Tuscaloosa Whole Child: A Roadmap for Sustainable School and Community Transformation
(Room 207 A second floor)
05 Nov 25
11:45 AM
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12:45 PM
Tracks:
Advancing Equity for Students with Disabilities
The Whole Child approach is a systematic blueprint for sustainable change in children, citizens, and communities. This approach was developed 15 years ago as a blueprint to promote long-term development and success of all children. The Whole Child approach has been endorsed by the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, Science of Learning and Development Alliance, Learning Policy Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ASCD, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Tacoma Whole Child was highlighted in a recent cover story in Newsweek in addition to the How Learning Happens video series published by Edutopia, including how to create a seamless whole community system of support in and outside of school. Four years into implementation, Tuscaloosa Whole Child is transforming the lives of youth and adults in all schools in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Tuscaloosa Whole Child offers a decade-long roadmap for school and community transformation that leads to youth success. We describe three aspects of the Tuscaloosa Whole Child model: (a) the need for a public health approach to sustainable, community-wide change targeting the whole child; (b) a clear, future-oriented vision for equipping educators, caregivers, and service providers with the skills and attitudes required to deliver high-quality instruction; and (c) the infusion of social and emotional learning practices to transform environments in which youth move and live. We provide examples of how schools, communities, and families can come together to create a common culture fostering stable and nurturing relationships essential for enhancing youth well-being. We close with recommended “super strategies”—low-cost, simple, and effective practices that can be broadly implemented to keep every child safe, supported, engaged, healthy, and challenged in the community at large.