’t do this … yet.”

CASEL focuses on five core competencies of SEL (see page 16): Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

As the work of CASEL explains, “When fully implemented, SEL is infused throughout every students’ school day, in every interaction and setting. This means SEL must be seamlessly embedded throughout all practices and policies that affect students’ experience in schools, including academic content and instruction, discipline systems, and the continuum of academic and behavioral supports that the district offers.”

Districts use the standards to develop their own SEL umbrellas, including modeling appropriate SEL practices and through academic instruction, discipline policies, and student supports to create a continuum of SEL for everyone.

In 2013, Naperville CUSD 203 partnered with CASEL as a July/August 2020  17

focus district and developed vision, mission, and belief statements to guide SEL work. Starting with its elementary schools and moving now into the upper grades, the district’s strategic plan included: • Building a comprehensive professional learning plan to build knowledge and expertise of the core components of SEL for all teachers, administrators, and staff; • Actively engaging parents in the learning and supporting of SEL in the home; • Developing a comprehensive curriculum that includes explicit instruction and systematic integration of skills into content; and • Ensuring each classroom and school has a positive climate and culture.

The district created an assessment tool based on priority standards for each grade level and created performance-based rubrics to measure proficiency. Notably, the Naperville team used measurements of “beginning,” “approaching,” and “secure,” deliberately avoiding an “exemplary” category, stating “our main goal is to ensure students are secure in these skills and not to extend or enrich learning experiences beyond the standards.”

Another CASEL focus district has been Chicago Public Schools. With extensive SEL programs at all levels supporting 200,000 students, CPS reported a high school graduation rate increase from 59.3% in 2012 to 77.5% in 2017, out-of-school suspensions declining 76%, in-school suspensions decreasing by 41%, and expulsions dropped 18  Illinois School Board Journal

by 59% since the 2012-2013 school year.

Over the past decade, many key developments in Illinois public education have a nexus in SEL, which covers facets of career and technical education, early childhood education, language acquisition, special education, nutrition and meals, assessments, and equity and is encompassed in the development of ISBE’s “Whole Child, Whole School, Whole Community” concept.

SEL and the Community

Social and emotional learning is a lot. The standards are extensive, every child is unique, every district is different, and the implications are enormous. Schools and families obviously carry much of this responsibility. In the past decade the SEL umbrella has grown, increasingly combining community resources with the school district’s efforts to expand SEL beyond the home and the classroom. CASEL notes that community partnerships involving daycares and before- and afterschool programs, community-based nonprofit organizations, health care providers, including mental health care, colleges and universities, local community foundations, other governmental units, and local businesses can support school-based SEL when students • “Participate in cross-age peer tutoring and self-directed activities that build their self-management and help them make new friends, learn about their communities, and participate in service learning (social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making).

• Interact with people of varying backgrounds, ages, concerns, and priorities (understanding, empathy, and cultural awareness).

• Contribute to the larger community (social awareness and responsible decision-making).

• Gain mentorship from a caring adult (relationship skills).”

In this wave of SEL development, school districts are being encouraged to create SEL programming that reflects the values and norms of their communities, solicit the community’s participation, and further to join community partners in aligning “efforts, expectations, shared agreements, and language used for social and emotional learning, and sharing practices that contribute to a positive environment,” according to CASEL’s Guide to Schoolwide SEL. Recommendations

In a 2020 survey by the Illinois Association of School Boards, SEL was ranked — by school board members, superintendents, and other school personnel — as the issue of highest urgency in their school districts. School officials understand that even times of normalcy might not be calm for students, and times of turmoil will influence students in different ways. Developing social and emotional competencies is of tremendous value. With the Illinois Social and Emotional Learning Standards in place, school districts and their communities are exploring, planning, and developing local capacities for SEL. Here are recommendations for Illinois school board

members taking a special interest in SEL: • Understand the Illinois Social and Emotional Learning Standards and what instruments the district is using to measure SEL. • Learn what the district has in place, considering local resources, needs, and stakeholder input. Know what’s coming next in the district’s SEL journey.

• Consider professional development opportunities and for administrators, teachers,

and staff, especially guidance on how to implement and integrate SEL. • Review school board policy on the topic. PRESS subscribers can refer to PRESS Sample Policy 6:65, Student Social and Emotional Development, which includes methods for the incorporation of SEL objectives.

• Support best practices for behavior management, discipline, and school climate that promote healthy, safe, and nurturing environments for all students.

• Consider a deeper dive into the SEL resources presented here (see note below).

As school boards understand the importance of SEL, consider this, as noted in From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope, “The promotion of social, emotional, and academic learning is not a shifting educational fad; it is the substance of education itself.”

Theresa Kelly Gegen is editor of the Illinois School Board Journal. The SEL resources mentioned in this article, and many more, can be accessed starting at bit.ly/JA20Jres.

The National Scope: Recommendations for Action The Aspen Institute, joined by CASEL and a host of educators and leaders in research, policy, business, and the military, formed the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, to study research, practice and policy. In 2019, the commission published, “From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope” which offers these recommendations with a wealth of supporting documentation and explanation. The recommendations seek to accelerate efforts in states and local communities by strengthening six broad categories that impact student outcomes.

Set a clear vision that broadens the definition of student success to prioritize the whole child. This begins by articulating the social, emotional, and academic knowledge and skills that high school graduates need to be prepared for success in school, the workforce, and life.

Transform learning settings so they are safe and supportive for all young people. Build settings that are physically and emotionally safe and foster strong bonds among children and adults.

Change instruction to teach students social, emotional, and cognitive skills; embed these skills in academics and schoolwide practices. Intentionally teach specific skills and competencies and infuse them in academic content

and in all aspects of the school setting (recess, lunchroom, hallways, extracurricular activities), not just in stand-alone programs or lessons.

Build adult expertise in child development. Ensure educators develop expertise in child development and in the science of learning. This will require major changes in educator preparation and in ongoing professional support for the social and emotional learning of teachers and all other adults who work with young people.

Align resources and leverage partners in the community to address the whole child. Build partnerships between schools, families, and community organizations to support healthy learning and development in and out of school. Blend and braid resources to achieve this goal.

Forge closer connections between research and practice by shifting the paradigm for how research gets done. Bridge the divide between scholarly research and what’s actionable in schools and classrooms. Build new structures — and new support — for researchers and educators to work collaboratively and bi-directionally on pressing local problems that have broader implications for the field. —The Aspen Institute, et al. From a National at Risk to a Nation at Hope.

July/August 2020  19

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Cover Story

The Collaborative Change Model A Map for Schools through COVID-19

By Doug Bolton

T

The three elementary school principals were aligned in their squares on the screen of my laptop.

Remote learning had just begun and we were working together to create ways to support their staff, students, and families during COVID-19.

“What are teachers struggling the most with?” I asked. The first answer surprised me. It wasn’t about the disease, or the remote learning or financial stress. “Many are worried that they won’t be able to complete the school year with their classroom. The end of the year is such an important time for all of us.”

A week later, a parent told me, “I wish schools could open for just the last two weeks of the school year so that Jack could say goodbye to his middle school before moving on to high school.”

Endings are important.

Schools are places of routine.

The rhythms of a class period, school day, and school year provide comfort and predictability. Classes often begin with an opening activity (a bell ringer) followed by a lesson, followed by a closing activity (exit slips). The school day begins and ends with a homeroom or advisory period, an opening and closing of the day. There are bells

to signify beginnings and endings as students and staff flow from one place to another, a symphony of choreographed movement.

The school year itself has its own rhythm. There are traditions to open the school year, months of learning, followed by traditions to end the school year.

Beginnings, middles, and endings matter. These rhythms of the school year are sustaining, essential, and enduring. They provide direction to help us navigate the class period, school day, and school year.

But this year is different.

