2012 Grantee TA Symposium: Merging School Climate in Pursuit of Academic Excellence

The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (OESE) Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS) convened the 2012 Grantee Technical Assistance Symposium on "Merging School Climate in the Pursuit of Academic Excellence" on April 11-12, 2012 in Chicago, IL.

Focus: The 2012 symposium was focused on improving school climate in pursuit of academic excellence through effective program implementation, sustainability, fidelity, and collaboration.

Objectives:
• Provide technical assistance to grantees on the implementation of programs within a 3-tiered framework
• Provide grantees opportunity to learn lessons from other grantee experiences on implementing programs effectively
• Provide grantees opportunity to plan improved coordination between ED efforts to improve school climate and academic achievement
• Meet with grantees to address technical needs of the grant and plan for improved implementation

Audience: Grantees supported under the Safe and Supportive Schools Program; Building State Capacity Program; Partnerships in Character Education Program; approved Title IV State Grant Program and other state coordinators.

Materials from this event, including presentations and related resources, are below.

Opening Remarks

Michael Yudin, Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (U.S. Department of Education)

Supporting the Achievement of Academic Outcomes (Plenary)

Roger Weissberg, President and CEO, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Rob Horner, Co-Director, Center on Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS)

Presentation Slides:
SEL and PBIS - Supporting The Achievement of Academic Outcomes: Parts 1 & 3 (PDF)
SEL and PBIS - Supporting The Achievement of Academic Outcomes: Parts 2 & 4 (PDF)

Effective Implementation of Programmatic Interventions

Andrea Alexander, Project Director, Maryland S3, Maryland State Department of Education (SSS)
Jo Ann Burkholder, Student Assistance Systems Coordinator, Virginia Department of Education (BSC, Title IV)

Presentation Slides:
Management, Evaluation and Implementation of Maryland’s S3 Initiative (PDF)
Virginia: Effective Implementation of Programmatic Interventions (PDF)  

Fidelity of Implementation

Carol McElvain, Director, Afterschool and Expanded learning Programs; Specialist for 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program (Title IV)

Presentation Slides:
Laying the Foundation: A Discussion on Moving Fidelity of Implementation from Compliance to Capacity Building (PDF)

Implementing Programs that Ensure School Safety and Academic Success

Cyndy Erickson, IS3 Co-Director, Iowa Department of Education (SSS)
Don Chapman, Assistant Director, Office of Healthy Students, West Virginia Department of Education (SSS)

Presentation Slides:
Iowa S3 Program Planning Efforts (PDF)
West Virginia: Safe and Supportive Schools Initiative (PDF)  

Building and Maintaining Program Partnerships (Panel)

David Osher, Principal Investigator, National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, Or At Risk (NDTAC)
Barbara Shaw, Chair, Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership
Sandy Crawford, Project Director, Safe Schools/Healthy Students, Alton Community United School District #11, Illinois
Ami Flammini, Technical Assistance Director, Illinois PBIS Network (PCEP)

Presentation Slides:
NDTAC: Building and Maintaining Program Partnerships (PDF)
Creating a Positive School Climate through Community and School Partnerships (PDF)

Sustainability

Kent Reed, Project Director, Kansas Department of Education (PCEP)
Jennifer Anthony, Technical Assistant Specialist, Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative
Sandy Keenan, Technical Assistance Lead, Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative

Presentation Slides:
Sustaining School Climate and Culture (PDF)
Planning for Sustainability (PDF)

Related Resources:
Sustainability Planning Worksheet (PDF)
Fiscal Sustainability Worksheet (PDF)  

Building a Community of Practice

Greta Colombi, TA Task Leader, National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk (NDTAC)
Debra Grabill, Activity Leader, IDEA Partnership and the Behavioral Health Community of Practice

Presentation Slides:
Building Learning Communities to Sustain Program Efforts (PDF)
Sustaining Programs through Communities of Practice (PDF)  

Sustaining Innovations (Plenary)

Jeanne Century, Director of Science Education, Research and Evaluation for University of Chicago’s Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education (CEMSE)

Presentation Slides:
Sustaining Innovations (PDF)

Additional Resources:

Civil Rights Data Collection: 2009-10 Data Summary Report (PDF)
School Climate Literature (PDF)
Resources to Support Improved School Climate (PDF)
Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment on Our Nation's School Buses (Training Modules)
Building State Capacity for Preventing Youth Substance Use and Violence (BSC) Program
Partnerships in Character Education Program
Office of School Turnaround
Title I, Part D: Summary of the Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk
Title IV: Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act State Grants