Topic: Blog

Our Engaged Classrooms approach for secondary schools offers three key pedagogical frameworks that support increases in equity and the academic success and achievement of every student. They are: Equity-Centered Classrooms, which emphasize culturally responsive and developmentally informed practices that affirm students’ multiple identities, their cultural experiences, and the range of their developmental needs and interests….

Engaging Schools joins those standing collectively against racism. We are horrified by the recent deaths of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor — the latest public atrocities in the more than 400-year history of continuous oppression faced by African Americans. We know that racism is systemic, built into our institutions, and woven…

The Engaging Schools Board of Directors is pleased to present the first Deborah Childs-Bowen Leadership for Equity Award to Dr. Charlos Banks and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools District Code and Task Force Teams. The award was created to honor the life and work of Dr. Deborah Childs-Bowen, who served on our Board for twelve…

The impacts of COVID-19 on students and a national movement for racial justice are compelling many districts to explore ways they can implement supportive and restorative discipline practices as students readjust to in-person classrooms. NBC News covered the story in ‘Growing awareness’: Schools focus new policies on equity with students back in school. One such…

Edna brings over 25 years of experience as a classroom teacher, school administrator, coach, facilitator, consultant, and entrepreneur, with a focus on positive and restorative approaches, school and district culture and climate, and educational equity. She knew as a young child that her life path was to be an educator. She followed in the footsteps…

Carol Miller Lieber, a leader at Engaging Schools for four decades, passed away in her home in late October. Facilitating academic success, healthy development, and postsecondary aspirations for every student were at the heart of her work. Carol got the call to teach when she was just a teenager and it was her driving passion…

The recent wave of school shootings is among the reasons cited for the movement underway in the country to support or expand the use of punishment and exclusion to address behavior concerns. Bills have been introduced in many states that allow educators to suspend more students for reasons like disruptive behavior, making it easier for…

Engaging Schools experienced a significant drop in revenues that began during the pandemic, when many schools were closed for in-person learning. Many districts are still facing severe budget challenges, which are forcing them to make difficult decisions on how to allocate their funds. This situation shows no signs of easing, severely impacting our ability to…

One of the essential questions at the heart of our Engaged Classrooms approach is “How do I foster and sustain strong and supportive personal relationships?” For adolescents, an emotional connection with adults is perhaps the single most important factor for fostering positive development, including higher levels of engagement, motivation, and academic performance. In addition, the…

Deborah Childs-Bowen was a member of the Engaging Schools board of directors for twelve years, serving as its chairperson for seven and a half of those years.  She passed away after a long illness on Dec. 16, 2019. Deborah led the Engaging Schools Board with grace and understanding. She led us through change—we took on a…

We at Engaging Schools were eager to see the final report from the Aspen Institute’s National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development. We wholeheartedly support all of its recommendations. While all are in our wheelhouse, we’d like to highlight one in particular: “Change instruction to teach students social, emotional, and cognitive skills; embed these…

Engaging Schools continues to support school districts across the country to reduce the use, overuse, and disproportional use of punishment and exclusion, and maximize supports and opportunities for all students. As part of this work, we are partnering with a growing number of school districts to revise (or create) their codes of conduct, which we…

We invite you to learn about embedding social and emotional learning (SEL) in high school classrooms through a free, 30-minute webinar which we presented in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Engaging Schools provides a rationale for integrating academic, social, and emotional learning and support in every classroom as the foundation of…

Facilitation Tips for Discussing Tough Topics with Students (Adapted from Engaging Schools’ The Advisory Guide, https://bit.ly/2CR4FiW) Tough topics arise. They may concern cliques, a drinking-and-driving incident, or national events like mass shootings. Students know what is happening and their concerns can easily show in their behavior or mood. Here are some facilitation tips for hard…

In the context of looking at existing beliefs that can lead to over-suspension, over-referral, and stubborn disproportionality in school discipline, we need to consider different kinds of bias, both implicit and explicit, which can get in the way of building an accountable, restorative school culture based on shared values. As Executive Director Larry Dieringer said…

A recent op-ed and a law professor’s rebuttal offer a glimpse into current tension around the US Department of Education’s position on schoolwide discipline. Background: In 2014 the US Department of Education (DoE) sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to all states and districts advising them that they were vulnerable to federal investigation if they did…

The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center has released a new report, Realizing the Full Vision of School Discipline Reform: A Framework for Statewide Change, which documents how five states have reduced their reliance on suspensions while moving toward a more comprehensive vision of school discipline reform—one that ensures that efforts to limit disciplinary…

