Students' Health, Mental Health, and Well-Being Worsens Over the Past 10 Years (Part IV)

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Will Your School “Win the Gold” for Your Students This Year?

Why the U.S. Women’s Gold Medal Olympic Gymnastics Team is a Model for All Schools

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Dear Colleagues,

Introduction

There are no perfect schools, just as there are no perfect teams.

But there are winning teams, just as there are winning schools.

                                          Howie Knoff

   In late June, I delivered three presentations at The Model Schools Conference in Orlando. Since then, I have been using some of the quotes in my primary presentation to contextualize some current issues and events in education. . . especially as we move toward the beginning of the new school year.

   Today’s Blog is Part III of this Series.

   Just to recap:

   Blog Part I outlined the “Seven Sure Solutions for School Success”—an evidence-based blueprint with seven specific interdependent components that are essential both for long-term school success, and to help schools move “to the next level of excellence.”

   The piece noted that many schools are demonstrating progress relative to students’ academic proficiency and social, emotional, and behavioral interactions. . . but we still have such a long way to go.

   The Seven Sure Solutions provide the science-to-practice understanding of why students are successful and unsuccessful, and help schools design and implement proven instruction and multi-tiered services, supports, and interventions to “close the gaps.”

July 13, 2024

The Seven Sure Solutions for Continuous Student and School Success (Part I): “If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, Any Road Will Get You There”

[CLICK HERE to LINK to this BLOG]

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   In Blog Part II, we discussed the social, emotional, and behavioral challenges identified in a May, 2024 National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) survey of 1,714 public school (K-12) leaders from every state in the country and Washington, D.C. Anticipating these same challenges in the coming school year,

   These challenges included students’ (a) lack of focus and preparation for class; (b) classroom disruptions and the mis-use of electronic devices; (c) verbal abuse and disrespect toward teachers; (d) (cyber)bullying and peer-to-peer physical attacks; and (e) substance abuse and bringing weapons into school.

   The Blog critiqued the “solutions” suggested by the surveyed leaders and stressed, instead, the importance of (a) analyzing student and staff data to determine what problems exist, why they exist, which ones to target, and how to prevent or eliminate the targeted problems during the first three weeks of the new school year.

July 27, 2024

Are Schools Really Prepared to Address Educators’ Biggest Behavioral Student Concerns Right Now? “We’ve Got Serious Problems and We Need Serious People” (Part II)

[CLICK HERE to LINK to this BLOG]

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   In this Third Part of the Blog Series, we use the Gold Medal-winning Women’s Olympic Gymnastics team as a model and analogy of what schools need to do to “Win the Gold” for every one of their students during the coming academic year.

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The Courage of Winning Teams

Quote 1

There are no perfect schools, just as there are no perfect teams.

But there are winning teams, just as there are winning schools.

                                                                        Howie Knoff

   Just a week or so ago, Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera joined forces as an Olympic unit to win the Women’s Gymnastics Team Olympic Gold medal in Paris.

   But the “win” did not occur just on the night of the competition.

   The win was, individually for each of these Olympians, years in the making. . .

   Parent support, persistent dedication and practice, God-given talent honed by committed coaches. . . and a dream whose promise was not guaranteed.

   The win was, collectively as an Olympic team, also years in the making. . .

   Five world-class athletes supporting each other, shutting out the expectations of the public. . . and the noise of the doubters, competing selflessly for each other and their Country.

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   How is this like your school (department, district, agency, or place of employment). . . or the school it should be?

   If the dream—as it should be—is to help students to maximize their academic and social, emotional, and behavioral learning, progress, and proficiency. . . know that you cannot do it alone.  It takes a team.

   And to “get the Gold”—on behalf of your students—takes more than God-given ability. It will take years, a well-coordinated series of teachers and support staff, days of frustration and other days of exhilaration. . . and an individual and team dedication of Olympic magnitude.

·       Do you and the colleagues in your school have the spirit, skills, motivation, and perseverance to “get the Gold”. . . this coming year?

·       Do you and your colleagues have the resources and relationships, professional development and coaching, camaraderie and solidarity. . . not just this year, but every year? 

·       Do you and your colleagues have the ability to handle the desired “highs” and the predictable “lows”. . . specifically, the lows fostered by uncertainties and the unexpected, obstacles and barriers, weaknesses and lack of skill?

·       And, do you and your colleagues have the patience to address your “other colleagues” who are unhappy, conflicted, negative, uncooperative, or resistant to change?

   When and how are you and your colleagues going to discuss and begin to answer these questions. . . starting to build or continuing to strengthen your team?

   And how are you going to involve your students in these discussions. . . because they also are part of the team. . . from preschool through high school.

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   A “winning” school is defined by the definition agreed on by everyone in your organization.

   And winning means that sometimes you lose, pick yourself up, and go “back to the gym” to begin again.

   If you remember, just four years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, this same Gold Medal-winning U.S. Woman’s Olympic Gymnastics team won the Silver medal in the team event.

