Blog Archives - UNCONDITIONAL EDUCATION

UNCONDITIONAL EDUCATION

Staff Highlight

2/22/2018

Name: Jamila Voltaire-Stallworth
Position: Clinical Intervention Specialist

What led you to your current position?
Working with children has always been a passion of mine. I began mentoring middle schoolers in high school, tutoring high school students while in college, and became an elementary school teacher the year after completing my undergraduate education. While teaching sixth grade in North Richmond, it became apparent that I needed to know more than the curriculum to reach these students and empower them with the skills they would need to be successful in life. After clearing my teaching credential, I pursued my MA in Counseling Psychology. I continued teaching for three years after receiving my graduate degree. It wasn’t until Seneca came to my school site, Verde Elementary, that I felt motivated to put my degree to work. The principles of the Unconditional Education model were so congruent with my beliefs that I was immediately interested in learning more about Seneca. I am pleased to have joined the Seneca team in July of 2017.

Fun Fact/Quote?
Reflective of our kiddos:
“You wouldn’t ask why a rose that grew from concrete had damaged petals. On the contrary, you would admire its tenacity to reach the sun.” -Tupac Shakur
Personal favorite:
“My mission in life is not to merely survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” -Maya Angelou

What does your average day look like?
My average day starts around 7:45am. I arrive at either school site, chat with the secretaries, and make my way to the therapy area to set up for the day. I make a quick “to do” list for the day and get started. Depending on the day, I pick up kiddos to provide ERMS services, run drop in hours from the referral list, or conduct social skill groups. Of course, no day is complete without checking emails, calling parents, hallway consultations with teachers, checking in with administration, and documentation.

Why do you do this work?
I do this work because of the smiles and the hugs and the small successes that happen every single day.

What hope do you have for the future of All-In?
I hope that the All-In program continues to grow and expand partnerships with schools all over. There are so many kiddos that need the support of the Unconditional Education model. I hope that soon these services will be available for all students.

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: Summit K2

2/22/2018

Summit K2 is a public charter school located in the southern region of West Contra Costa County Unified School District. K2 opened its doors to its founding 7th grade class in 2014. The school’s mission: to prepare a diverse student population for success in a four-year college or university, and to be thoughtful, contributing members of society.

The K2 campus is the beautifully restored and historic Chung Mei Home for Boys (est. 1935). While this is now an institution of learning, the campus retains many of the structural components that pay homage to the building’s rich culture and history.

The school has added one grade level each year since their opening and will continue to do so until it serves 7th -12th grades. K2 currently has grades 7th through 10th and approximately 300 students. K2’s partnership with All-In provides one to one counseling, drop in counseling services, and social skills groups.

BIOFEEDBACK AT SCHOOL SITES

2/22/2018

Several Clinical Intervention Specialists will begin using a computer based biofeedback program to support students making progress on social emotional goals. Biofeedback is a well-researched intervention to increase an individual’s awareness and control over emotional and physical states by monitoring and displaying automatic or involuntary bodily functions. The software our clinicians will be using is called HeartMath and is based on “heart rate variability.” Heart rate variability refers to the space between each heartbeat. When individuals are in a fight or flight state, the space between each heartbeat is very similar in length, which is described as low heart rate variability. Low heart rate variability is linked to the presence of anxiety disorders and increased risk of cardiovascular disorders. When individuals are in a relaxed state, the spaces between each heart beat appear to have more variability, or high heart rate variability (HRV).

The goal of the program is to train individuals to achieve higher states of HRV. By using a small and highly sensitive ear sensor, the program displays the heart rate (beats per minute) and HRV of an individual on the computer screen. With the visual cues from the computer and coaching from the clinician, individuals can practice “down regulating” their internal functions and experience more relaxed states of being, which the program refers to as “coherence.” The program offers several interfaces including visual games in which the higher HRV achieved, the faster the graphics appear or move across the screen. It also provides basic coaching and instruction on deep breathing techniques to increase HRV.

