banner ad
Experts Logo

articles

Rigor Meets Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

By: Dr. Virginia Rhodes
Tel: 513-207-2566
Email Dr. Rhodes


View Profile on Experts.com.


Critical to a dynamic STEM school is a high level of instructional rigor. While this is true in all STEM schools, it is a particular challenge in those programs that serve populations inexperienced with high levels of rigor in their previous coursework.

At Hughes High School in Cincinnati, STEM is non-selective and receives freshmen from 49 different feeder schools. These sending schools differ widely in levels of academic rigor, behavioral expectations, and learning climate. Those learning environments vary from minimal worksheet, passive climates where silence and isolation is the norm to the rich, experiential and student-directed learning projects of Montessori. Homework norms may be none to several hours a night.

Hughes' ambitious STEM program calls for levels of rigor in all core subjects areas as well as the development of technological skills. 86% of the students who attend live in poverty, 84% are African-American, and many have been to schools where low expectations are the norms; they have largely been unexposed to rigorous study. Overlapping with that history are large proportions of students who have experienced instability in housing, family economics and family itself. The group contains many children in foster care, kids who are homeless, and those who have experienced trauma, including some with multiple, ongoing cases of trauma.

How can such a school successfully introduce and establish high levels of academic rigor? The answer for Hughes came by establishing an SEL program that runs parallel to the academic program, and is considered critical to the acceptance and embracing of rigor by students. It is designed to develop and empower students to drive their education and their futures forward, and to bring forth leadership in every student, as opposed to identifying those few with obvious leadership skills.

Ability to tolerate embrace, and see rigor as a positive thing

I can't do hard work, doug's example: kid: this is to hard

Petersons on line longer reading selections, kids won't scroll down, read only 1st paragraph.


Virginia Rhodes, EdD has an extensive background in Urban Public Schooling. She has over 35 years of experience in School Policy, Strategic Planning, Organizational Development, Administrative, Supervisory, Evaluation and Instruction in K-12 settings.

©Copyright - All Rights Reserved

DO NOT REPRODUCE WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION BY AUTHOR.

Related articles

expert_placeholder

6/16/2015· Education & Schools

Teaching Hiring For Collaboration In Urban Schools: Team Task Interviews for STEM Teacher Candidates

By: Dr. Virginia Rhodes

Creative professionals in team-based work settings value work communications skills among their colleagues. As public schools create professional learning communities and experiment with teacher-led curriculum and program development, traditional interview processes may prove inadequate for these new collaborative environments. New and creative selection models may be needed to enable teacher or other professional teams to choose candidates with the 21st century skills needed for success. In public sector environments, work rules are often highly developed and professionals are entitled to interview. Qualifications, training, experience and seniority as determinants often get reduced to transfer rights using seniority as the main or only criteria. This trend detracts from creating a competitive environment in which to attract & retain a high-quality teaching staff. Solutions can be found within existing contract parameters, however, if the attributes necessary to teach 21st Century skills are actually required to be demonstrated, not just described, in the interview process.

steve_imber_photo.jpg

5/16/2017· Education & Schools

Supreme Court Opinion Regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder and Student Progress

By: Dr. Steven Imber

On March 22 the U.S. Supreme Court issued an 8-0 opinion in the case Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, ruling in favor of the parents of a student with autism spectrum disorder who had charged that the district did not meet the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA. The parents argued that their child did not receive a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) that was mandated by Congress.

Nick-Rishwain-Photo.jpg

4/18/2019· Education & Schools

School Violence, Safety, and Security - Expert Witness Perspectives

By: Nick Rishwain, JD

A summary of prespective on school violence, safety and security from various experts and members of Experts.com

;
Experts.com-No broker Movie Ad

Follow us

linkedin logo youtube logo rss feed logo
;