Summer of 2023: Relax, Reflect, Recharge

Stand tall, students and teachers, as you close out this school year. You both have done amazing work and now have the summer to relax, reflect, and recharge. We here at ISA are in awe of all that you have accomplished, and we hope that you have the chance this summer to hang with friends over a picnic supper, read a really fun book, and visit with relatives near and far. Well done and see you soon!

End of Year Smiles at ISA Partner School Glenville High School

Glenville teacher Kimberly Golphin (on the right) recently received the Heart Award at Glenville, an ISA partner school in Cleveland, and would not accept it without her trusted ISA coach Alwina Green by her side. Voted on by the school’s students, the award is given to the Glenville teacher with the biggest heart when it comes to helping the students. Congrats, Kimberly!

Coaching and PD Support for the 2023-24 School Year

ISA is booking professional development and coaching partnerships for next school year. Can we help you with…

• Support for your district’s own coaches, to explore additional strategies that can be used to expand the effectiveness of district and school priorities?
• A work plan for next school year that partners with all general education teachers and paraprofessionals who provide instruction and related services to students with disabilities?
• A school development or leadership coach for principals to support the implementation of school improvement plans?

Read more about what ISA can do here and then reach out to Abner Oakes (aoakes <at> ets.org) to talk about the above or other possible support. Together we can collaborate to help sustain your current success and to provide personalized professional development for educators in your district and schools.

From the Carnegie Corporation of New York: Becoming an Ally: Partnering with Immigrant Families to Promote Student Success

Recently, the Carnegie Corporation of New York published a new report called Becoming an Ally: Partnering with Immigrant Families to Promote Student Success.

As the Carnegie Corporation wrote, the “Pew Research Center has projected that by 2065 immigrants and their children will make up 36 percent of the U.S. population. Families, especially those from historically marginalized backgrounds and immigrant communities, should have access to the information, activities, and support necessary to keep their children engaged in school and learning. We want parents to be able to advocate for their children, for educators and schools to welcome all families and students, and for everyone to have the tools and competencies they need. Family-school community partnerships are essential in these efforts.

“To this end, Carnegie Corporation of New York’s Education program commissioned Stephany Cuevas, assistant professor of education at Chapman University, to write the report Becoming an Ally: Partnering with Immigrant Families to Promote Student Success, which challenges us to build effective and equitable family engagement practices for immigrant families throughout our educational system. The report provides recommendations for school leaders, funders, policymakers, and educators who are working to support a high-quality education for immigrant and multilingual learners.”

From the Aspen Institute: Integrating Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD): An Action Guide for School Leadership Teams

To help principals and school leadership teams see how social and emotional learning can enhance academic performance, and how to weave social-emotional development into every aspect of school, back in 2019 the Aspen Institute and its partners created Integrating Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD): An Action Guide for School Leadership Teams. It provides practical advice, curated resources, and action steps for school leaders to improve the student experience, calling out specific equity implications in every section to give these issues priority in planning.