Here is a research article which speaks to the link between anxiety disorders and a low HRV: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00080/full

And a link to the HeartMath website for more information:
https://www.heartmath.com/

Blog Post Written by:
Rachel Murray, Clinical Supervisor

Clinical Strand Updates: On Courage

2/22/2018

February is a richly themed month -- we celebrate Black History. We celebrate Love. This month we’re also celebrating the agency value of Courage, so I’ve been meditating on courage for the past two weeks wondering how I’d weave it into my blog post.

I’ll start with this quote from Nelson Mandela:

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

Talking with Robin Detterman, Executive Director for All In, I mentioned the topic of Courage and my search for inspiration for this week’s post. Her response was immediate: “I think of Courage as the ability to return to Hope.” What followed was a rich discussion about how we want to create the conditions for the return to hope, so that our staff and students can greet their work and their lives with courage even in the most trying of times. We discussed how we can’t do this alone; that showing up for someone else is sometimes the most powerful way for them to access their courage and face adversity with a greater sense of self and connection.

Our job as directors, supervisors and leaders is in large part to bring hope to our teams when the going gets tough. We want to make sure staff know that we are here, see them and believe in them. It is, in essence, a parallel process to what our clinicians, teachers and student support assistants offer the students and schools they serve. Our staff holds hope and bears witness, so that students and families with challenges that threaten to take them down are able to access their internal motivation to persevere. Mandela calls this conquering or triumphing over fear. I like to think of courage as experiencing fear and pressing on, the courage to show up. And I know that we cannot do it without a sense of connection and purpose, without each other. Without love.

Valarie Kaur addresses the topic of love, bravery and justice in her inspiring Ted Talk ”3 lessons of revolutionary love in a time of rage“.
https://www.ted.com/talks/valarie_kaur_3_lessons_of_revolutionary_love_in_a_time_of_rage?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare).

I also want to share a poem from Angel Gardner, Seattle's Youth Poet Laureate 2016/17, titled Black Courage. You can read her poem and a bit about her journey here: http://kuow.org/post/black-courage-young-poets-words-her-son

Enjoy.

Blog Post Written by:
Emily Marsh, Director of Clinical Intervention

Mid-Year Celebration!!!

2/12/2018

Hello Amazing UE Team,

Over the past month or so we have been collecting feedback from our school partners as a part of our mid-year survey process. The Leadership and Management Teams have been reviewing school responses and have plans to share this information back with you, your school leadership, and partnership staff. I wanted to take this opportunity to share celebrate some great successes we’re seeing this school year!

To recap, the survey was sent to all staff at partnership sites with coaches who lead COST and focus on culture and climate efforts. At sites where we don’t have coaches, the survey was sent just to staff who had students receiving a Seneca service. We had over 200 respondents from 18 schools and the average time it took to complete the survey was just over 4 minutes! Even within this short time frame we received a slew of valuable feedback. Here is what we learned:

COST

83% of respondents know the process of seeking support when they have a student who needs additional support (compared to 79% of respondent’s last year)
78% of respondents get a response from those responsible for coordinating student services when they seek out additional support (compared to 71% of respondent’s last year)

Culture and Climate Goals

85% of respondents were aware of the culture and climate goals being addressed at their school (compared to 65% of last year’s respondents) – WOW!

Direct Services

91% of respondents found the providers of the intervention to be professional and collaborative - AMAZING!
82% found that providers were knowledgeable and skillful in helping them implement classroom interventions to support students receiving their services – Not only are you seen as skillful, but also capable of building the capacity of others!

Student Progress Monitoring

73% of respondents reported that progress and outcome reports were shared and used for collaboration during meeting with service providers (compared to 55% of respondents last year) – This one blows me away!!! Sean and your Strand Leads have been specifically focusing on this indicator over the past year, and all of your hard work in this area has paid off!