Because of COVID-19, all of the rhythms of our school year came to an abrupt ending. And this disruption in our routines has an impact not only on this year’s learning but it also will have an enduring influence on the learning of years to come as the trauma and disruption lingers in our collective history. By understanding and honoring the importance of this rhythm, we can reduce the impact of our schools closing and capture important learning opportunities when our school doors do reopen.

Therapists as well as teachers know the importance of beginnings, middles, and endings in building relationships and challenging people to do their best work. Mary Jo Barrett’s

Collaborative Change Model has helped therapists make the most of therapy’s natural cycles and rhythms. In this time of pandemic, we can adapt her model to help our learning communities rise to the challenges of change and disruption.

Stage I: Creating a Context for Change

In Stage I the teacher helps create a context of safety and hopefulness in which the students in the classroom can reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and take the risks required for learning. In this stage teachers build a collaborative classroom community in which everyone works together toward common learning goals. Students feel connected to their teacher and to one another. We move into Stage II July/August 2020  21

when the students and teacher have developed a safe and connected classroom community that is committed to the learning goals.

Stage II: Challenging for Learning

The teacher and students creatively engage in a challenging curriculum to learn new material.

The teacher uses multiple instructional strategies to push students to expand their understanding of the material so that they can grasp increasingly complex and sophisticated concepts. This stage is often looked at as the “meat and potatoes” of education. Each student develops the skills and insights necessary to progress on to the next stage of learning, consolidation.

Stage III: Consolidation

The teacher and students consolidate their learning so that they have a solid foundation to successfully meet the expectations for future learning.

Students reflect on prior learning as a way to prepare for future learning.

Education is an evolving process and teachers work to help students make plans for the future so that their educational journey continues to be positive and hopeful.

There are three important and nuanced aspects to this model.

First, this is not a linear model.

Students move between stages frequently and our awareness of which stage we are in with our students gives us the greatest leverage for growth and learning.

Secondly, this model is cyclical, meaning that consolidation naturally leads to the need to create a context for the next cycle of new learning and growth. Teachers use the consolidation of one lesson to 22  Illinois School Board Journal

prepare students for the next lesson.

They prepare students at the end of one day for the next day. And as the year comes to a close, they work to prepare them for the following year.

The third unique aspect of this model is that it is a fractal model.

Fractals are recurring patterns that occur in different scales within the same overarching design. A geometric example of a fractal is seen in the design of a snowflake. Each of the smaller shapes are arranged so that they form identical and progressively larger forms of the same shape.

Schools are organized in a fractal way as well and the three stages can be found throughout each fractal of our educational system.

Each school year is a fractal. Every school day is a fractal. And, every class period is a fractal. Each of these units of time has a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Each has a Stage I, Stage II, and Stage III. This model tells us that we need to be intentional and thoughtful about each of these different fractals in school (the class period, the school day, the school year) in order to capture the opportunities we have to help our students grow and learn, especially in this time of disruption and uncertainty.

This model provides a map and compass to help us find the most effective way to help students learn and grow. It also helps us find our way during those times when we are feeling lost as educators. Let’s say that we create the context for a math lesson by doing a bell ringing activity, reviewing past lessons, and previewing the day’s lesson with the learning targets clearly visible on the whiteboard. Your students begin the lesson and are highly engaged

with the healthy struggle of learning new concepts, indicating that they are in Stage II. However, as the lesson becomes more complex, the students become frustrated.

They begin to shut down or have side conversations. This is the time to return to Stage I to re-create the context for the learning by helping them regulate emotionally, identify why they are struggling, and try different methods for teaching the material. The same can be true for Stage III, Consolidation. The students grasp the concept and are able to apply it in some situations but then struggle to generalize the math concepts to word problems.

That is a time to go back to Stage II so that a more sophisticated and nuanced application of the learning can take place before reaching Stage III again where this newer learning is consolidated. Teachers often move seamlessly through these stages throughout their school day, using the rhythm and flow to capture learning opportunities.

As the rhythms and routines of our lives and our schools have been profoundly disrupted by COVID-19, the sudden end to the school year and the shift to remote learning has left all of us feeling disoriented. The Collaborative Change Model can be an essential tool to help us find our way through not only the rest of this school year, but also to guide us as we face unique challenges that the next school year will bring.

The Collaborative Change Model and Remote Learning

If we apply the Collaborative Change Model to our “new normal” of remote learning, we need

to create the context for this new way of learning (Stage I), engage students in fruitful instruction (Stage II), and bring closure to the school year (Stage III) with an eye toward creating the context for our next school year (Stage I).

In most schools, in the first weeks of remote learning, teachers and administrators worked hard to create a new context for learning in the most challenging of times. Schools adopted remote learning platforms, consulted lawyers and technology specialists, adjusted curriculum, communicated with parents and students, and began the process of teaching remotely.

We have done the best we can, given the hand that we’ve been dealt.

Reestablishing the relationship with students under new conditions and assessing how they are coping emotionally is the most important part of creating a new context.

Teachers doing group lessons need to find ways of connecting with students individually as they create their virtual classroom community.

This can be as simple as having students rate how they are doing on a scale of one-to-five, with a one-sentence description in a Google form at the start of class, or by holding up fingers to indicate how they are feeling in a video conferencing lesson. Younger children can use feeling charts. Quick, daily, emotional check-ins send important messages to students. “Your feelings are important. Our ability to

understand our emotions gives us the opportunity to regulate them.

Emotional regulation is essential for learning. And, most importantly, I care about how you are feeling.” For teachers, this assessment is critical because students who are struggling emotionally will be unavailable for instruction. Given how rapidly we all cycle through our emotions during this time, this check-in should happen daily. Many students never left Stage I during the spring of remote learning. And that’s ok. The more work we do to help them with Stage I will enhance their ability to engage in Stage I when the next school year begins.

Stage II is when we engage students in the challenges of instruction. Because they are emotionally available and they have the space and the tools necessary for learning, they can participate fully in the rigors of instruction. If they hit a roadblock emotionally or instructionally, we may have to go back to Stage I and revise the context.

Before remote learning, you could notice the subtle cues when these emotional or learning challenges arose and you had ways to address them. Teacher and student need to find new ways of navigating these struggles together in this new virtual platform.

Stage III is also filled with unique challenges. Every teacher has their way of concluding the school year through assessment, reflection, and rituals. Unfortunately, many of those traditions were unavailable. There is still time to think of how to consolidate the experiences of the past school year for individual students and classes. Having students work on July/August 2020  23

a project together to capture their experience of this unique time in history is one idea. Having each student draw a picture or take a photo that represents this time and combining them into a classroom “quilt” that they can see when they return to the school building is just one idea of a collective and reflective project. They could each write a stanza of a class poem or students could create a collection of essays that are bound and sent to them.

The theme is to create a collective and enduring product, integrating this challenging time rather than ignoring it, even if the normal timeframe for such activities has passed.

These are the ideas of a retired school psychologist. Imagine the ideas that your creative teachers will develop.

Collaborative Change Model and Preparing For Next Year

The cyclical nature of the Collaborative Change Model requires us not only to think about closure for the unique and challenging school year, but also to make sure that we are creating the context for when students return to school in the coming year. Every school will find its own way to manage these transitions. By thinking now about the challenges that our students will face when schools have reopened, we can plan for a consolidation of this school year that will help create the context for the next school year.

Every student and every school community will be impacted by this global crisis in their own way but there are some predictable challenges that we can begin planning for now.

24  Illinois School Board Journal

Many students, parents, and colleagues will have been impacted by the trauma of losing loved ones and the financial distress of a staggering economy.

Mental health issues have spiked across the country since the stay-athome order began. We can predict that our students, their parents, and our colleagues will be experiencing new or intensified mental health issues often accompanied by increases in behavior problems.