The following resources are once again relevant to recent events. The National Association of School Psychologists’ guidelines for helping students cope with terrorism and other kinds of mass violence provides support for adults in schools. Here is an excerpt: “Upper middle school and high school students will have strong and varying opinions about the causes…

Engaging schools is pleased to announce a new white paper, Embedding Social and Emotional Learning in High School Classrooms, to help districts and schools meet the challenges of implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) in high schools. Drawing on more than 20 years’ experience working with secondary school leaders and classroom teachers, we advocate that…

Thanks to the Massachusetts Teachers Association and others for collecting these resources to help adults in schools as they respond to hate and bigotry with their students and peers. “Seven ways that teachers can respond to the evil of Charlottesville, starting now” https://www.alternet.org/teachers-respond-charlottesville “The first thing teachers should do when school starts is talk about…

Our board of directors includes many educators with deep experience as practitioners and researchers. One is Jenny Nagaoka, who – along with John Gomperts of America’s Promise Alliance – recently published a commentary in Education Week citing ways to help more students finish high school. Jenny is the Deputy Director of the University of Chicago…

Since it was released last year, Shifting Gears: Recalibrating Schoolwide Discipline and Student Support has been an important, hands-on resource for hundreds of school and district leaders working on school climate, culture and discipline matters. Now Shifting Gears has received a positive review from the highly regarded Teachers College Record: “Shifting Gears is a text…

Engaging Schools has gathered the following resources that we hope will be helpful to you in supporting civil discourse, respect, and a positive environment for all students as you respond with them to the aftermath of the election, and as you facilitate discussions related to events as they unfold. We will provide additional resources as…

Engaging Schools joined over 300 other signatories in a Call to Action submitted on June 1 to the US Department of Education (DOE) advocating for practices that reach and teach the whole child. The DOE is supporting states in implementing the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act. The Call to Action emphasizes the importance of…

Engaging Schools’ Carol Miller Lieber and Michele Tissiere published “Recalibrating Climate, Culture, and Discipline“ in Principal Leadership, a publication of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. And Larry Dieringer participated in a roundtable discussion covered in a special section on school discipline and expulsion in the same issue.

Recently, Engaging Schools staff and board members gathered to celebrate Shelley Berman’s 32 years of continuous service to our organization, and his transition from active to emeritus member of our board of directors. He’s currently interim superintendent of schools in Andover MA. See Shelley’s website for some of his writings and other information about his…

Dan and Larry wrap up their conversation about developing equitable, supportive, and restorative systems of school discipline by discussing how districts can start making changes. They touch on leadership and teams, and touch on SEL and social context as well. See previous installments here. Larry: If a district wants to do something, what are some…

In this part of the conversation between Dan Losen and Larry Dieringer based on their shared focus on developing and sustaining equitable, supportive, and restorative systems of school discipline, they touch on policy, the role of police, and how data shines light on the problem and solutions. See previous installments here. Larry: What Federal and/or…

Here’s another installment of Dan and Larry’s discussion based on their shared focus on developing and sustaining equitable, supportive, and restorative systems of school discipline. They talk about challenges including the status quo, lack of professional development, teacher preparation, and structural racism and inequity. See previous installments here. Larry: What generally do you see as…

In this installment of Dan and Larry’s discussion based on their shared focus on developing and sustaining equitable, supportive, and restorative systems of school discipline, they cover remedies and approaches to the problem. See previous installments here. Larry: In your book, you talk about specific remedies that have begun to generate evidence of impact and success….

In this part of Dan and Larry’s discussion, they talk about the importance of understanding adolescent development and how fear and stereotyping can play into disproportionate discipline.  See previous installments here. Larry: In our work we talk about both developmental and cultural competence. Among people who work with adolescents, there may be a lack of…

In this second part of their wide-ranging conversation, Larry and Dan talk about the importance of professional development, support, and cultural awareness in reducing suspensions, and some of the pitfalls that can take place when those are not present. Larry: We see a lot of districts revising their codes of conduct. One of the most…

Engaging Schools’ Executive Director Larry Dieringer sat down for a chat with Dr. Daniel Losen, Director of the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at The Civil Rights Project at UCLA. Dan is also the author and editor of influential studies and books about school discipline, most recently Closing the School Discipline Gap: Equitable Remedies for Excessive Exclusion. Larry…

Education Week reports that starting in 2017, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will include measures of motivation, mindset, and other noncognitive factors. According to Education Week: The background survey will include five core areas—grit, desire for learning, school climate, technology use, and socioeconomic status—of which the first two focus on a student’s noncognitive skills, and the third looks…

Those who are in or who can get to the Boston area may want to register for the Social-Emotional Learning Alliance for Massachusetts (SAM) Fourth Annual Spring Conference, “Social-Emotional Learning: The Core of Academic Success and Safe, Resilient Communities.” This conference will take place on May 27, 2015, 9:30 am-4:30 pm, with a special pre-conference ceremony at…

