Kelso School District
Longview Public Schools
Director of Student Services Don Iverson
Superintendent Dan Zorn
We are teaching what you need... According to a survey of 704 employers conducted by The Chronicle of Higher Education and American Public Media’s Marketplace, half of those businesses surveyed said they had trouble finding recent graduates to fill vacancies in their companies; even though applicants had the technical skills, the candidates lacked the communication, adaptability, decision-making, and problem-solving skills needed to do the job. In order for students to achieve success in school, career, and life, they must be taught social and emotional skills alongside learning reading, math, and science. Having social and emotional learning curricula embedded in our instruction provides a key to workforce development by explicitly teaching the social and emotional skills that employers are seeking. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)1 defines social and emotional learning as “the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to understand and manage emotions, set and accomplish positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.” Barnes Elementary School in North Kelso is a model school for its work in the area of school climate and social and emotional learning. Barnes has led the way in teaching social and emotional learning skills within their classrooms to implicitly teach students selfawareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making so their students can manage their behaviors, understand and relate to the perspectives of others, and make sound personal and social choices. These skills complement academic learning and meet any of the employability needs identified by business leaders. Research shows that when we teach children social and emotional skills in their time at school, children’s success in school, career, and life improves. For instance, kindergarteners with strong social and emotional skills are more likely to graduate from high school and college and have stable, full-time employment while being less likely to commit crimes, be on public assistance, and have drug, alcohol, and mental health problems. We also know that when we implicitly teach social and emotional skills to students we see a more positive attitude toward oneself and others and more positive social behaviors and relationships with peers and adults. In the long run, greater social and emotional competence can increase the likelihood of high school graduation, readiness for postsecondary education, career success, positive family and work relationships, better mental health, reduced criminal behavior, and engaged citizenship. Social and emotional learning and employability skills benefit business by helping provide qualified job candidates and helping workers maintain and thrive in their positions. Self-motivation, time manFor more Kelso Schools, see page 19 18 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2018
Some good news for our schools Longview Public Schools have much to be proud of as our staff and students continue to demonstrate exemplary performance and achievement in a multitude of areas. Within the past several weeks, we received more great news related to the programs and services provided our students. The College Board which oversees Advanced Placement programs in the US and Canada recently recognized our district’s Advanced Placement efforts by placing our district on the eighth annual AP District Honor Roll. We are one of only 447 districts in the U.S. and Canada to have received this honor and one of only eight recognized in the state. Districts are recognized for their efforts in opening AP classroom doors to a significantly-broader pool of students while maintaining or improving student success rates. Columbia Heights, Columbia Valley Gardens, Robert Gray and St. Helens Elementary Schools and Mt. Solo Middle School joined secondyear recipient Mark Morris High School as this year’s National Healthy Schools Bronze Award winner. Our schools are among the approximate 300 schools nationwide recognized for their efforts to improve the health and fitness of the students they serve. For the third consecutive year, R.A. Long High School has been named a Washington School of Distinction. This award has been granted as a result of R.A. Long’s continuing success in significantly increasing graduation rates. R. A. Long is one of 27 schools in the state to be recognized after posting a 94.3 percent graduation rate for 2017. Last, but not least, our district was notified by Governor Inslee that we have been recognized as one of Washington’s Gold Star Schools for our efforts to make the Washington College Bound Scholarship available to our middle school students. This program was created in 2007 to provide state financial aid to low-income students who may not consider college a possibility due to the cost. The scholarship covers tuition (at comparable public college rates), some fees, and a small book allowance. While the statewide sign-up average is 71 percent, two of our schools signed up more than 78 percent of their eligible students.
Rose Valley Executive Rental Contact Brenda at 360-430-7330 or email: bcourser@msn.com