Given the nature of a pandemic, things that were once safe may now feel threatening in a way that they never have before. School communities are built on shared resources, proximity, and collaboration between students and staff. People and spaces and tools, once safe to the touch may be seen as carriers of the virus. Social distancing efforts in schools, while they may be necessary, will also undermine the collaborative and community spirit that defines the healthiest school communities.

Students, families, and staff will be impacted by this change in social contact and feeling of safety in school.

To the extent possible, it’s vital to provide a Stage III for the 2019-2020 school year and using this consolidation as a way to jump-start Stage I of next year. Creating a context for the next school year is particularly challenging because there is so much that is still unclear about what the school year will look like. That does not mean that we need to wait to begin our planning. It does mean that it will take unprecedented levels of empathy, creativity, and flexibility from every member of our school community to create the context for our next school year.

The following questions can help guide this planning.

• Does remote learning provide us with opportunities for connecting students who will form our new classroom virtually before the school year begins?

• Can we be even more intentional about checking in with our next class of students and families over the summer to assess the stress in their homes and assess readiness for learning even before the school doors open?

• Knowing that our school communities have experienced unprecedented stress, can we be sure to have systems in place to understand their behavior problems through the lens of trauma? Rather than punish students when they struggle, can we make sure that students feel emotionally and physically safe, relationally connected, and have tools to self-regulate?

• Given the educational disruptions of this year, students will likely have more gaps in their learning than in previous years and, given the stress, will be less available for instruction. Can we be flexible about the scope and sequence of our curriculum and adapt our instructional methods to align better with student’s ability to access your teaching?

• Given that emotional dysregulation is a product of stress for all of us, can we add more regulation breaks into the school day and have our classrooms better equipped with

regulation tools to help our students when they are struggling to cope with their stress effectively?

• Given that this stress impacts entire families, can we be thoughtful about the homework demands that we place on students so that it does not interfere with important family time or create greater family stress?

• Can we be more intentional prior to the school year to assess the stress in families and to create new ways to support families who continue to be in crisis?

• In order for students to feel safe in school, the staff need to feel safe and secure. How can

administrators use the time over the summer to make sure that school staff feel physically and emotionally safe? What additional psychological supports might they need before walking into the building and leading a group of students?

How can we collaborate with them to address any concerns that they will have about the safety of the physical environment?

• Knowing that many school discipline policies and practices exacerbate the impact of student stress and trauma, can administrators review their policies and practices over the summer with their school boards so that they can

bring maximum flexibility in our response to students in this unique moment in our history?

The Collaborative Change Model allows us to be intentional about this planning. Understanding the interconnectedness of the three stages, being willing to return to a previous stage to be sure that we can more fully be available to the next stage, and being able to see how the stages flow through every aspect of our educational process can help us to better meet the needs of our students and create a healthy school community during these uncertain times. Many students need school to be a sheltered port during the storm of this pandemic. COVID-19 requires us to be more intentional and creative in our planning than ever before. Schools have a great responsibility and a powerful opportunity to guide our children through the greatest global challenge in generations. The better that we, as schools, can provide thoughtful and effective transitions through this time of remote learning and into the new school year, the better our students will be able to cope with these unique and profound stresses.  Doug Bolton, Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with Formative Psychological Services in Chicago. In addition to his private practice, Bolton provides consultation, supervision and professional development to parents, educators, and clinicians throughout northern Illinois on building children’s resilience, mental health issues in schools, and creating trauma-responsive school communities. Resources mentioned in this article can be accessed starting at bit.ly/JA20Jres.

July/August 2020  25

Commentary

Examining SEL for Emerging Bilinguals

By Diallo Brown

P

Public school districts in many counties in Illinois are experiencing demographic changes to student populations, including English Language Learners (ELLs/ELs), increasingly known as Emergent Bilinguals (EBs). These students may experience learning deficits when English is the students’ second language, particularly when they rarely hear or speak English outside of the school setting.

According to research by educator Claude Goldenberg, the primary reasons for the existing learning gap for EBs is the struggle to master basic English language skills while matriculating from grade to grade, as well as the lack of opportunity to converse in English outside of school. This poses social and emotional trauma on these students, which can be addressed with social and emotional learning supports.

According to the WorldClass Instructional Design and Assessment Consortium Standards Framework and Its Theoretical Foundations, five

26  Illinois School Board Journal

components contribute to ELL/ EB students’ ability to acquire the English language: • A can-do philosophy; • Guiding principles of language development; • Age-appropriate academic language in sociocultural contexts; • Performance definitions; and • Strands of model performance indicators.

The gap for ELL/EB students without social and emotional, learning, or behavioral disabilities is seen more as a state funding issue than a federal funding issue, according to a position paper by Maria de Lourdes B. Serpa of the Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy Publications. When ELL/ EB students are identified with disabilities, they become eligible for special education funding through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law.

Heterogeneous People Sharing the Same Language

Research by Valentin Ekiaka Nzai and Norma A. Guzmán includes a common experience of many Latino immigrants educated in the United States. It posits that schools tend to reduce the definition of “culture” to a single, blanket description of a group of people whose backgrounds actually can be quite diverse. Therefore, “cultural awareness” should be more than a semantic phrase and should include the multifaceted aspects of the group’s collective experience of identity. When Latino ELL/EB

students are grouped in classrooms, they are often considered to be homogenous, a gross generality that can stunt the progress of students who may not share the same understanding of their native language due to their varied backgrounds and experiences. Failure to distinguish the individuality of ELL/EB students within their classrooms is a barrier to the academic success of students who are unfamiliar with the English language, with American culture, and with the cultures of their fellow students as well. A feeling of social rejection, along with their continued commitment to their native culture, can contribute to some Latino ELL/ EB students not fully immersing

themselves in the English language.

As a result, the offspring of native non-English speaking Latino families within the American education system often do not always fully appreciate or comprehend the value of English language immersion as a tool to improve their academic success.

In the essay “Empowering the Surrounding Community,” Ann K. Brooks and Paul C. Kavanaugh explain that successful schools are able to integrate the different traditional cultural values and community relationships that exist in the various nations from which their students’ families have migrated. Brooks and Kavanaugh explain that the act of learning the

norms and values of their students’ cultures can enhance how the school — and American education itself — is interpreted, implemented, and accepted by the families and community it serves. Thus, as a school explicitly aligns itself with its students’ families, it moves from being simply a school in the community to the community’s school, resulting in improved academic achievement for its immigrant students.

Community Involvement and Power

Paulo Freire, in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, contends that the American political and educational system has traditionally suppressed the understanding of the oppressed by creating dialogue that is “not attuned to the concrete situations of the people they address.” Freire urges educators to acknowledge the system of dominance of the American education system over ELL/EB students, which has been established simply because a common dialogue between schools and the immigrant communities they serve is often never established.

Freire refers to this suppression of two-way communication as “antidialogical philosophy” of which there are four principles.

First, the conquest of a group of people implies the existence of a conqueror — or oppressor — as well as the existence of the conquered group, which becomes the possession of the oppressor.

Secondly, the oppressor acts as the elite class, dividing and ruling the oppressed to remain in power.

Third, the elite group manipulates the oppressed in an attempt July/August 2020  27

to get them to conform to the oppressor’s objectives. Finally, the oppressor imposes a worldview on the oppressed in a cultural invasion that inhibits the creativity and development of the conquered group. Thus, American schools must not act as oppressive conquerors, but rather as inclusive partners that engage in true dialogue with groups that have been traditionally oppressed in order to expand individual students’ capacity to learn, develop, and positively contribute to both their own communities and society at large.

language learners were often treated with less dignity than their white peers, and often were not seen by their teachers as valid participants in the learning process. In fact, even Hmong students whose English was relatively proficient were generally characterized as less than adequate

to survive, to teachers expanding students’ futures by providing them the social and emotional supports that include challenging and rewarding educational experiences.

