Vision To Learn’s Post

For those of you who follow me, you are aware of the unique environments by which School Health Systems function within the academic model of K-12 schools. Strategic planning is NECESSARY for health systems to focus their resources, ensure quality of care, and ensure operational alignment to the mission and overall strategic initiatives of the district. This helps to increase the “value” school health services brings to the table and the return to the community. School health is often buried in the academic world, but children cannot effectively learn if they are not healthy, nourished, and emotionally ready to learn. Those colleagues out there who are in school health and have not established a basic strategic plan, you cannot advocate effectively without it! Our strategic plan has afforded multiple successes and has strengthened our value line/advocacy, so the results speak for themselves.

One of the most glaring inefficiencies in education is the exclusion of student and caregiver voices from the decision-making process. Schools that operate without input from those directly impacted by their policies and practices perpetuate systems that don't serve all students equitably. Without understanding the unique needs, challenges, and strengths of students through their own lens—and that of their caregivers—schools risk developing one-size-fits-all solutions. True collaboration requires a seat at the table for everyone involved, especially the students themselves. #StudentVoice #CaregiverEngagement #CollaborationForEquity #EducationForAll

California’s decentralized school system left many decisions to LEAs during the pandemic, which left them unable to address their needs: data collection was minimal to non-existent; monitoring of the learning and continuity plans was superficial at best. Moving forward, the state should take a strong leadership and coordination role to ensure LEAs know how to best utilize pandemic relief funding as well as Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) funds in ways that can help address the challenge of widening achievement, SEL, and school support staffing gaps. This includes not only leading and coordinating efforts, but also ensuring adequate monitoring and accountability so that LEAs use the funds in the most effective way possible. Efforts could include:  🫥 Addressing chronic absenteeism as an urgent priority through data-based, real-time monitoring and family engagement in a culturally relevant way, particularly among vulnerable student subgroups and in some high-needs districts. 🆘 Increasing school support staff to student ratios by hiring more school psychologists, social workers, school counselors, and nurses. Use State incentive and subsidy programs to enlarge the pipeline of these staff as well as solve more immediate challenges. 📊 Collecting better data for monitoring and accountability. Data and research can help educators and policy makers understand the consequences of their decisions and learn from them – this includes better monitoring and accountability efforts around school funding. Read our full report, Rebuilding More Humane Schools Post-Covid-19: Prioritizing Student Engagement & Support at https://lnkd.in/gnQpAGmC. #pandemicimpact #edequity #educationequality #remotelearning #educationmatters #edpolicy #educationpolicy #edchat #lowincomestudents #studentsofcolor #california #education #distancelearning #COVID19 #COVID #UCLAresearch #CTSresearch #CaylaJ #k12 #SEL #studentwellbeing #studentmentalhealth

67% of respondents in our recent poll stated that the main reason they refer students to off-campus providers is that students have increasingly complex care needs. Watch this clip to hear an expert's take [1 min, 13 secs]. ➡️ Does this track with what you're experiencing on your campus? #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthReferrals #CounselingClinics

Why Public Education Enrollments Are Declining and the Rise of Homeschooling Discover the reasons behind the all-time low public education enrollments and the surge in homeschooling. Explore the impact of funding, policies, and parental preferences on education choices. Find out why schools prioritize attendance and funding over student performance. #DecliningEnrollments #HomeschoolingTrends #EducationChoice #FundingInEducation #ParentalPreferences #StudentPerformance #EducationSystem #PublicSchools #EducationPolicy #SchoolAttendance

To cultivate an inclusive and holistic educational environment for all students: Part V 5. Authentic Community Connections: From School to Health to Home For a school to truly serve its students, it must be deeply embedded in the community. The ideal school would foster authentic partnerships with local organizations, health providers, and cultural institutions, creating a web of support for students and their families. This collaboration would ensure that students’ needs are met not only in the classroom but also in their homes and neighborhoods. Public health scholars like Mindy Fullilove have emphasized the importance of "root shock," the disruption that occurs when communities are fractured by systemic inequalities. By keeping schools as stable, supportive community hubs, we can help mitigate the effects of these disruptions. Health services would be provided not just to students but to their families, ensuring that the entire community benefits from the school's resources. Moreover, the school would hold regular events, workshops, and town halls to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the community. Families would be involved in decision-making, ensuring that the school remains responsive to the evolving needs of its students. This school wouldn’t just be in the community, it would be of the community. #TraumaInformed #HealingOrganizedSchools #APedagogyOfLove

Did you know that Texas law mandates vision screenings for specific grade levels? 👧👦 Ensuring your child's vision is optimal for learning and development is crucial. Here’s a quick breakdown: Who: Children enrolled in public, private, or parochial schools. When: Kindergarteners, first-time entrants (4-12 years), and 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th graders. Why: Early detection of vision problems can prevent learning difficulties and future eye health issues. #visionscreening #childhealth #texas #education #parenting #optometry #healthcare The Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth and the Client Services team can help answer questions and support your vision screening efforts.

Does your institution have a shared student-service approach/philosophy? Are there areas on campus that could improve with student service? Do some of your faculty and staff struggle with engaging students in distress? Trauma-informed care and utilizing a trauma-informed philosophy can help with all of those issues, and improve campus culture for faculty, staff and students. #wellbeing #studentservices #culturechange

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic absences have skyrocketed, more than doubling in some cases since pre-pandemic years. While there are wide-ranging reasons for absences, one thing is clear: the messaging we used pre-pandemic to reach families and get children back into the classroom is no longer enough. Knowing this, Overdeck Family Foundation and Ad Council teamed up to develop a mixed-methods research study to understand the messaging and narratives that would effectively communicate to parents why consistent in-person attendance is critical to a children’s development, and encourage them to attend. Now, we’re thrilled to share the product of that work in a new report and toolkit designed to help policymakers, practitioners, and educators address the chronic absenteeism crisis this school year. Take a look: https://lnkd.in/eizVTQqK

Kudos to researchers Wanzi Murivi, Anna Powell, Yeonjoon Kim, Abby Copeland Petig, and Lea Austin at the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, UC Berkeley for their recent report on the Emotional and Physical Well-Being of Early Educators. Our efforts to build the early childhood education workforce must be mindful of this incredibly important issue https://lnkd.in/gBFEc-Et #TeachersMatter #SocialEmotionalWellbeing