In addition to these quantitative measures, we received 131 positive comments! It was really great to hear so much positive feedback from partnership staff – even referencing how helpful it is to know their student’s internal working model!!! Here’s a sampling of what was said:

DATA

Love the data informed nature of the meetings, but also the warmth and empathy with which this information is shared

TEACHER COLLABORATION and COMMUNICATION

The services provided to my student are specifically targeted for their needs. I regularly collaborate with the service provider to create common goals, instructional practices, and expectations and to connect the classroom to the services provided. Working with the service provider has always been an easy process.
Having a weekly time to meet with the Seneca staff who works with my student has been a huge personal emotional support and professional support.
The two therapists that work with my students have been very good about checking in and sharing strategies in which to best support these students. Knowing the student’s internal working model is extremely helpful in knowing how best to approach them in behavior and academics, and also have more empathy.

SECONDARY BENEFIT

[Our AIS] has great relationships with not only students he works with, but with all students at our school. He has supported teachers in countless ways from formal trainings to informal planning sessions, to suggesting on the spot accommodations for students.
The Seneca team here is a great model for other staff on consistent language and processes. They lead by example in keeping what is best for each individual student at the forefront of every conversation and decision. They are thoughtful and reflective and set an overall positive and professional tone with both our students and staff.
Seneca observations of students’ behaviors in the classrooms is very helpful in designing effective intervention plans. Behavior charts and systems and collaboration with grade level team is going well and achieving positive outcomes.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

Seneca is clearly an organization that coaches and develops their personnel. From the admin level to those providing direct services, all personnel have been positive, collaborative and kind. This has had positive effects on our culture and climate. Teachers, students and families are feeling an increased trust in our specialist department.

IMPACT

My student has received Seneca intervention for multiple years in multiple ways. I can honestly say, without Seneca, my students would not be able to participate in his education. Before and in the beginning of intervention he was not able to spend a full day in class. Now he rarely is asked to leave the class and has received only 2 referrals this year. Everybody I have worked with is highly skilled and professional. I have seen amazing changes in my little one and other students who receive services as well!
I feel like the issues that my student has been facing (irritability, sleepiness, social conflicts) have been discussed and dealt with immediately. This keeps those issues from escalating and making long-lasting negative impacts on my student and the rest of the class. The team has a positive relationship with my student’s family and is always available as an additional resource to facilitate conversations with home.
[Our Seneca Occupational Therapist (OT)] is the most amazing support person I’ve ever worked with. She shares little victories students have and provides the resources for us in the classroom and at home. She connects with the students so well and makes OT fun and engaging. I’ve seen so much progress from my students who get support from her. She offers support to students not even on her workload and truly goes above and beyond.

These comments warm my heart and truly make me proud to be a part of this amazing effort. I hope they also bring you a bit of joy! Keep up the great work!

Happy Monday!!
Robin

Blog Post Written by:
Robin Detterman, Executive Director of School Partnerships

Staff Highlight

2/12/2018

Name: Maddie Saveliff
Position: Student Support Assistant at Achieve Academy

What led you to your current position?
I knew I wanted to work with kids, but I didn’t exactly want to be a teacher and didn’t exactly want to be a school counselor… although I love elements of both. This job is the perfect culmination of the two. I graduated from a college in North Carolina and felt drawn toward the Bay Area. Then I found this job – the job I was searching for without knowing it existed.

Fun Fact/Quote?
“I had the epiphany that laughter was light, and light was laughter, and that this was the secret of the universe” – Donna Tartt

I am wearing 100 hair ties in my hair for the 100th day of school.

What does your average day look like?
I arrive at work and am greeted by my lovely team in our little office. I head over to class… then the day surprises me as it goes on. Something I enjoy about this position is that I never really know where the day is going to go. I do know that I will likely be getting a workout playing tag at recess.

Why do you do this work?
To make students feel empowered and comfortable being themselves. To show the power and beauty of being weird. To show that they are supported and rooted for without reservation.