Although many use the instructional terms “English as a Second Language” (ESL)

Thus, as a school explicitly aligns itself with its students’ families, it moves from being simply a school in the community to the community’s school, resulting in improved academic achievement for its immigrant students.

Against All Odds

So what do most American schools expect of students learning both the language and culture in a system that is unfamiliar to them, their community, and perhaps their personal understanding of education itself? Stacey Lee, author of Up Against Whiteness: Race, School, and Immigrant Youth, asserts that American schools tend to measure all students — regardless of their backgrounds — against the yardstick of the dominant white culture, while often ignoring the issues that minority English language learners inevitably bring with them to school. Lee submits that even ELL/ EB students who spend thousands of hours soaking up American culture via television, the internet, and their own personal experiences come to understand that they are often viewed as inadequate by the culture into which they are trying to assimilate.

Lee’s study of Hmong students in a predominantly white Wisconsin high school found that these English 28  Illinois School Board Journal

by instructors. Such discrimination against, and oppression of, ELL/EB students is unacceptable. In order for them to master the English language and successfully matriculate into American society, they must not be viewed as inadequate simply because they are not native English speakers.

Changing such attitudes, however, will require a great shift of the American education system — from measuring all English language learners against the yardstick of dominant white culture to measuring them in respect to their native cultures and individual backgrounds.

Shifting the Strategy of ELL Practices

In her 2010 book Learning and Not Learning English, author and researcher Guadalupe Valdes pushes for the American education system to gain a new understanding of English language learners and ELL pedagogy. In particular, Valdes asserts that the goal of ELL/ EB education must shift from teachers simply preparing students

and “bilingual education” interchangeably, these terms refer to two very different types of ELL/ EB instruction. As outlined in “Bilingual vs. ESL,” Students in an ESL classroom usually speak a variety of languages, but they only receive instruction in English from a teacher who does not necessarily speak any of the students’ languages. In contrast, students in bilingual programs are grouped in classrooms with other students who share their native language, and are taught by teachers in both their native language and in English. According to “Bilingual vs. ESL,” “Bilingual classes…are geared more toward having the students eventually speak both languages fluently and to hold on to their culture.”

Research by Angela Carrasquillo and Vivian Rodríguez supports providing ELL/EB students with grade-level content simultaneously with English language instruction through such methods as sheltered instruction, where teachers,

speaking in direct, simple English, employ a wide range of scaffolding strategies to help students connect new content with their prior knowledge. Another ELL/EB teaching method supported by Carrasquillo and Rodriquez is dual enrollment through which students develop their language proficiency in both English and their native language as they receive instruction in both languages within classrooms that contain a mixture of ELL/EB and native English speakers.

There is an overwhelming need to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers who are willing to meet the demands of working in low income, immigrant communities. The work of Patricia Gándara and Frances Contreras particularly emphasizes the importance of recruiting ELL/EB teachers from the communities they serve. The resulting commonality of culture and experience between teachers and their students can help the students better understand the positive impact of gaining English language proficiency to both themselves and their communities.

For example, as Pat Quinn points out in Helping Hispanic Students Succeed (2012), Hispanic teachers are more likely to recognize their ELL/EB students’ cultural proclivity to collaborate and, thus, are more likely to provide time for the students to interact with and learn from one another.

In addition to recruiting more highly qualified ELL/EB teachers, Gándara and Contreras advocate for smaller class sizes to enable teachers to provide more individualized attention to their English

language learners. Overall, according to Goldenberg, teachers exposing their students to rich content, taught at an appropriate pace to achieve clear, well-defined learning objectives is essential to ELL/EB students’ academic success.

A major impediment to ESL and bilingual programs is funding. Although ESL programs are often set up similarly to special education programs, they do not directly receive federal funds as special education programs do.

As a result, school districts across the United States struggle to adequately meet the needs of ever-expanding ELL/EB populations.

Assessing the Needs of ELL Students

Educator and researcher Margo Gottlieb suggests that standard language assessment tools should not be the only methods used to measure English language learners’ English proficiency and further, that the assessment of ELL/EB students is far more complex than the evaluation of their English language skills alone. In particular, Gottlieb asserts that ELL/ EB students should be assessed in regards to their understanding of the academic vocabulary of their native language because the more literate students are in their native languages, the easier it is for them to acquire English language literacy. Conversely, students with limited native academic vocabularies need greater supports when learning the academic vocabulary of English. Gottlieb advocates using background and home surveys of students to gather information regarding their mobility,

continuity of education, support services received, and overall English language learner history.

The Link between Special Education and ELL Programs

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) recognizes that students with diagnosed physical, intellectual, emotional, and behavioral disabilities require intervention services and accommodations, which are documented in their Individual Education Plans. Although a growing number of students are in need of both special education and ELL/EB services, schools often do not adequately address the language deficiencies of these students. Serpa calls for a comprehensive look at the ways we assess and support ELL/EB learners who also have been identified as having learning disabilities.

Understanding the context of how ELL and EB students matriculate through public schools while acquiring the English language, their struggle to find continuity in practicing the language outside of the school setting, as well as the importance of identity in the public school setting is an important foundation in determining what methodology is best used to evaluate ELL/EB programs, making sure that that social and emotional competence is included at the forefront of the program’s intent.  Diallo Brown, Ed.D., is a high school administrator in northern Lake County, Illinois, program founder of the F.R.A.M.E. Program for At-Risk students, and educational consultant.

July/August 2020  29

Cover Story

14 Ways for School Boards to Improve School Mental Health

By Jennifer Ulie-Wells

T

There is a mental health epidemic facing schools across the nation.

Comprehensive school mental health systems build the foundations for schools to be able to create thriving environments and develop sustainable supports. A school board is a vital partner to improve the mental health of our students, staff, and families.

Mental illness is a biological, medical disorder similar to asthma or diabetes. There is not a choice to have depression any more than there would be to have heart disease. The difference is that the stigma associated with mental illness can be so strong.

Comprehensive School Mental Health (SMH) systems are built on a foundation of district and school professionals in strategic partnership with students and families, as well as community health and mental health partners. While educators are not therapists, they do have the power to create classroom and school spaces that allow students to feel safe, loved, and respected. Federal law requires schools to provide a “free and appropriate education� for all students.

Schools do not get to pick and choose the students to serve and have an obligation to provide quality education to all students.

Here are 14 ways for school boards to improve school mental health.

30  Illinois School Board Journal

1

Prioritize Student Mental Health as a district goal

A student cannot learn if their brain is not functioning well. It is a basic need, just like food or clothing.

Every district strategic goal is benefited by prioritizing school mental health as a goal. The first step to a strong and sustainable SMH system is developing a district action team including representation from educators, administrators, parents/ guardians, students, mental health professionals, and school board members.

2

Create comprehensive school mental health systems

There cannot be enough emphasis on the importance of creating sustainable school mental health systems versus training only.

Training in isolation is not sustainable. Without a sustainable system, inspired educators and administrators return to their duties with ideas but lacking a strategic system to implement and maintain. There are many free resources to help strengthen the work of your district in developing a sustainable school mental health system, including theshapesystem. com from the National Center for School Mental Health and the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network.

3

Recognize how schools impact mental health in marginalized populations

SMH needs to address how school systems can impact the mental wellness of marginalized populations.

LGBTQ youth that come from highly rejecting families are 8.4 times more likely to attempt suicide. Suicide rates for African-American youth ages 5-12 are double that of the same aged white children. There is an abundance of literature and research that discusses the inequities created by school systems, which result in inequitable disciplinary decision-making towards students of color. An example includes a student who is told not to use their cultural dialect in class because to the teacher it sounds like slang, then forcing students to engage in code-switching, using a home dialect and having to use a different dialect at school. Students have to face ongoing micro-aggressions in schools; these harm student mental health

and create distrust of schools and educators and resulting in further traumatic responses. Similarly, when adults tell LGBTQ students that their identity is not legitimate or accepted, this creates traumas for students.

