In particular, we need to:
THE ACTION PLAN. We can best understand the mechanisms behind childhood adversity by taking action, specifically by bringing together older adults from various socio-economic and professional backgrounds as a leadership team, a Steering Committee that vets promising educational “interventions” through the recruitment, training and equipping of teams called “Advocates for the Whole Child” that conduct these interventions in schools.
The Steering Committee is multi-disciplinary, composed of:
Expectations and Responsibilities. Steering Committee members are expected to give a minimum of 5-10 hours per month and two days per year for professional development. In certain cases there will be financial remuneration. Steering Committee members will be introduced to the work of prominent social entrepreneurs in education to inspire them to be more innovative in leveraging limited resources to achieve maximum results.
Mentor-Tutors and Advocates for the Whole Child Teams will be intergenerational and nimble, comprised of four or five members, to intervene effectively in both the home (for very young children) and within organizations such as schools and youth groups. They are trained to:
Advocates for the Whole Child Teams are comprised primarily of young adults who are right out of college or taking a “gap year.” They are led by an older adult who may or may not be a member of the Steering Committee.
Expectations and Responsibilities. For the young people, we ask for a minimum commitment of one year of full-time work, to be paid by such governmental entities as AmeriCorps and VISTA, from foundation grants and corporate and private donations.
Partnerships. We will consult with the Corporation for National and Community Service and build partnerships with nonprofit organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, the YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs.
- Identify the specific academic mechanisms that govern a student’s performance in school—those attitudes, beliefs, skills and strategies called “noncognitive factors” that are the most germane in determining academic success. See Appendix A: Mechanisms of Poverty and Learning.
- Connect what we know about childhood stress, neglect and abuse (the hard, physiological data) with the relevant noncognitive factors (the “soft stuff”) in order to develop a more complete picture of the “whole child” and build a more comprehensive set of tools to diagnose deficits and analyze needs. See Appendix B: Diagnostic Tools.
- Gather our best minds and most powerful child advocates—health professionals, educators, researchers and neuroscientists, school counselors and teachers—to develop and assess the effectiveness of promising strategies and interventions. See Appendix C: Strategies and Interventions.
- Develop a vocabulary that is easily accessible to educators and the general public.
THE ACTION PLAN. We can best understand the mechanisms behind childhood adversity by taking action, specifically by bringing together older adults from various socio-economic and professional backgrounds as a leadership team, a Steering Committee that vets promising educational “interventions” through the recruitment, training and equipping of teams called “Advocates for the Whole Child” that conduct these interventions in schools.
The Steering Committee is multi-disciplinary, composed of:
- Researchers, including developmental psychologists and neuroscientists;
- Pediatricians and social workers, who focus on the health of the “whole child”;
- Teachers, administrators, curriculum specialists and school counselors, who find ways to integrate non-cognitive skills into schools;
- Business leaders, marketing specialists, data technicians lending their organizational and technical skills;
- Parents, positive role models and extended family members—who can assist in overcoming resistance to change and ensure cultural authenticity.
Expectations and Responsibilities. Steering Committee members are expected to give a minimum of 5-10 hours per month and two days per year for professional development. In certain cases there will be financial remuneration. Steering Committee members will be introduced to the work of prominent social entrepreneurs in education to inspire them to be more innovative in leveraging limited resources to achieve maximum results.
Mentor-Tutors and Advocates for the Whole Child Teams will be intergenerational and nimble, comprised of four or five members, to intervene effectively in both the home (for very young children) and within organizations such as schools and youth groups. They are trained to:
- diagnose the specific noncognitive deficits of individual children;
- implement agreed upon interventions and test out the viability of new tools;
- receive guidance regularly from the Steering Committee;
- formally assess each intervention and submit results to a centralized data bank.
Advocates for the Whole Child Teams are comprised primarily of young adults who are right out of college or taking a “gap year.” They are led by an older adult who may or may not be a member of the Steering Committee.
Expectations and Responsibilities. For the young people, we ask for a minimum commitment of one year of full-time work, to be paid by such governmental entities as AmeriCorps and VISTA, from foundation grants and corporate and private donations.
Partnerships. We will consult with the Corporation for National and Community Service and build partnerships with nonprofit organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, the YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs.