Creating Nurturing School Programs

Presented by

Dr. Edna Olive Executive Director, ROCKET, Inc.

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A Definition of Nurture

To promote the development of To provide support & encouragement

To bring up and educate Upbringing, training, breeding

Nurturing

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The Nurturing Program practices:

Community-building Inclusiveness vs. exclusiveness The spirit of acceptance A focus on strength vs. weaknesses The cultivation of relationships Nurturance Discipline vs. punishment Conflict resolution

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Notice•Student profiles

•Policies and procedures •Curriculum

•Methodologies•Staff performance

•Programs & activities•Mission

Network•Staff

•Students•Parents

• Organizations•Community leaders•School districts &

administrators•Resources ($)

Negotiate•Honestly•Regularly

•Collectively•Comprehensively

•Patiently•Boldly

Navigate•Relationships

•Facilities•Operating practices•Gaps in knowledge

•Provision of resources•The written word

Nurturing

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The Critical Components of theNurturing Program

The parent

experience

The community-at-largeexperience

The staff

experience

The student

experience

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Behavioral Belongingness &Spirit

VocationalAcademic

Contributions

The Student The Student ExperienceExperience

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The Student Experience

Central Question: Are the students’ needs being met?

AcademicBelongingness

& SpiritContributions Vocational Behavioral

appropriate curriculum: age, level, interest

flexible scheduling

alternative programming

relevant to students’ lives

instruction by experts

“brain” friendly

interests & strengths assessments

plans for post-secondary living

“hands-on” experiences

areas/careers of interest

tangible end products

readily available assistance & guidance

resolution vs. confrontation

consistency & fairness

written & regularly discussed expectations

acceptance vs. rejection

realistic & authentic forums

valued vs. de-valued

opportunities for interaction with adults

part of a decision-making body

visible & attributed to students

known vs. anonymous

activities that focus on helping others

regular opportunities to experience community

encouragement to identify one’s life purpose

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Self-Evaluation

Belongingness &Value

Training and Development

The Staff ExperienceThe Staff Experience

Contributions

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The Staff ExperienceCentral Question:

Does the staff believe in the philosophy, mission & goals of the school?

Self-EvaluationContributions Belongingness

&ValueTraining

& Development

comprehensive preparation for effective performance

on-going development

expert training

related to need as expressed by staff

changes as need changes

valued vs. de-valued

part of the decision-making body

attributed to staff

authentic & regular forums for input

inclusive vs. exclusive

known vs. unknown

authentic relationships

recognition of efforts & accomplishments

acceptance of all

regular opportunities for community- building

honest

on-going

action- oriented

comprehensive

realistic

owned by all

organized & meaningful

hopeful

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Value of the school to the parents

The ParentThe Parent ExperienceExperience

Value of the parentsto the school

Belongingness

Contributions

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The Parent Experience

Central Question: Do parents believe in the school?

Value of the parents to the school

Value of the school to the parents Contributions Belongingness

school assists parents in attaining their goals for their children

provides resources & services needed by parents

offers suggestions regarding issues related to children

consistent & genuine involvement

invitation to participate in the school’s activities

regularly participates & contributes to the school’s functioning offers resources

contributes to the school’s mission & goals for their children

known vs. anonymous

regular opportunities to be a part of the school community

consistent invitations to form relationships; “out-reach”

acceptance of all

valued vs. de-valued

part of the decision- making body

visible & attributed to parents

authentic & regular forums for input

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Awareness

RelationshipsValue of the school

to the community-at-large

The The Community-at-Large Community-at-Large

ExperienceExperience

Value of the community-at-large

to the school

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The Community-at-Large Experience

Central Question:

Does the community-at-large support the efforts of the school?

AwarenessValue of the community-

at-large to the school RelationshipsValue of the school to

the community-at-large

integrated & active part of the community

shared resources

acceptance of all community residents

invitation to the community to participate in the school’s activities

invitation to participate in the community’s activities

shared resources

contributions to the school’s mission & goals

community efforts are visible to the school i.e., parents, students, staff

reciprocal

visible

supportive

meaningful

meet the needs of the school & community

flexible & dynamic

information is shared

expertise of the community is solicited

school shares its goals with the community

school personnel is familiar & visible to the community

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Measurements of Success for

The Nurturing Program

ParentalInvolvement

Student Attendance,Participation,

Behavior, and Belonging

How Are We

Doing?

CommunitySupport &

Involvement

StaffRecruitmen

t&

Retention

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The Nurturing Program honest

communication self-examination the spirit of peace &

community integration &

inclusion celebration & delight graceful fighting individuals of

integrity flow of leadership single-minded

commitment

16M. S. Peck. The Different Drum: Community Making & Peace

“Community is and must be inclusive. The great enemy of community is exclusivity. Communities do not ask ‘How can we justify taking this person in?’ Instead the question is ‘Is it all justifiable to keep this person out?’ Community, like marriage, requires that we hang in there when the going gets a little rough. It requires a certain degree of commitment. An important aspect of the realism of community deserves mention: humility. Begin to appreciate each others’ gifts, and you begin to appreciate your own limitations. As a group of people does these things--as they become a community--they become more and more humble, not only as individuals but also as a group. From which kind of group would you expect a wise, realistic decision: an arrogant one, or a humble one? Among the reasons that a community is humble and hence realistic is that it is contemplative. It examines itself. It is self-aware. It knows itself. The essential goal of contemplation is increased awareness of the world outside oneself, the world inside oneself, and the relationship between the two. Self-examination is the key to insight, which is the key to wisdom. The community-building process requires self-examination from the beginning. And as the members become thoughtful about themselves they also learn to become increasingly thoughtful about the group. ‘How are we doing?’ they begin to ask with greater and greater frequency. ‘Are we still on target? Are we a healthy group? Have we lost the spirit?’ No community can expect to be in perpetual good health. What a genuine community does do, however, is recognize its ill health when it occurs and quickly take appropriate action to heal itself. Conversely, groups that never learn to be contemplative either donot become community in the first place or else rapidly and permanently disintegrate.”

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Group Activity: Evaluate Your Program for its

Nurturing Potential

1. Do you believe that your program is nurturing? Why or why not?

2. If yes, what is the most prevalent factor that contributes to your program being nurturing ?

3. If no, what is the most prevalent factor that prevents your program from being nurturing?

4. What are the areas in which your program can improve its ability or begin its efforts to nurture?

5. What do you see as the next step(s) for your program to improve or begin its nurturing efforts?

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Next Steps and Possible Outcomes

Next Steps Decide how active you want to be. Evaluate your program. Commit resources (persons, $,

time, etc.) to creating a nurturing program.

Identify the persons (students, staff, parents, community leaders, etc.) who will play a key role in your program.

Create an action plan based on the evaluation.

Begin the process of nurturing!

Possible Outcomes

Decrease in drop-out rate Increase in student attendance Increase in student participation Increase in parent participation Increase in staff retention Community support Increase in positive behaviors Fulfillment of mission and goals Increase in student academic

performance