In schools, March and April have become student testing and teacher evaluation flu season. Everyone seems to feel sluggish and fearful, morale decreases and the pressure of standardized tests, student outcomes, teacher evaluations and parent opt-outs has everyone wanting to stay at home in bed.

The good news is that there is a vaccination to stop this epidemic! When all of the stakeholders in the school community are connected, schools can refocus on what is truly important – preparing students for life and fulfilling their potential.

The top 5 ways to relieve pressure and increase student growth and outcomes are:

  1. Continuously improve school culture and climate. When schools are inspiring, challenging, supportive, safe and healthy, engaged, respectful communities of learners, students are more likely to achieve success in life.
  2. Infuse social and emotional learning throughout curricula, programs, activities and strategies within the school. Students tend to be overscheduled and busy doing a lot of activities, however, there is a widening gap between “doing” and “being” the type of person that will attain success. “Being” must be included in all that students do.
  3. Increase teacher motivation and morale. Teachers have an increasingly difficult job of infinite importance. It is crucial to create opportunities for teachers to get to know one another and reconnect with why they do what they do.
  4. Engage parents and provide training and education. The number one factor in student success is the degree to which their parents/guardians are engaged. The best schools establish mutually beneficial partnerships and defined roles with parents/guardians of the families they serve.
  5. Prepare experienced mentor teachers to assist first year teachers. It is important for first year teachers to assimilate into the culture of their new school and move from theory to the reality of the classroom. The most effective mentor teachers are prepared to facilitate that process while simultaneously receiving a different perspective and innovative ideas from the first year teachers they mentor.

If you would like some assistance in exploring any of these objectives, please contact me by clicking this link and completing our form.