School mental health cannot improve without including devoting time and professional development to implicit bias, critical reflection, and system equity as part of the implementation. System equity work includes evaluating policies, equity audits, disciplinary data, achievement data, and student surveys with a racial, cultural, and gender lens to better understand the experience and barriers facing students.

4

Align discipline policies to actually improve behavior

A child should not have to fail before they get the support that they need.

As a district, the goal should be to reduce undesired behaviors by any means necessary, not by following antiquated tradition. Research is clear that get tough, and zero-tolerance responses to behavior are not only ineffective, but they increase negative social and academic impact, especially for male students of color. Policies need to reflect brain development, neural responses to toxic stress on the brain, mental illness, behavioral research, with attention to increasing racial/cultural equity, and restorative practices. School districts benefit from policies that include high levels of prevention to reduce behaviors as well as restorative practices that allow students to get the help that they need, such as mental health and substance abuse treatment. Restorative practices in policy and practice language should be in all of our discipline policies.

5

IEP and 504 Plans for Mental Health

Should students have a 504 Plan if they aren’t visibly struggling? Do you wait for a student to have an asthma attack to create a plan? A child with asthma needs a plan and accommodations prior to a health crisis. Mental health needs the same diligence, urgency, and prevention.

Both IEPs and 504 plans are legal documents made in the best interest of the child. Mental illness is an invisible disability but it is still real. Educators and administrators choosing not to follow a 504 plan or IEP are breaking federal law.

6

Manifestation determination meetings and behavioral health

Given the complexities of behavioral health disabilities, if the IEP team is missing mental health expertise, such as a school psychologist, psychiatrist, clinical social worker, or mental health therapist, that becomes a slippery slope in an exclusion situation. Symptoms of trauma and mental illness can feel frustrating and be easily misunderstood, leading to false determinations that a student’s behaviors are not manifested by their disability. There is increasing attention towards this process given the high levels of subjectivity being used to execute manifestation determination meetings, particularly for students of color with behavioral health disabilities.

7

Considering educator mental wellness

The tragedy in Parkland, Florida, wasn’t the start of an entire field of professionals burning out, rather an additional reminder that education

is tough. Even the most amazing educators under challenging conditions will start to see an erosion of their mental health. Some of the most common indicators of burnout are arriving late to work, increased absences, poor work follow-through, struggling to concentrate, and experiencing depression, loss of patience, and low-self-worth. Using a punitive approach may take a struggling educator to the point of collapse.

Educators working with higher need students need higher levels of support, self-care, and access to mental health support. It has to be far more frequent and explicit than contract negotiation benefits.

School boards need to be a model of prioritizing school mental health.

Provide opportunities for educators to provide feedback and have a voice within the district.

8

Rural districts seek collaboration

Rural school districts are facing a more severe epidemic than suburban and urban areas with scarce to no community mental health resources.

To maximize resources, engage in collaboration with other local districts, agencies, and funders. Rural districts benefit when state agencies collaborate with education agencies to develop school mental health available resources to reduce the legwork for schools. Data collection is critical to help state education leaders and legislators understand the story of school mental health across the state.

9

Advocating for SMH legislation

Most legislators heavily rely on feedback from school board members in their district. To assume that July/August 2020  31

legislators have the same dedication to school mental health and even a basic understanding of mental illness and trauma would be ill-informed and dangerous. You are a critical member of this work to change and save lives, so please take the time to encourage your legislators to support well-informed work. Encourage your legislators to make funding school mental health a priority.

10

School counselors, mental health therapists

School counselors are often time the first line of prevention and intervention with student’s social, emotional, and mental health, but they are not therapists. While some may be certified to do mental health therapy, school counselors have a responsibility to serve all students with school counseling programs, groups, prevention, referrals, and crisis intervention hence their role is not to do individual therapy. Further, sometimes schools overschedule counselors into overseeing study halls, learning labs, lunch and recess duties, reducing their time to engage in critical prevention with students. When schools struggle with undesired student behaviors, one consideration is to increase school counselor-to-student time … creating a school-based therapy program reduces barriers such as time, cost, and transportation.

11

Develop a school safety plan with SMH in mind

When I was in school decades ago, we did not lock our school building doors. Visitors only stopped at the office if they needed directions to a classroom, and the concept of school safety had more to do with

32  Illinois School Board Journal

aging buildings than violence.

While the risk of mass violence in a school is rare, it is reasonable that any school board would go to great lengths to make sure that all students, staff, and family members within district buildings are safe.

All districts need a comprehensive school safety plan in place that includes consultation with local law enforcement using prevention and response protocols. School districts are best served to utilize local, state, and federal law enforcement expertise and programming.

12

Trained screeners to identify problems

13

Reduce the stigma of mental illness

Screeners assess a variety of mental health disorders, ideations, and substance abuse. However, screeners alone do not solve a problem, there needs to be a comprehensive system in place. Whoever is administering the screener needs to be highly trained, because even the best screener can be ineffective if being administered by untrained staff. Screeners can provide critical data and identify a problem before it becomes a crisis.

One of the driving forces that prevent people from getting help is the stigma associated with mental illness. At board meetings, remind your superintendent, administrators, educators, and students to engage in high levels of self-care and that their mental health is important. Talk about mental illness as a matter of fact, as you would discuss any other medical condition. The more we talk about mental health, the more we normalize it. Encourage your district to make it a priority.

14

Don’t wait for a suicide to take action

One of the most eye-opening insights I’ve ever heard came from my superintendent, “When it comes to a crisis, it isn’t a matter of ‘if,’ [but] rather a matter of ‘when.’”

Please do not wait until a suicide completion to make mental health a priority. I get many calls from districts after a student or staff has died by suicide, and the pain, chaos, and confusion can leave them paralyzed and dysfunctional for weeks and months. It is heartbreaking, stressful, and makes high-level functioning impossible. The return on investment for creating comprehensive school mental health systems is endless. It impacts every district goal area, improves academic achievement, decreases discipline referrals, benefits student and staff morale, and mental wellness, and the list goes on. Free resources are available for school districts. The mental wellness of our schools and those within them will not improve without making school mental health a priority.

As school board members, this can feel overwhelming, but it does not have to be. Use this opportunity to change and save lives.  Jennifer Ulie-Wells, Ph.D. is Executive Director of Please Pass the Love, a national awardwinning school mental health organization based in Iowa. She trains thousands of educators, young people, families, and community providers on a variety of school mental health topics. She is also a West Des Moines, Iowa school board member. Reprinted with permission of the author.

Practical PR

When Preparing for Back to School, SEL Wellness is Key

By Mary Morgan Ryan

W

“When physical distancing is deemed necessary, social and emotional connectedness is even more critical.”

— Karen Niemi, CASEL President and CEO Looking ahead, school district staff, students, and families are all wondering what school will look like in the Fall of 2020.

At the time of this writing, it is uncertain whether public schools will offer in-person instruction, remote learning, or a hybrid of both. Districts are preparing for all three possibilities. In one township, the school districts are working together to address this important task through a social and emotional lens. Several school districts in New Trier Township in

Columns are submitted by members of the Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association

the northern suburbs of Chicago, including the Northern Suburban Special Education District (NSSED), are partnering with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) in this work. CASEL is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago, focused on integrating social and emotional learning (SEL) into preschool through high school education.

The collaboration began last year with the goal of aligning SEL plans throughout the township.

An intensive summer workshop was planned, with teams of educators from each district and facilitated by CASEL to determine each district’s status and develop a common framework for moving forward to support social and emotional learning together. When the novel coronavirus pandemic resulted in the closure of school for the remainder of the school year, the group pivoted and is now using the summer session to focus specifically on the transition back to school for students in all grades.

