Planning

In an effort to place concrete, ready-to-implement SEL strategies in the hands of more educators, more quickly, The Center for Educational Effectiveness recently released an online training course taught by SEL specialist, Dr. Greg Benner from the University of Alabama. Research shows that SEL not only improves student achievement by an average of 11 percentile points, but it also increases prosocial behaviors (such as kindness, sharing and empathy), improves student attitudes toward school, and reduces depression and stress among students (Durlak et al., 2011). In the six-module SEL training, called THE WHOLE EDUCATOR SERIES, Dr. Benner asserts that the many benefits of implementing strong SEL strategies don’t end with the students, but can be of vast benefit to educators themselves, decreasing their own stress levels and potential for burnout - a critical point given that job-related stress is the primary reason for 43% of educators leaving teaching before and during the pandemic (RAND Corp., 2021).

Wed Nov 10 07:15 AM

As a part of our research partnership with The University of Alabama College of Education, The Akribos Group is pleased to offer our enthusiastic support for The Whole Educator Series. The program was conceptualized and founded by Dr. Greg Benner, O’Sullivan Professor of Special Education, and Implementation Science at The University of Alabama, who is a recognized leader in Whole Child transformation programs.

Wed Nov 10 07:05 AM

Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) Dean James E. Ryan states, “Right now, there exists an almost ironclad link between a child’s ZIP code and their chances of success.” In this five-part blog series I have questioned policy and practice, over reliant on standardized test scores and indirectly the standardized movement, against the stark reality of few schools providing transformative opportunities for students inside of their school systems.

Tue Oct 26 09:18 AM

John F. Kennedy stated, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education.” The quote is resonant, particularly in this time as since March of 2020, school operations and education delivery have been highly variable across our country. However, it is overly convenient to attribute our difficulty in getting timely supports to children solely because of the COVID pandemic.

Mon Oct 04 09:00 PM

In my first two pieces as guest contributor, we focused on the urgency of what some refer to as the “twin pandemics,” social unrest and COVID 19, causing us to need access to high quality data to ensure we are framing the issues unique to each school system during these tumultuous times. In addition to having high quality data to frame clear problems of practice, it is essential each school organization consistently measure and build high-quality culture, as absent high-quality culture, little work benefitting children gets done.

Wed Sep 22 09:37 AM

In my last piece as a guest contributor, we covered the critical need to have actionable data to help our systems navigate through and beyond the COVID 19 pandemic. The title, To Set Your Course, You Must First Know Where You Are, applies to the following four data domains that we work in as professional educators...

Tue Sep 07 08:06 AM

Business sector author Patrick Lencioni stated, “If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.”

Tue Aug 17 08:22 AM

Educators have always acknowledged the problem of summer learning loss or “summer slide” and the resulting achievement gaps observed in their students.

Tue Aug 17 08:10 AM

By: Dr. Howie Knoff, Recognized Thought Leader and Akribos Professional Associate

Tue Aug 03 08:42 AM

By: Dr. Kevin Elko, Akribos Guest Contributor

Tue Jul 20 08:27 AM

By: Grant Lichtman, Recognized Thought Leader and Akribos Guest Contributor What can a wildly diverse group of architects, engineers, educators, and district administrators teach us about how to transform the K-12 learning experience? Plenty. As I posted last week, I am involved in helping to design and build a new public middle school in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Our charge: build the best school in America and make it a core of the community. As I mentioned in that post, such an audacious goal would not be possible were it not for the most “obstinately visionary” (my new favorite hashtag!) group of district leaders I have ever worked with.

Tue Jun 29 08:52 AM

As we conclude the 2020-2021 academic year, The Akribos Group would like to express our sincere appreciation to the numerous educational professionals who have successfully navigated the unprecedented challenges of the past fourteen months, in response to the COVID 19 Pandemic. Throughout this time, we have witnessed the unwavering dedication and commitment of educational professionals, at multiple levels, as they have responded to the unique and far-reaching implications resulting from this unparalleled experience.

Tue Jun 01 07:39 AM

The Alabama Whole Community Whole Child (WC2) partnership is a decade-long blueprint for sustainable and comprehensive community-wide change. To be successful, community-wide sustainable change must embrace common vision, language, and experiences to address common conditions that give rise to mental, emotional, behavioral, and health difficulties. Common solutions to address common conditions include shared goals, strategies, and aligned supports ensure that every youth is safe, supported, engaged, healthy, and challenged in schools and in the community-at-large. In this article, we discuss the following aspects of the WC2: 1) The need for a public health approach to sustainable change; and 2) the vision of the WC2 model.

Tue Apr 27 07:17 AM

“Dorgol”: A New Word Captures a Simple Leadership Principle

Tue Apr 13 07:13 AM

This week, I participated in a series of Zoom calls with classroom teachers around the country. While we focused on the academic and social, emotional, and behavioral goals of our five-year federal School Climate Transformation Grants, we spent most of our time—not surprisingly—talking about ways to teach students for the rest of the school year.

Tue Mar 30 08:38 AM

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!

Tue Mar 09 07:45 AM

Both observation and personal experience are powerful instructional tools, but the key is to be alert, have a teachable attitude, and open to the instruction. For me, some of the most powerful and memorable lessons have been born out of specific situations and personal relationships. Some of those situations and circumstances were characterized by success and celebration while others were delivered through the school of adversity in the university of hard knocks. The personal relationships that have had the greatest impact, both personally and professionally, are those that taught me to graciously treasure the moment or courageously weather the storm, depending on the circumstances that confronted me in this often-unpredictable journey called life.

Tue Feb 23 07:02 AM

Featured content from Dr. Kevin Elko

Tue Feb 09 08:56 AM

To recover from all the learning losses and dislocations caused by Covid-19, we need to greatly expand the afterschool and summer programs that survived and restart and launch new quality summer opportunities in 2021 and 2022, and afterschool opportunities in the 2021-22 school year and beyond. To make this almost quantum leap forward in summer and afterschool expansion, key state and local leaders should analyze how to create incentives, strengthen family-school community partnerships, increase funding, and reduce barriers for these crucial opportunities. The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act that was signed into law on December 27, 2020, includes several funding opportunities that can significantly support afterschool and summer learning programs in 2021 and 2022.

Tue Jan 26 08:25 AM

By: Terry K. Peterson, Ph.D. and Felicia Simpson, Ed.S. Research supports the growing potential of summer and afterschool opportunities and Partnerships to facilitate academic recovery from the COVID 19 pandemic. Learning losses, health issues, parents losing their jobs, lack of socialization, lack of childcare, and food insecurity are impacting every community, school, and state during these unprecedented challenges. A growing body of research and best practices show how quality afterschool and summer opportunities can help address some of the negative impacts of Covid-19.

Tue Jan 05 09:39 AM