Securly’s Post

I got into tutoring because it's the most effective way to accelerate students' learning. But as our company has become an after-school vendor both for the NYC Department of Probation and now the DOE, we've learned that in order to tutor students effectively, we need those students to show up. As this article states, attendance is a "first order problem." And it's something that keeps coming up in my conversations with schools and districts. Last week I was up in the Bronx speaking to a principal, ostensibly to pitch our after-school tutoring program. We ended up talking less about tutoring and more about our incentives and how we get students in the door. Could we help implement a similar incentive system for the school, for use during the regular school day? It's not what I had planned to pitch. But after that meeting I thought, maybe I should be. Because without consistent attendance, even the best teachers, the best schools, the best after-school programs are going to struggle to have impact. --- Hey educators, how's your attendance? What measure are you using (if any) to get your students back in the classroom, post-pandemic? What's working and what isn't? Would love to hear your thoughts below. And if you're interested in building out an incentive program (or tutoring program) for your school, DM me. #attendance #absenteeism #learningloss #tutoring #incentives #gamification #regents #algebra #ela

I keep reading articles that talk about strategies and policies aimed at increasing student attendance (i.e. addressing chronic absenteeism): early warning systems; nudges to parents and students; efforts to remind parents about the importance of attendance; new communications strategies. What seems to be missing from the conversation is the message young people are sending us with their absence: that being in school feels like a less valuable use of their time than whatever else they are doing. The title of this video references grades, but the bigger issue being explored here is motivation. What motivates students to engage and learn and push themselves? Too many adults keep insisting it is achievement in the form of grades. I think young people are telling us that it is about tapping into the things they care about and spend time doing when they are not being told by teachers/parents/systems what to do. Anyone who knows a young person knows that there is something that sparks their intrinsic motivation, something they keep doing, keep trying to improve at in spite of external opinions, obstacles or failures. For my younger son it took a minute, but during the pandemic it was Fortnite (and that is NOT easy, I say, having tried to bond with him by playing it). And during his freshman year, he discovered golf. My 15-year-old wakes up at 5:30am on weekends for tee-times. He figures out his own transportation. He practices 6 days a week. He has a part-time job to pay for his expensive hobby. Within 9 months he made his high school JV team. I do nothing except listen as he explains to me the intricacies of swings that I am still working to understand. He is learning about physics, about weather, about physiology and his own body; he is learning to deal with failures and developing the mindset necessary to push through them. He loves it. He keeps trying to improve. No grades necessary. What if we could create learning environments that allowed each young person's passion(s) to be centered and then spent time helping them understand and articulate the skills, dispositions and knowledge they are gaining through the learning they choose to do? We could use that to expand outwards into domains they may need but may not yet see/understand. If we took this seriously as a solution, I think we would be in a better position to address the chronic absenteeism issue. If we don't, I think young people may continue to vote with their feet about where and how they want to learn. #FutureOfSmart #YouthVoice #Agency #UniquePotential MC2 Charter School Big Picture Learning YouthBuild USA RAPSA (Reaching At-Promise Students Association) Education Reimagined

Looking for strategies to enhance student engagement this term? Check out this informative article from The Educator that shares valuable tips and techniques to boost student engagement in the classroom. https://ow.ly/xwK050Qur52

Student engagement levels have a big impact on student success and their overall educational experience. Learn about five strategies educators can use to improve student disengagement rates in the classroom here: https://lnkd.in/er2V7jkC

Student Agency Comes Front and Center Building a sense of community and connection among your Students and Educators is critical to your District’s success. Studies show that Student engagement increases when Students feel that their voices are heard, and their studies are connected to their interests and career/college goals. But how can you tailor learning to each individual Student? Doable — with BlenderLearn’s Individual Learner Profiles (ILP). The Learner Profile offers a 360-degree view of each student, gathering data on academic progress, social-emotional development, strengths, interests, and learning preferences. Analyzing this rich data, the ILP dashboard presents the information needed by the Student, Teacher, Parent or Administrator, to empower each Student's potential. Here’s how: Personalized Instruction:  ILPs tailor instruction to individual Student needs, ensuring that learning experiences are engaging and aligned with strengths and interests. Teachers personalize assignments, target interventions, and provide resources to maximize Student achievement. Whole Child Support: By incorporating Students' social-emotional data in the ILP, Educators identify where support is needed. You can address emotional well-being, building self-confidence, or developing social skills. BlenderLearn provides comprehensive support tools to help you promote Student growth and well-being. Student Agency and Ownership: Empower Students to take ownership of their learning journey by involving Students in the ILP creation and update process, setting goals, and watching their own progress. Students gain a deeper understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and learning preferences, enabling them to actively take part in their path toward academic success. Personalize Feedback: Ease ongoing communication and feedback between Educators and Students. Through the ILP, Teachers can provide prompt, specific, and data-based personalized feedback, encouraging Students to reflect on their learning, set goals, and make informed decisions about their educational growth. Continual Growth and Improvement: Monitor and track student progress over time, finding patterns that will help inform instructional decisions. By analyzing data from the ILP, Teachers can adapt teaching strategies, show areas for improvement, and refine their approach to the evolving needs of each Student. Using the power of BlenderLearn's ILP, you can create a personalized, Student-centered experience that supports individuality, Student agency, and well-rounded development, bringing Students back into the fold of the school community. Contact me anytime. I would love to discuss with you how BlenderLearn can help! #studentsuccess #schoolsuccess #teachingandlearning #teachertools Miami-Dade County Public Schools Broward County Public Schools The School District of Palm Beach County Martin County School District Duval County Public Schools Orange County Public Schools

