November - 2019

Nov 15, 2019
4 min

Part I: Understanding the Trauma of the School Shootings Epidemic—Why?

By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support Since the first widely publicized school shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, more than 233,000 students have been exposed to gun violence. The shooting that occurred yesterday in Santa Clarita, CA was the 7th since the start of the academic year only 3 months ago (Nakaji Monnier, Duan, Balingit, & Mettler, 2019). Last year, there were 82 school shootings, the highest number in nearly five decades (CDC, 2019).

Will Foley

Nov 14, 2019
4 min

Creating Peace, Healing Trauma

By Will Foley, CEI Intern We are never traumatized alone. We are wounded together. Together too, we heal. Relying on one another for support and love, we help each other through the darkest times. Those who inflict harm can become the same people that restore us. People and communities torn asunder by violence can heal together with the support of intentional practices brought to schools. Peace education is one such way that we can bring people together for collective heali

State of Mental Health in New England: Courageous Conversations, Healing Practices

Center for Educational Improvement

Nov 11, 2019
4 min

State of Mental Health in New England: Courageous Conversations, Healing Practices

By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support School leaders from the six New England states, through the Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative (C-TLC), learn from experts and each other about best practices for confronting the trauma, toxic stress, and mental health concerns that make academic achievement challenging for students and staff. On Monday, October 28, the C-TLC convened in Worcester, MA, for its second in-person meeting where Fellows shared the wo

Featured Fellow: Addressing Trauma with Joan Cavallo, St. Albans City School Principal

Dana Asby

Nov 11, 2019
4 min

Featured Fellow: Addressing Trauma with Joan Cavallo, St. Albans City School Principal

By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support In her 12 years at St. Albans City School, a Pre-K-8 school of 800 students, Joan Cavallo has been adapting her leadership to meet the needs of her students. St. Albans City, a high poverty area, has significant needs for mental health support. The school realized that it must create a compassionate school community in order to serve the students holistically. They have implemented an impressive array of programs to

National School Mental Health Implementation Guidance Launched to Support Student Mental Health

Center for Educational Improvement

Nov 11, 2019
4 min

National School Mental Health Implementation Guidance Launched to Support Student Mental Health

By Kaela Farrise, CEI Intern Over the past few years, mental health support and education have become a focal point in discussions around ways to improve the performance and overall well-being of students across the nation. Though an admirable goal, integrating mental health education and support into existing school structures and curricula can be challenging for a number of reasons. In July, the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network (MHTTC) in conjunction with th

School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation System (SHAPE): School Leader Perspectives

Center for Educational Improvement

Nov 11, 2019
4 min

School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation System (SHAPE): School Leader Perspectives

By Jill Flanders, former Elementary School Principal and Heather Pach, School Psychologist As more schools understand the value of mental health screening, questions arise around best practices for setting up systems for the screening and evaluation process. The National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) has led the development of the School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation (SHAPE) System to guide schools in answering some of those questions. SHAPE is an ass

Monitoring Vocabulary Development in Children

Center for Educational Improvement

Nov 4, 2019
4 min

Monitoring Vocabulary Development in Children

By Jessica Hawkins, CEI Intern The knowledge we have about the impact of early literacy on academic achievement has gotten parents and teachers alike interested in children’s vocabulary from a young age. Whether using clinical assessments or a parent’s curious observations, keeping track of a child’s vocabulary development is essential. After all, the knowledge anyone has about a subject is built on the understanding of the terminology of said topic. The current, most popula