This week, DoSomething has partnered with Dignity in Schools for a week of action to amplify the stories of inequitable, discriminatory, and inappropriate school discipline. Unfolding on the web and Twitter (follow the #Suspended4WHAT hashtag), this action shares stories gathered from students nationwide about how disciplinary actions with sometimes terrible consequences followed minor actions. Here’s today’s…

We are expanding our professional services capacity to add an experienced professional to our staff to help us provide responsive, high quality services. The Director of Professional Services will direct Engaging Schools’ professional services operations as part of a two-person leadership team. The Director of Professional Services will manage relationships with high priority clients, manage our consultants, represent us at…

Engaging Schools was one of the organizations recognized by Eastern Bank at its annual Community Quarterback awards ceremony. We were honored for our work helping the Eugene Wright Academy, a middle school in Chelsea, MA, address schoolwide discipline and student support, a project supported by Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation. The awards ceremony included legendary football quarterback Doug Flutie…

“The Economic Value of Social and Emotional Learning,” authored by Clive Belfield, Brooks Bowden, Alli Klapp, Henry Levin, Robert Shand, and Sabine Zander, was released last month by the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. This report looks at results from several prominent social-emotional learning (SEL) programs in order to…

We debuted our new name and look at the ASCD 70th Annual Conference and Exhibition in Houston, TX. From March 20-23, Director of Marketing Denise Wolk met hundreds of teachers, administrators, and school leaders interested in our work in the areas of schoolwide discipline and student support, classroom management and instruction, and student advisory programs. Engaging…

On Tuesday, March 3, Engaging Schools Executive Director Larry Dieringer played a key role in “From the Police Precinct to the Principal’s Office: The Challenges Facing School Districts One Year After the Release of Federal School Discipline Guidance,” a Congressional briefing that explored changes underway and challenges remaining more than a year after the U.S. Departments…

“You Can’t Fix What You Don’t Look At: Acknowledging Race in Addressing Racial Discipline Disparities,” by Prudence Carter, Russell Skiba, Mariella Arredondo, and Mica Pollock, is the fifth in a series of briefing papers published by the Discipline Disparities Research-to-Practice Collaborative. Based at Indiana University and supported by The Atlantic Philanthropies and Open Society Foundation,…

Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, a member of our national advisory board since soon after our founding, passed away on February 26 at age 97. President of the University of Notre Dame from 1952 to 1987, Rev. Hesburgh was one of the nation’s most influential figures in education, civil rights, and other national and international affairs. Father Ted was…

On Tuesday, March 3, Engaging Schools Executive Director Larry Dieringer will participate in “From the Police Precinct to the Principal’s Office: The Challenges Facing School Districts One Year After the Release of Federal School Discipline Guidance,” a Congressional briefing exploring changes underway more than a year after the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice released guidance…

We’re pleased to share the latest Engaging Schools annual report, created for and shared with our donors in print form earlier this year. We’re making it more widely available as a useful overview of our recent work. This annual report contains news about our organization’s name change, our collaboration in Syracuse, NY with district and community…

Engaged Classrooms, one of our core professional services, offers an approach to instruction, classroom management, and discipline that fosters academic, social, and emotional learning and development in each and every student. In order to expand access to our work, we’re pleased to offer the Engaged Classrooms: Learning and Teaching for Rigor, Creativity, and Ownership workshop….

Anning S. Prall Intermediate School, Magnet School with Applied Learning with Technology Integration–located in Staten Island, New York and better known as IS27–is a diverse middle school serving more than 1,100 students. In 2013, IS27’s leaders started partnering with Engaging Schools to increase student engagement in classrooms to improve student behavior and raise achievement. Engaging Schools consultant M.J….

From time to time, we share a snapshot the ways schools and districts are working with Engaging Schools. Today, let’s visit Anchorage, Alaska, where for more than 25 years, Engaging Schools has been supporting teachers and leaders in the Anchorage School District to integrate academics with social and emotional learning (SEL) for almost 48,000 students in more than 100 schools and…

Through an initiative that started in New York City and is spreading to metropolitan areas nationwide, seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students able to produce a school ID or report card will be able to see the movie “Selma” at no charge. Recently released to great critical acclaim and some controversy, “Selma” focuses on events in…

Since its release in the fall of 2013, Activators: Classroom Strategies for Engaging Students in Middle and High School has been one of our best-sellers. As you gear up to go back into the classroom after what we hope was a restful winter break, we’re sharing Chapter Four of Activators as a free download. This chapter, Foundational…