The gathering will now be held

virtually, with CASEL facilitating development of a plan for supporting social and emotional wellbeing of students, families, and staff for the reopening of school in August.

Several township districts have collected data from staff and families on their experiences with remote learning. At NSSED, the survey asked both staff and families to suggest ways to improve remote learning. The data show that families and staff alike are missing personal connections and the rapport developed through daily interaction. Respondents spoke of the importance of the teacher-student relationship, and also of connections among staff members and with families. These comments center on social and emotional wellbeing, indicating that a transition plan focusing on social and emotional learning and health will benefit all learners. NSSED administrators will report the survey results to the cooperative’s Leadership Council, which includes one member from the school board of each of the 18 member districts, and three member district July/August 2020  33

superintendents. NSSED administrators will also use this data in their work with CASEL and the other districts.

An important outcome of the summer work will be a common vocabulary and alignment toward the shared goal of supporting student social and emotional wellbeing. The collaborative summer institute focuses on creating a specific plan grounded in the idea that SEL wellness is the basis for success in classroom activities. Districts want to empower students to think that they have the skills to communicate their emotions and that they have an outlet for their feelings and people they can turn to for support.

School board members can learn from this township effort in several ways: First, social and emotional wellbeing is essential for students,

families, and staff. Where there is an opportunity to be involved and speak to this at a board meeting, school board members can provide a foundation for success for their districts. Sharing this message is an important public relations responsibility for an elected school board member.

Second, alignment across districts on this important issue can build strength in communities, bringing together educators, families, and community members around mental health concerns.

School board members can encourage alignment of vocabulary and goals.

Third, school district communications staff can provide a means of gathering data, and also reinforcing messaging about resources and support for students and staff.

School board members can learn

about the public relations work going on in their districts and work to allocate resources for that work.

Fourth, CASEL is a highly regarded national organization, based in Chicago, and is a valuable resource for all Illinois schools.

School board members can visit the CASEL website for more information on social and emotional learning during the pandemic. CASEL is curating resources and providing weekly webinars on leadership, resilience, and SEL at home, among other topics.

Leon Thomas, 83, died March 27, 2020. He was a lifelong farmer and past member of the Onarga school board in Iroquois County.

William Garland Thomas, MD, 94, died May 27, 2020.

He was a prior member of the Sycamore CUSD 427 Board of Education and a longtime family physician in the area.

Oliver Louis “Ollie” Von Behren, 77, died May 5, 2020.

He was a civil engineer for IDOT and worked on the construction of Interstate 70. He was a past member of the Martinsville CUSD 3C school board.

Frederick J. Zalaznik, 95, died May 5, 2020. He was a past member of the school board at North Chicago High School.

He served as a member of the North Chicago police and fire departments, rising through the ranks to become Fire Chief, He was also was president of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association in 1969 and 1970. 

Mary Morgan Ryan is Chief Technology, Communications, and Data Services Official for the Northern Suburban Special Education District. Resources associated with this column can be accessed at bit.ly/JA20JRes.

Milestones

Continued from page 38

Edith Smith Rees, 96, died April 3, 2020. She taught in oneroom schoolhouses in the Franklin and Waverly area, and served on the Franklin CUSD 1 school board.

Robert Schafer, MD, 90, died May 12, 2020. He was a family physician in Petersburg and a member of the PORTA CUSD 202 school board.

David Allen Sinnott, 87, died April 9, 2020. He was a past member of the school board for Verona Grade School in Grundy County.

Melvin Albert Sporleder, 91, died May 9, 2020. He was a member of the LaGrove school board in Fayette County.

34  Illinois School Board Journal

The Illinois School Board Journal welcomes contributions for this Milestones section. Please send memorial and achievement information to communications@iasb.com.

Service Associates Directory Appraisal Services INDUSTRIAL APPRAISAL COMPANY Building and fixed asset appraisals for insurance and accounting purposes.

Oak Brook (630) 575‑0280

Architects/Engineers ARCON ASSOCIATES, INC. Full service firm specializing in educational facilities with services that include architecture, construction management, roof and masonry consulting, landscape architecture, and environmental consulting.

Lombard (630) 495‑1900; www.arconassoc.com; rpcozzi@arconassoc.com BERG ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS, LTD. Consulting engineers.

Schaumburg (847) 352‑4500; www.berg-eng.com BLDD ARCHITECTS, INC. Architectural and engineering services for schools.

Decatur (217) 429‑5105; Champaign (217) 356‑9606; Bloomington (309) 828‑5025; Chicago (312) 829‑1987 CANNONDESIGN Architecture, interiors, engineering, consulting.

Chicago (312) 332‑9600; www.cannondesign.com; sbrodsky@cannondesign.com CORDOGAN CLARK & ASSOCIATES Architects and engineers.

Aurora (630) 896‑4678; www.cordoganclark.com; rmont@cordoganclark.com DEWBERRY ARCHITECTS INC. Architects, planners, landscape architecture, and engineers.

Peoria (309) 282‑8000; Elgin (847) 695‑5840 DLA ARCHITECTS, LTD. Architects specializing in preK-12 educational design, including a full range of architectural services, assessments, planning, feasibility studies, new construction, additions, remodeling, O&M and owner’s rep services.

Itasca (847) 742‑4063; www.dla-ltd.com; info@dla-ltd.com

DLR GROUP Educational facility design and master planning. Chicago (312) 382‑9980; dlrgroup.com; mengelhardt@dlrgoup.com ERIKSSON ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES, LTD. Consulting civil engineers and planners.

Grayslake (847) 223‑4804; Chicago (312) 463‑0551; Mokena (708) 614‑9720; www.eea-ltd.com; geriksson@eea-ltd.com FARNSWORTH GROUP, INC. Architectural and engineering professional services. Normal, IL (309) 633‑8436 FGM ARCHITECTS, INC. Architects. Chicago (312) 942‑8461; Oak Brook (630) 574‑8300; O’Fallon (618) 624‑3364; St. Louis (314) 439‑1601; www.fgmarchitects.com GREENASSOCIATES, INC. Architecture/construction services.

Deerfield (847) 317‑0852; Pewaukee, Wisconsin (262) 746-125 HEALY, BENDER & ASSOCIATES, INC. Archi­tects/planners.

Naperville (630) 904‑4300; www.healybender.com; dpatton@healybender.com HURST-ROSCHE, INC. Architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design.

Hillsboro (217) 532‑3959; East St. Louis (618) 398‑0890; Marion (618) 998‑0075; Springfield (217) 787‑1199; dpool@hurst-rosche.com JMA ARCHITECTS Full service professional design firm specializing in K-12 educational design, construction management, strategic/master planning, health/life safety compliance, building commissioning, and interior space design.

South Holland (708) 339‑3900; www.jmaarchitects.com; allison@jmaarchitects.com KLUBER ARCHITECTS + ENGINEERS Building design professionals specializing in architecture, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, and fire protection engineers. Batavia (630) 406‑1213

LARSON & DARBY GROUP Architecture, engineering, interior design, and technology.

Rockford (815) 484‑0739; St. Charles (630) 444‑2112; www.larsondarby.com; snelson@larsondarby.com LEGAT ARCHITECTS, INC. Architectural and educational planners who specialize in creating effective student learning environments.

Gurnee (847) 622‑3535; Oak Brook (630) 990‑3535; Chicago (312) 258‑9595; www.legat.com PCM+DESIGN ARCHITECTS Provide a full range of architectural services including facility and feasibility studies, architectural design, construction consulting, and related services.

East Peoria (309) 694‑5012; www.PCMPLUSD.com PERFORMANCE SERVICES, INC. An integrated design and delivery engineering company serving the design and construction facility needs of K-12 schools.

