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OSSI’s monthly newsletter provides accessible resources and connects readers to best practices at the state, regional, and local level that are improving student outcomes. Do you have a story to share? Let us know about it!
Welcome to the Office of System and School Improvement Newsletter!
FOCUS: Engagement
Greg Williamson, Director, Office of Youth Engagement, Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Student engagement in learning and educational change management can look different depending on the role that the student enacts: in their own learning; supporting the learning of another student; teaching adults; advising change management or program improvement processes; working on policy change; or other roles. Student engagement that is meaningful and effective holds at its core the act of listening and then responding.
Infants and toddlers look to their caregivers’ faces in order to make meaning, and that exchange of attention is characterized by “serve and return” ....Continue Reading Here
Resources to fuel your further exploration of these ideas:
Learn the basics of youth engagement and the impact it can have on youth and adults, by listening to firsthand experience from youth who are training the adults in their lives on strategies for inclusive decision making and motivation.
Check out these Student Engagement Resources provided by the Department of Children, Youth and Families(DCYF).
Engaged vs Enraged rubric for teachers, created by students. Engaged vs Enraged rubric for students, created by students.
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Watch Now: I Have a Voice
Family Engagement
Learn from students and professionals about how to engage students and families in meaningful ways, by listening to this webinar from REL West; Strategies for Educators to Support the Social and Emotional Needs of Students Impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic and the Demand for Racial Justice
Engaging Parents and Students from Diverse Populations in the Context of Distance Learning- webinar from West Ed
Representatives from Rochester, Wahluke and West Valley School District in Yakima share specific examples of how they are engaging Multilingual Families in this webinar.
Best Practices for Using Technology with Multilingual Families Toolkit | Spanish
Subscribe to Parent and Family Engagement updates from OSIP here
Engaging students in an equitable and culturally responsive manner:
Culturally Responsive Leading and Learning: Addressing Equity Through Student and Family Voice
Thinking about Social Justice through Crafts and Conversation
How to be an Antiracist Educator
Hart's Ladder
Roger Hart’s 'Ladder of Participation' explores the eight different levels of youth engagement and decision- making power. The ladder is designed to explain the different levels of youth engagement, from manipulation to shared decision making.
View Hart's Ladder here
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The Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL), provides various resources to help students and adults promote and support student engagement and leadership. Their website has all kinds of resources on it, including this one about how to build positive relationships. Other resources like the Student Equity Cohort, created by students provides ideas on how to engage and listen to student’s thoughts and ideas more. This document also shows how student leadership fits into the AWSP Leadership Framework.
Find additional questions about youth voice and student engagement on the survey here.
Want to engage student voices in your youth-serving program?
The national center for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Student Voice Practice Brief shares real-world examples of including students in PBIS decision-making. From fully student-led problem-solving to adult-initiated and student-assigned decisions, these examples are great models for engaging students in making decisions for any program that serves them.
Authentic Family Engagement: It's More than a Pizza
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The National Center for Youth Opportunity and Justice (NCYOJ) aims to improve life opportunities for youth through systems and practice improvement initiatives. This episode of their podcast addresses the fear and power imbalances that can impact relationships between parents and system stakeholders such as school personnel and behavioral health providers. A parent and practitioners offer concrete suggestions about how these barriers can be overcome and explain the power of authentic family engagement rooted in strong relationships, humility, and understanding. |
Upcoming Events You Won't Want to Miss!
GATE Equity Webinars
November 12 | 10:00am|3:00pm
Engagement 101: Foundations of Tribal Sovereignty
Engagement 201: Promising Practices in Native Education
See the GATE Equity Webinar page for links to join.
Special guests from Office of Native Education, Nisqually Tribe, Chief Kitsap Academy, and North Thurston School District.
Calling All Alternative Learning Leaders!
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Please join your colleagues in quarterly network meeting focused on advancing understanding of best practices and collaborating with colleagues.
Network dates: Join Zoom Meeting |
November 23rd , 9:00-10:30 am
January 25th , 9:00-10:30 am
March 22nd , 9:00-10:30 am
May 24th , 9:00-10:30 am
For more information, contact Dixie Grunenfelder, OSSI K12 Supports Director
OSPI-WSAC Wednesday Webinars: December 2nd * 1-2:30pm Supporting Seniors’ Financial Aid Decisions and Student Loan Education The next webinar in this series will focus on helping students and families better understand financial aid and their rights/responsibilities as student loan borrowers.
Register now and visit OSPI’s Career and College Readiness webpage for more information.
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Dr. Michaela Miller is OSPI's Deputy Superintendent. Dr. Miller is a voracious reader and learner on all things public education! This special feature will offer you some insight into what is on her mind.
Listen Now:
Episode #93: Making the Grade
Tips for Change Management with Christine
What we're reading:
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Trauma Stewardship, An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
A longtime trauma worker, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky offers a deep and empathetic survey of the often-unrecognized toll taken on those working to make the world a better place. We may feel tired, cynical, or numb or like we can never do enough. These, and other symptoms, affect us individually and collectively, sapping the energy and effectiveness we so desperately need if we are to benefit humankind, other living things, and the planet itself.
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Complex Trauma Spectrum & COVID-19
The Complex Trauma Spectrum During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Threat for Children and Adolescents’ Physical and Mental Health
A letter to the editor published in the Journal of Psychiatry Research. The letter covers complex trauma for youth during COVID and proposals on how systems could/should be attempt to mitigate it.
Students and families you serve may be facing exceptional hardships, and may be having difficulty in addressing needs normally provided by the school, such as food, mental health and, of course, education. Check & Connect (C&C) mentors have helped keep thousands of students on track toward graduation. C&C is the only dropout prevention intervention listed on the IES What Works Clearinghouse found to have positive effects on staying in school. Check & Connect website | Contact Krissy Johnson with questions
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The Washington World Fellows (WWF) global leadership program is once again accepting applications! The WWF program combines study abroad, college readiness, and leadership training. If it is safe to travel in summer 2021, up to 15 students will complete 6 weeks of study at the University of Léon in Spain. The entire fellowship, including airfare, is administered at no cost to students and their families.
Eligibility criteria: students must be in the 10th grade, have basic Spanish language competency, and be nominated by their teachers, counselors, or mentors by December 7th, 2020.
For more information about the program, please visit waworldfellows.org. If you have additional questions, please email, amy@washingtonleaders.org or call the Lt. Governor’s office at (360) 786-7700
Zoom regularly provides new versions of the Zoom desktop client and mobile app to release new features and fix bugs. We strongly recommend upgrading to the latest version once it is available. You can also check which version you're currently running. Some new features include: the ability to choose your own breakout room, improvements on your virtual backgrounds, as well as the addition of fun, unique filters. You’ll need the most recent updates for that functionality – be sure to maintain your Zoom account updates!
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