   While winning any Olympic medal is an accomplishment of the highest order (even if it’s not always portrayed that way in the Press), remember, too, that Simone Biles famously stepped down for some events in Tokyo. . . because the pressure was impacting her mental and physical health.

   And yet, the Team still medaled.

   But there are three messages here. . . for education and in life.

   First, mental health is a prerequisite to physical health, learning, progress, and success.

   Second, Simone Biles was a winner because she put her mental health first. She let no one down in Tokyo. . . in fact, she raised many people up.

   Third, “winning” is not always “getting the Gold.”

   There are only three medals for every Olympic event, and very few Olympic athletes win a medal. But how many of these athletes seize their Olympic moment, and do “their personal best?”

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The Characteristics of Winning Teams

Quote 2

Education is a “tag-team” marathon for students from Kindergarten to the end of Grade 12.

For them, then, a school is only as strong as its weakest teachers.

                                                                            Howie Knoff

   The Women’s Gymnastics team competition at the Olympics consists of four rotations involving a Vault; separate routines on the Balance Beam and Uneven Bars, respectively; and a Floor Exercise. Three of the five Team members compete in each rotation, and everyone’s score is summed together for a Total Team Score.

   The U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team tallied 171.296 points during the team competition in Paris. . . 5.802 points ahead of the Italian Team, and 6.799 points ahead of the Brazilian Team (that’s pretty dominant!!!).

   While one member’s bad score on one apparatus might not “doom” a team’s medal chances, clearly the team wants its three strongest gymnasts competing in each of the four separate events (as different combinations can participate in different events).

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   Educationally, students find themselves in a preschool (or kindergarten, or— in some states—first grade) through high school “tag-team” marathon.

   With graduation as the goal (or “Gold”), they must cumulatively learn and master their academic and social, emotional, and behavioral skills from 30 or more different teachers across a multiple year “competition”. . . where they have limited self-determination on who their “coaches” are than most Olympic athletes.

   You see, most Olympic-quality athletes choose their own coach. They can stay with a coach for their entire career, or change coaches when they feel it is beneficial to their short- and long-term goals.

   Students typically do not have that flexibility. They get the teachers they are assigned to, the teachers are often changed every year, and—in many ways—their cumulative education may be dictated by their weakest teacher.

I remember when my oldest son was in fourth grade. While he had qualified for the Gifted program, the “Gifted” math teacher that year was a long-term substitute who was unprepared to teach math. Deciding that I did not want to be “the parent” who complained about the quality of the math instruction, my son’s Gifted math class ended the year well behind the “regular” fourth grade math class.

 

It took my son years to catch up in math. And it was not an issue of motivation. Indeed, my son is now a very successful Chief Financial Officer for one of the largest construction companies in his state.

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   It goes without saying (but I will) that the educators in every school across the country are responsible for every student’s success in their school. . . and across their district.

   To meet their responsibilities. . . as “coaches” in a preschool through high school marathon, they must:

·       Make sure that the instruction at every grade level is of the highest quality for every student. . . so that each “leg” of the marathon prepares each student for the “next leg.”

This means that teachers (or other staff) who are struggling with one or more students (a) need to self-identify or be identified for help; (b) need to receive the assistance, training, coaching, or supervision required to get them “on-track” in a timely way; and (c) the students need to similarly receive assistance, reteaching, and coaching so that they get back “on-track.”

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·       Make sure that the “baton” at the end of each leg of the tag-team marathon is seamlessly passed on to the next “runner” (i.e., teaching team) in the race.

This means that the teachers at the end of each year need to fully brief the teachers at the grade level for next year as to each student’s academic and social, emotional, and behavioral (a) history and status, (b) progress and proficiencies, and (c) instructional preferences and/or intervention supports.

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·       Make sure that the curriculum, instruction, services, and supports—from preschool to elementary, elementary to middle school, and middle school to high school—are aligned, differentiated, consistent, and integrated. 

While a marathon may take a runner across many different terrains and levels of difficulty, the course is still designed ahead of time, it is marked-out and well-organized, and it is revealed beforehand to the runners. . . so that they can effectively train for their best results. 

Schools’ different courses of study should have these same characteristics. . . so that the “race” for students is fair, predictable, well laid-out. . . so that every student has the greatest probability of success.

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The Conditioning of Winning Teams

Quote 3

 The definition of “mastery” is when students can demonstrate their skills under conditions of emotionality.

                                                                     Howie Knoff

   Earlier, we noted that, in Tokyo, Simone Biles needed to step back from the team competition to address some issues affecting (in her words) her “mental health”. . . issues that were also affecting the performance of her routines and, hence, her physical safety during the Olympics.

   There is a lot of pressure on Olympic athletes.

   And that’s why most Olympic athletes (and other world-class athletes and teams) have Sports Psychologists.

   You see. . . “winning” is not just about physical acumen. Winning is also about state of mind, social-emotional awareness, mental health, and performing under conditions of emotionality.