Schaumburg (847) 466‑7220 PERKINS+WILL Architects. Chicago (312) 755‑0770 RICHARD L. JOHNSON ASSOCIATES, INC. Architecture, educational planning.

Rockford (815) 398‑1231; www.rljarch.com SARTI ARCHITECTURAL GROUP, INC. Architecture, engineering, life safety consulting, interior design, and asbestos consultants. Springfield (217) 585‑9111 STR PARTNERS Architectural, interior design, planning, cost estimating, and building enclosure/ roofing consulting.

Chicago (312) 464‑1444 STUDIOGC ARCHITECTURE + INTERIORS StudioGC is passionate communityminded partner, committed to creating imaginative and well-designed facilities.

StudioGC offers innovative planning, programming, architectural, interior design, and cost estimates.

Chicago (312) 253‑3400 TRIA ARCHITECTURE An architectural planning and interior design firm that provides services primarily to school districts in the Chicagoland area with an emphasis on service to their clients, and their communities.

Burr Ridge (630) 455‑4500

July/August 2020  35

Service Associates Directory WIGHT & COMPANY For over 77 years, Wight & Company has provided design and construction services for the built environment. As a pioneer of integrated Design & Delivery, we’ve worked with our clients to create exceptional, enduring buildings and spaces that enrich people’s lives and enhance the environment; Darien (630) 969‑7000; www.wightco.com; bpaulsen@wightco.com WM. B. ITTNER, INC. Full service architectural firm serving the educational community since 1899.

Fairview Heights (618) 624‑2080 WOLD ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS Specializing in Pre-K-12 educational design including master planning, sustainable design, architecture, mechanical and electrical engineering, quality review, cost estimation and management. Palatine (847) 241‑6100

Building Construction CORE CONSTRUCTION Professional construction management, design-build, and general contracting services. Morton (309) 266‑9768; COREconstruction.com F. H. PASCHEN A general/construction manager with extensive experience in new construction and renovation of educational and institutional facilities in the public/private sectors. Chicago (773) 444‑1525; www.fhpaschen.com FREDERICK QUINN CORPORATION Construction management and general contracting. Addison (630) 628‑8500; www.fquinncorp.com HOLLAND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, INC. Full service construction management and general contracting firm specializing in education facilities.

Swansea (618) 277‑8870 INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTORS, INC. (ICI) An award-winning construction management firm specializing in K-12 facilities. Our firm is currently partnering with eight Illinois School Districts on capital improvement projects.

Elmhurst (630) 641-6852

36  Illinois School Board Journal

(continued)

NICHOLAS & ASSOCIATES, INC. Construction management, general contracting, design and build.

Mt. Prospect (847) 394‑6200 info@nicholasquality.com PEPPER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY Construction management and general contracting services.

Barrington (847) 381‑2760; www.pepperconstruction; jripsky@pepperconstruction.com POETTKER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY Specializing in construction management, design/build, construction consulting services, and energy solutions for education clients. Breese (618) 526‑7213; www.poettkerconstruction.com RUSSELL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. Russell provides successful, knowledgeable construction management and contracting services in the PreK-12 market from concept to completion and continuing care for your facility needs.

Davenport, Iowa (563) 459‑4600 S.M. WILSON & CO. Provides construction management and general construction services to education, healthcare, commercial, retail, and industrial clients.

St. Louis (314) 645‑9595; www.smwilson.com; judd.presley@smwilson.com TRANE HVAC company specializing in design, build, and retrofit. Willowbrook (630) 734‑6033

Computer Software, Supplies, Services COMPUTER INFORMATION CONCEPTS, INC. Infinite Campus student information System and Finance Suite, and Tableau Data Visualization/Analytics.

Greeley, Colorado (312) 995‑3342 EDMENTUM We provide fully digital curriculum and assessment tools for educators to utilize in K-12 classrooms to establish blended and personalized environments and advance student learning.

Bloomington, Minnesota (952) 832‑1570

IASB Service Associates are businesses which offer school‑related products and services and which have earned favorable repu­tations for quality and integrity. Only after careful screening is a business firm invited to become a Service Associate.

To learn more about IASB Service Associates membership, visit www.iasb.com or contact Britni Beck at bbeck@iasb.com

Consulting DECISIONINSITE, LLC DecisionInsite provides the nation’s school district leaders with the technology, enrollment forecasts, and expertise they need to understand how enrollment impacts their district.

Irvine, California (877) 204‑1392 ROOM READY Highly qualified audiovisual specialists who specialize in removing the complexity and ensuring that your audiovisual installations just work, both today and in the future. Normal (309) 261‑3794

Environmental Services ALPHA CONTROLS & SERVICES, LLC We deliver energy cost justified solutions that make the learning environment comfortable, secure, and efficient. Rockford, Springfield, Champaign (815) 227‑4000; www.alpaacs.com; jasonv@alphaacs.com CTS GROUP Dedicated to assisting K-12 education meet the challenge of providing healthy, safe, and educational appropriate learning environments.

St. Louis (636) 230‑0843; Chicago (773) 633‑0691; www.ctsgroup.com; rbennett@ctsgroup.com

Environmental Services continued from previous page

ENERGY SYSTEMS GROUP A comprehensive energy services and performance contracting company providing energy, facility and financial solutions. Itasca (630) 773‑7201; smcivor@energysystemsgroup.com GCA SERVICES GROUP Custodial, janitorial, maintenance, lawn and grounds, and facility operations services. Downers Grove (630) 629‑4044 GRP MECHANICAL CO., INC. Renovating buildings through energy savings performance contracting to provide the best learning environment.

HVAC, plumbing, windows, doors, and mechanical services.

Bethalto (618) 779‑0050 HONEYWELL, INC. Controls, maintenance, energy management, performance contracting, and security.

St. Louis (314) 548‑4136; Des Plaines (847) 770‑5496; Maryland Heights, Missouri (314) 548‑4501; Doc.Kotecki@Honeywell.com; Kevin.Bollman@Honeywell.com IDEAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, INC. Asbestos and environmental services.

Bloomington (309) 828‑4259 ILLINOIS ENERGY CONSORTIUM Sells electricity and natural gas to school districts, colleges, and universities.

DeKalb (815) 753‑9083; www.ILLec.org; hwallace@iasbo.org ENGIE SERVICES U.S. Turnkey partnership programs that enable K12 school districts in Illinois to modernize their facilities; increase safety, security and efficiency; reduce operations costs; and maximize the lifespan of critical assets. Chicago (312) 498‑7792; sharon@opterraenergy.com

RADON DETECTION SPECIALISTS Radon measurements in elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as all DCFS licensed spaces. We service the entire state of Illinois.

Westmont (630) 325‑4443 or (800) 244‑4242; www.radondetection.net; KirstenS@radondetection.net

Financial Services ABM EDUCATION SERVICES Provides financial solutions through many contracted services under the facilities envelop, including energy performance contracting, condition assessments, custodial, maintenance and landscaping services. Downers Grove (331) 305-0568 BERNARDI SECURITIES, INC. Municipal bond specialty firm; offers a full range of school bond underwriting services, including capital needs financing and debt refinancing.

O’Fallon (618) 206‑4180; Peru (815) 587‑8972; Chicago (312) 281‑2014; jvezzetti@bernardisecurities.com BMO HARRIS BANK BMO Harris Bank’s experienced specialists can help you build a sound strategy to help close budget gaps, manage day-to-day cash flow and maximize your resources.

Chicago (312) 461‑7895 EHLERS AND ASSOCIATES School bond issues; referendum help; financial and enrollment studies Roseville, MN (312) 638‑5250 FIRST MIDSTATE, INC. Bond issue consultants.

Bloomington (309) 829‑3311; paul@firstmidstate.com GORENZ AND ASSOCIATES, LTD. Auditing and financial consulting.