What hope do you have for the future of All-In?
To be intentional about our use of language. We can change the way we speak to resist conformity, to shift mindsets (especially in young students). It affects the way we think, the way people we interact with think and it shapes our reality. It can be easy to slip into the mundane but being intentional about our words carries so much power.

Teaching Behavioral Expectations from the Lens of Academic Instructional Practices

2/12/2018

Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” --Maya Angelou

When behaviors arise in the classroom, we often feel that the student needs to have some type of consequences for their behavior. In this particular article, it gives a step by step guide on how to teach behavioral expectations from the lens of academic instructional practices. My favorite quote from this article is,

“Students who make academic mistakes are given time to review, relearn, and reassess until they master the content. But with students who fail to meet behavior expectations, more often than not we respond by assuming willful disobedience, removing students from the classroom, and assigning disciplinary consequences.” (“Behavior Expectations and How to Teach Them.” Edutopia, www.edutopia.org/blog/behavior-expectations-how-to-teach-them-aaron-hogan.)

Check out the cool video on how this high school got their students to clean up after themselves by teaching them how long it would take for cafeteria staff to clean the tables before the next lunch rotation. Check it out here and hit the comment button below to tell me what your favorite classroom teaching method is for behaviors that arise in your classes!!

Blog Post Written by:
Darrell Burns, Assistant Director of Behavioral Intervention

Calibrated Hopes and Dreams

2/7/2018

Behavior Support Specialist, Jeff Pitts, created this video to share with staff at Caliber Beta Academy here in Richmond. Before reviewing MAP data we wanted to ground the staff in families' priorities for their students. Check out the video, the families had amazing hopes and dreams!!!

Staff Highlight

2/7/2018

Name: Jennifer Uribe-Sanchez
Position: Clinical Intervention Specialist

What led you to your current position?
I was looking for a position in which I could have a greater impact in client's and their families lives. My current position allows me to provide support to the student at school, while also supporting their school staff and family members - it's a great combination of collaboration and support.

Fun Fact/Quote?
I'm getting married to a wonderful partner this summer! Woohoo!

What does your average day look like?
One of the things I love about my job is that there is no average day, none of my days tend to look the same which keeps things interesting. My job involves hands on work at the schools, throughout the community and some home visits. My favorite part of the day is when I am in session with students, they make the job really fun - especially when they give you that tender smile and you feel a genuine connection of warmth and safety that therapy creates in the room.

Why do you do this work?
I have discovered that for many of the families I provide support for, I may be the first person that they interact with regarding their student's mental health and well-being. I like to think of my work as preventative and proactive as well as educational so that I can provide tools for students and their families to understand themselves and know how to advocate for their needs. The thought of helping families navigate throughout large and complicated systems, such as that of the school and their communities is really fulfilling to me.

What hope do you have for the future of All-In?
I look forward to the day where all schools can adopt an unconditional education model and can provide individualized support to each and every student at their needs. I truly believe All-In is making big waves in the education system leading by example and providing a different experience for the students who need it the most.

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: Rocketship Public Schools

2/7/2018

This is All-In’s third year of partnership with the Rocketship Public School network, and it has been an exciting year. Our partnership with the Bay Area schools has deepened – we currently have four full-time Clinical Intervention Specialists supporting schools in the South Bay. In the past month, Rocketship has additionally contracted with us to add services from two Behavior Intervention Specialists and a School Psychologist to further this Unconditional Education partnership. This year we’ve also had opportunities to provide training and capacity building to staff serving all Rocketship’s regions (Washington DC, Nashville, and Milwaukee) through a “Train the Trainers” week-long summer intensive and an ongoing Professional Learning Community.

As their website states, "At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential." We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential.” The vision of this charter school network is simple: “To eliminate the achievement gap in our lifetime” through their mission: “To catalyze transformative change in low-income communities through a scalable and sustainable public school model that propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We’re always trying to support schools and networks in enhancing their ability to live their missions, supporting all students in getting the support they need

Blog Post Written By:
Jason Keppe, Director of School Partnerships