   And many times, in competitions where world-class athletes have such elite physical attributes that the “distance” between them is measured in millimeters and milli-seconds, it is their social-emotional preparation that often makes the behavioral difference.

   Indeed, how many athletes have “crashed” due to the emotional pressures of their “Olympic moment,” and how many have seized their Olympic moment, over-performed, and “gone for the Gold” (or, at least, attained a personal best)?

   And how are the crashes prevented?

   By learning social-emotional control and thinking (attributional) skills, practicing them in the gym by simulating the same conditions of emotionality that exist during competitions, and by overlearning them to the degree that they can be automatically triggered and successfully applied at any time. . . in any moment.

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   Once again, schools and students are no different.

   Schools and staff need to prepare all students—from preschool through high school—to be not only academically proficient, but to perform academically and socially under conditions of emotionality.

   This takes explicit instruction. . . the same instruction that teachers provide to students in reading, math, and science. . . the same instruction provided to world-class athletes.

   Indeed, classroom teachers and support staff are the “Olympic coaches and sports psychologists” for all of their students.

   And, hence. . . students need to—in developmentally sensitive ways, and matched to the social demands and interactions consistent with their ages—learn emotional awareness, control, communication, and coping skills.

   These skills need to be learned and mastered so that they can be applied to both academic and social-interpersonal circumstances.

For example:

·       How many students are academically proficient, but have not learned to handle the emotional conditions present when taking their State Proficiency Tests. . . thereby “shutting down” during the test?

·       How many students have difficulty, emotionally, accepting suggestions (that they view as criticism), consequences (that they see as unfair), or peer feedback (that they interpret as rejection)?

·       And, how many students are not skilled in “stepping back” from emotionally-charged situations so that they can take care of themselves, not worrying about “what someone else thinks about me?”

   The latter is what Simone Biles did in Tokyo, so that she could “get the Gold” in Paris.

   And what did Simone (and team-mate Jordan Chiles) do, also in Paris, when Rebeca Andrade from Brazil won the Gold in the individual Floor Exercise event (Simone won the Silver, and Jordan won the Bronze)?

   They demonstrated their humility, admiration, sense of humor, and emotional intelligence by “bowing down” to Rebeca in recognition of her accomplishment during the Medal Ceremony.

   Parenthetically, the trio made Olympic history—for both men and women’s gymnastics—as the first all-Black medal winners ever.

   As Simone said about the bow-down:

“Rebeca's so amazing, she's a queen. She's such an excitement to watch and then all the fans in the crowd were always cheering for her, so it was just the right thing to do.

 

It was an all-black podium so that was super-exciting for us, but then Jordan was like 'should we bow to her?' and I was like 'absolutely'.

   Why could this also not happen in every school in our country?

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Summary

   This Blog (Part III) used the Gold Medal-winning Women’s Olympic Gymnastics team—at this year’s Paris Olympic Games—as a model and analogy of what schools need to do to “Win the Gold” for every one of their students during the coming academic year.

   Through three quotes taken out of a June presentation at the Orlando, FL Model Schools Conference, we analyzed examples of the courage, characteristics, and conditioning of the Women’s U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team, and encouraged educators to discuss the questions below with their colleagues as the new school year begins.

   If the dream—as it should be—is to help all preschool through high school students to maximize their academic and social, emotional, and behavioral learning, progress, and proficiency. . . does your school or educational setting have the team perspective and will needed to:

·       Courageously work together—during both the days of exhilaration and the days of frustration—to support each other’s dedication and excellence. . . even when specific colleagues need support, encouragement, or honest feedback? 

·       Recognize that all staff in a school need to coordinate and integrate the characteristics of effective school and schooling—on behalf of all students—during the “tag-team” marathon that is their preschool through high school education. . . so that their instruction and support seamlessly progress from year to year, school to school, and teacher to teacher?

·       Prepare students in the social, emotional, and behavioral areas so that they can demonstrate their learned skills under “conditions of emotionality” when they are stressed, tired, pressured, triggered, or otherwise “on the edge?”

   Educators are the Olympic coaches and Sports psychologists for all of their students.

   And every school day is another “day in the gym”. . . teaching new academic and social-emotional skills, routines, or “aerobatics”. . . tearing the skills down, giving feedback, and putting them back together.

   We need to best coaches to teach our students. . . and our best coaches need to continually “be on their game.”

   Does this describe your school or educational setting?

   If so, how do you maintain and extend your success?

   If not, when are you going to get the “team” together, and figure out how to move forward?

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   With the school year beginning for some. . . and forthcoming for others, we hope that this Blog Series (and this current Part III) is helpful and relevant to you and your colleagues.

   If my thoughts resonate with you, and you would like to explore ways to more personally involve me in your setting, please drop me an e-mail (howieknoff1@projectachieve.info) or set up a free Zoom call so that we can look at your needs and desired outcomes.

   Together, I know that we can attain the short- and long-term, sustained successes that you want and that every student needs.

Best,

Howie

[CLICK HERE to read this Blog on the Project ACHIEVE Webpage]