Cultivating a vibrant learning environment is key to student success in Term 1! Explore innovative strategies and tips on how to boost student engagement. https://hubs.la/Q02hl1nf0 #StudentEngagement #Term1Strategies #LearningSuccess #EducationInnovation

I’ve been thinking about a category of college student I call unaffiliated/uncohorted/self-reliant. They are unaffiliated in the sense that they are not part of a sports team (which is a bigger part of the Division III student body and recruitment than most people realize). Nor are they in a cohort of a support program for a specific population like first-gen students. They are self reliant in the positive sense of having the inclination to work independently. But they also have the drawbacks of self reliance. They don’t have help seeking behaviors, and do their own research and make their own decisions. Being unaffiliated, uncohorted and self reliant, a prospective student may not become a student at all. They aren’t recruited, they aren’t targeted for support and they aren’t raising their hand. Once they are enrolled coaches and program directors don't have eyes on them, and they don’t show up in office hours or in the tutoring center, career center or other services. ___ This is a hypothesis without real evidence so far. It’s a characterization I came up with talking with a colleague about their recruitment challenges. This college has a lot of athletes recruited by team coaches. They have students part of cohorts coming in through specific programs, often in partnership with nonprofits that provide additional support. And they have a smaller set of high-achieving students identified through the usual list-buying and recruitment strategies. They want and need more of the “muddled middle” students but struggle with how to identify them. My formulation is unaffiliated/uncohorted/self-reliant. ___ I was an unaffiliated/uncohorted/self-reliant student. When recruited for or invited to things, I put my shields up, and I choose my own schedule without anyone’s input. (This was all trauma response on my part -- a story for another day.) I did go to the health center once after I had been in bed for week with what turned out to be mono. I still remember the relief when they told me they would write me a note for my professor that would help me negotiate an incomplete. I didn’t know such a thing was possible. Experienced educators will see what I didn’t at that age — that I was at best wasting a lot of resources available to me and sometimes sabotaging myself. ___ My hunch is that this muddled middle is a pretty significant fraction of the student population. They would be hard to recruit and a perplexing part of the retention puzzle. I have my antennae up for innovations in advising and other services for these students, and I have a few things bookmarked. A few elements have stuck out to me: • Model help-seeking behaviors • Less “info dump” at orientation • More “just-in-time” information about support For now, here’s an article my team developed normalizing seeking help for our client, Every Learner Everywhere . https://lnkd.in/gHPdJuSk

Ways a Teacher Solves the Epidemic of Student Absenteeism! I am married to a brilliant High School Math Teacher, Cyd Sterling, who has had a remarkable impact on the lives of hundreds of her students. I want to share some of her Best Practices that have reduced student absenteeism, one of the daunting challenges that schools are currently facing. Chronic Absenteeism. Defined as missing 10% of the school days in a year, studies now show that Absenteeism has long-term effects. Given the seriousness of the problem, I think you may be interested in this “from the trenches” approach that a dedicated Teacher uses to meet the challenge. Some of Cyd's ideas might be viewed as unconventional, but here goes! 1. Emphasize the importance of attendance with every class, at the beginning of the school year. Make it a BIG deal. 2. Get each student's cell number at the beginning of the year. Also, parents' names, cell numbers, and where they can be reached when the student is in class. 3. If a student is absent, call the student during class. Make it a positive call, expressing concern about their well-being. 4. If you need to call a parent and get no answer, get the student to call on their cell to tell the parents you would like to talk to them. 5. Deal with students’ absences early in the year. Approach parents as partners — use "We”. 6. Use whole-class rewards. If attendance is perfect, EVERYONE gets 100 on their homework. Peer pressure is powerful! 7. In classes where poor attendance is a chronic problem, reward perfect attendance! After five perfect attendance days have a pizza party. (I told you my wife was unconventional. Cyd doesn’t follow the District's policy of “no eating in the classroom.”) 8. Do anything necessary to get the student's attention about the importance of attendance! Cyd makes a fuss about all absences, even excused ones. She insists her students attend class. Good attendance is habit-forming. Once students attend class regularly, they rarely miss. Cyd wants every one of her students to be successful, in school and life. Her students respond accordingly. Students with the worst attendance records DO attend her classes. We often have her former students over for dinner. They love to talk about the "no excuses accepted" attendance policy and how well it worked! Please contact me if you would like to discuss successful attendance tactics with Cyd. She’ll be happy to share ideas with you. #teachingandlearning #studentsuccess #chronicabsenteeism #absenteeism NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Boston Public Schools Chicago Public Schools Los Angeles Unified School District

Last week, we shared a #CSAedify blog post providing tips to educators seeking to implement SEL in the classroom. For more on SEL, you might want to check out this post on SEL for student wellness in the middle grades. https://bit.ly/3PS37d0