What's New From the Center?
2024 – Over the previous years, our analyses of prevailing school improvement legislation, planning, and literature have
delineated fundamental deficiencies, especially with respect to enhancing equity of opportunity and closing the achievement gap.
Families of Schools
Please share widely.
Access to previous issues of this resource are
online at
https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/newsarchive.html
*Access previous issues of this resource
online at
>https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/practitioner.htm
Examples of previous discussions
>A teacher asks:What can teachers do to support mental health of students in classrooms?
As
schools recover from the pandemic, there are opportunities to move forward
in making essential changes.
With this in mind,
a major facet of our work in 2024 is to focus school improvement policy and planning on:
(1) moving school improvement from a two- to a three-component policy and practice framework (That is, expanding from a primary focus on instruction and management/government concerns to fully integrate a third primary component directly concerned with improving how schools address barriers to learning and teaching.)
For details see the resources listed below.
(2) integrating a deep understanding of motivation – especially intrinsic motivation and personalized teaching
(3) reframing of remediation and special education emphasizing personalized special assistance that is applied in and out of classrooms and practiced in a sequential and hierarchical manner.
(4) transforming student and learning supports into a unified, comprehensive, and equitable system designed to address barriers to learning and teaching and re-engage disconnected students and families.
(5) reworking the leadership structure for whole school improvement
(6) enhancing school-community collaboration by establishing a collaborative operational infrastructure that enables weaving together resources to address shared concerns
(7) expanding the framework for school accountability
(8) providing guidance for substantive, scalable, and sustainable systemic changes
Quarterly e-Journal
Addressing Barriers to Learning.
Community of Practice --
"Weekly Practitioner"
https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/practitioner.htm
3/20/24
>How can schools strengthen students' respect for each other?
>What's are schools planning for the rapidly approaching summer?
>Links to a few other relevant shared resources
Each issue of the Practitioner provides Links to other relevant shared resources
>Who are opportunity youth?
>Trying to address absenteeism? Transform student/learning supports!
>FYI: State education guides on the use of artificial intelligence in schools
>Classrooms that address absenteeism
>Changing the Learning Environment to Enhance Student Engagement
>How should schools address gun violence?
>Addressing the Student Mental Health Crisis: Some Major Concerns
>How are schools reengaging disconnected students (and families)?
>Students' concerns about seeking mental health help
>After-school programs are essential transition supports
>Addressing the social determinants of chronic absenteeism
>Support for peer-rejected students
>About Student Voice, Participation, and Support
>About Student Empathy and the Holiday Season
>Enhancing teacher/staff well being and retention
>What can schools do when problems are so severe?
>Natural Opportunities for Enhancing Social and Emotional Development
>What is authentic community service?
>School board member asks: Why can't all students be mentors?
>How are schools welcoming immigrant & other newcomer
students and families?
>Can schools counter hate?
>What's the current state of student supports? the future?
>Community Schools and MTSS Provide a Platform for
Transforming Student/Learning Supports
>Teachers Can't and Shouldn't be Expected to Do it Alone
>New insights into risk and enhancing resiliency
>TikTok as a public health tool?
>About threat assessment
>Interventions to promote attendance before it becomes a problem
>Free activities for summer learning and enrichment
>School board member responds to MH in Schools: Moving Beyond the Emergency
>Colleague asks: How to measure school mental health success?
>About reducing teacher burnout
>Interchange about "Screening Students for Problems: Testing Often is Not Needed"
>What's next for a district ready to transform student/learning supports?
>Peer to Peer support for teen mental health
>Engaging and reengaging students -- featuring an effort by Pinellas County to
"get middle schools right"
>About mental health in schools as a platform for transforming
student/learning supports
>What problems arise when additional MH professionals are brought into a school?
>About Developing Kindness and Compassion & Promoting MH
>Time for Straight Talk about Mental Health Services and MH in Schools
>Evolving Community Schools and Transforming Student/Learning Supports
>How are various sources of funding being braided to improve/transform
student/learning supports?
>How should schools improve discipline practices?
ENEWS*
Also
Recent Hot Topics & Issues & Commentaries
Net Exchange
The Center offers a variety of informal and formal ways to interact and network with the Center and colleagues around the country.