Peoria (309) 685‑7621; www.gorenzcpa.com; tcustis@gorenzcpa.com ICE MILLER, LLP Nationally recognized bond counsel services. Chicago (312) 726‑7127

KINGS FINANCIAL CONSULTING, INC. Municipal bond financial advisory service including all types of school bonds; school referenda, county school sales tax; tax revenue forecasts/projections.

Monticello (217) 762‑4578 SIKICH, LLP Professional services firm specializing in accounting, technology, and advisory services. Naperville, IL (630) 556‑8400 SPEER FINANCIAL, INC. Financial planning and bond issue services. Chicago (312) 346‑3700; www.speerfinancial.com; dphillips@speerfinancial.com STIFEL Full service securities firm providing investment banking and advisory services including strategic financial planning; bond underwriting; referendum and legislative assistance.

Edwardsville (800) 230‑5151; noblea@stifel.com WINTRUST FINANCIAL Financial services holding company engaging in community banking, wealth management, commercial insurance premium financing, and mortgage origination. Rosemont (630) 560‑2120

Human Resource Consulting BUSHUE HUMAN RESOURCES, INC. Human resource, safety and risk management, and insurance consulting.

Effingham (217) 342‑3042; www.bushuehr.com; steve@bushuehr.com

Office Equipment FRANK COONEY COMPANY, INC. Furniture for educational environments.

Wood Dale (630) 694‑8800

Superintendent Searches ECRA GROUP Superintendent searches, board and superintendent workshops.

Schaumburg (847) 318‑0072

ADVANCING PUBLIC EDUCATION IASB Service Associates provide quality products and services for schools. Membership is by invitation only. A list of Service Associate firms is on the IASB website and in this Journal.

July/August 2020  37

Milestones

In Memoriam Leroy T. “Red” Abell, 85, died May 26, 2020. He was a member of the Hinckley-Big Rock CUSD 429 Board of Education.

Janet Andrews, 82, died, May 18, 2020. She was a past member of the board of education for Illinois Valley Central USD 321.

Douglas Joseph Bega, 62, died March 18, 2020. He was a past member of the Minooka CHSD 111 Board of Education.

Clyde David Blair, 98, died May 24, 2020. He was a past member and president of the Warren CUSD 205 school board.

John H. Conrath, 93, died May 12, 2020. He was a member of the Belle Valley SD 119 Board of Education He was a builder and developer with projects that included turning the old post office into a facility for Belleville SD 118.

Gail E. Etheridge, 89, died, May 2, 2020. He was a member of the board of education of Yorktown school in Bureau County.

Bernard Jacob Figi, 97, died May 12, 2020. He had served on the Durand CUSD 322 school board.

Richard “Dick” Graham, 86, died May 3, 2020. A lifelong farmer and painter, he served 20 years on the board of education for Wyoming grade school in Stark County.

Stanley G. Gruber, 87, died April 2, 2020. He was a past member of the Hollis Consolidated SD 328 Board of Education.

Marion Jean Hansen, 79, of Carbondale and formerly of Palos Heights, died April 22, 2020. She worked for IASB in the Lombard office for 35 years, as an 38  Illinois School Board Journal

Administrative Assistant for the North Cook Region, the Executive Searches Department, and in Joint Annual Conference planning.

William Dale Heal, 93, died April 25, 2020. He served on the Creston CCSD 161 Board of Education for 20 years, including time as president.

Terry Hentze, 82, died April 18, 2020. He was a past member of the High Mount SD 116 school board in Swansea.

Wayne A. Hubbard, 81, died April 26, 2020. He was a past member of the school boards for Washington SD 50 and Washington CHSD 308.

Robert F. Jaskowiak, 92, died April 22, 2020. He was member and president of the Bureau Grade School Board of Education for 40 years George R. Klann, 87, died April 4, 2020. He served on the school board for Freeburg Grade School District 70.

Donald Patrick McCormick, 85, died May 8, 2020. He served on the school board at Pennoyer SD 79 while his seven children attended school there.

George Menton Sr., 93, died May 17, 2020. H was a member and past president of the school board at Elmwood Park CUSD 401.

Victor K. Miller, 98, died April 17. In World War II he drew war maps for the Department of Commerce. He served as a school board member for the former Cherry Hill School District and New Lenox SD 122.

Robert J. Morrison, 70, died April 2, 2020. He was a member

of the LaSalle-Peru High School Board of Education and served on the finance, public relations, and policy committees.

George G. Muller, 83, died April 2, 2020. He was a former member of the school boards for Pleasant View Grade School and Washington High School.

Delbert Delaine Mundt, 91, died April 30, 2020. He was a past member of the Dieterich CUSD 30 Board of Education.

Richard M. Parrish, 85, died in May 2020. He was a member and past president of the Lindop SD 92 school board.

Donald Gene Phillips, 87, died April 17, 2020. He had served on the board of education for Orion CUSD 223.

Jack Piesbergen, 76, died May 6, 2020. He had served as a member of the Collinsville CUSD 10 school board.

Sandra L. Pines, 86, died in April 2020. She worked for 25 years as a Science Editor, for World Book Encyclopedia and Scott Foresman publishing. She served as a member and president of the Winnetka SD 36 school board.

Thomas L Priestley died in May 2020. He was a past member of the Roselle SD 12 Board of Education.

Joseph L. Pudlo Jr., 88, died April 13, 2020. He served on the school board at North Chicago CUSD 187. An active member of the Polish Legion of American Veterans, he authored a book titled The History P.L.A.V. Continued on page 34

A Final Word

Step Up, Step Out, and Lead

By Thomas E. Bertrand

W

When my youngest son recently returned from the University of Illinois, he told me of an experience involving his high school friend and college roommate, Preston, a musically talented engineering student. Preston and his girlfriend were discussing going for a jog. Preston explained that as a young black male, he was afraid to go for a run outside.

When my son told me this story it gave me pause.

Later that week I watched the horrifying video of a Minneapolis police officer killing George Floyd.

My thoughts shifted to my now three-week-old grandson, Lincoln. What kind of world do I want my Lincoln to grow up in? I know that I do not want him to grow up in a country where young men of color can not go for a jog, walk in the park to watch birds, or feel safe when in the presence of the police.

As I told our IASB staff on June 1, issues of hatred and systemic racism can not be solved by only one part of our communities. People who look like me need to step up. People like me who want their grandchildren to grow up in an inclusive, supportive, caring community must step up. We can’t leave these issues to our communities of color to try to solve alone. Those of us who are fortunate to hold positions of influence and privilege in our organizations and communities must step up, step out, and lead.

I recall reading the story of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s efforts to pass the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964. Johnson lacked a political mandate; as vice president he assumed office only after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Johnson faced an election in 11 months. As a former senator from Texas, he risked personal and political relationships in advancing Civil Rights

legislation. Yet he took those great political and personal risks while working tirelessly to get the legislation passed.

After recounting stories of how the segregated South impacted his own staff members, Johnson used a poker analogy to make his point.

... issues of hatred and systemic racism can not be solved by only one part of our communities. People who look like me need to step up.

“There comes a time in every leader’s career, when he has to put in all his stack. I decided to shove in all my stack on this vital measure.”

The nearly 6,000 school board members in Illinois, working on behalf of nearly 2 million public school children, are in a unique position to effect change. You can lead the conversations in your community about equity, access, and opportunity. You can adopt policies to promote practices that will make a difference for every child, and acknowledge when failed policies and practices require a change in direction. You can demonstrate the respect, empathy, and acceptance that we must model for our children and grandchildren.

Now is the time to push in all your stack. Thomas E. Bertrand, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Illinois Association of School Boards.

July/August 2020  39

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IASB•IASA•IASBO Joint Annual Conference November 20-22, 2020 • Chicago Panel Sessions • Training & Development • Exhibits www.iasb.com #ILjac20