Blog Archives

Staff Highlight

12/18/2017

Name: Letty Liang
Position: Lead Clinical Intervention Specialist

What led you to your current position? After working in several community based programs and then a day treatment for 6 years, I wanted to work in a place where I could provide preventative therapy services while ensuring that children and their families were receiving the best care that they deserved. I found the All-In program provided this opportunity for me to serve families in the least restrictive environment and educate schools to better understand the deeper needs of children beyond their behaviors. I am honored to be able to provide therapy services to families that would not have otherwise been able to receive them due to lack of resources, knowledge or language barriers.

Fun Fact/Quote? I am obsessed with bunnies.

What does your average day look like? On a leisurely day in the weekends, I usually catch up on sleep, go out for dim sum, and work on a sewing project. On a regular workday, I use play, drama and art therapy techniques to help children process trauma in order restore joy and hope in their lives. Most of my days end with me sharing a home cooked meal with my husband and watching an episode of Friends.

Why do you do this work? In college, I partnered with a non-profit organization called Compassion International and spent a month in a Nicaraguan school providing counseling to families and trauma informed training to teachers. It developed my passion to ensure that all families have access to therapy in their native language. This is why I am passionate about providing Spanish-speaking therapy services to families and walking alongside them in their journey towards healing.

What hope do you have for the future of All-In? My hope for the All-In program is to see diversity grow in our staff and upper management that is reflective of the families we serve. I believe that everyone has something beautiful to contribute that can further enrich our program.

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New Data and Resources to Combat Chronic Absenteeism

12/18/2017

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As part of its new state-wide school dashboard, which shows how schools and districts are progressing on measures such as test scores, graduation rates, and suspension rates, California will be adopting chronic absenteeism as a central measure of school performance. Chronic absenteeism, which is defined as missing at least 10 percent of school days, will be included in the dashboard starting in 2018 as part of the state’s effort to expand its measure of school and student success beyond the traditional picture of test scores alone.

Last week, for the first time, the state released state-wide, school-level data on chronic absenteeism since it started collecting it two years ago. The data reveal that more than 1 in 10 students were chronically absent last year, and that, unsurprisingly, schools’ most vulnerable populations experienced even higher rates: 1 out of 4 foster children were chronically absent, as were 1 out of 5 homeless students, students with disabilities, African-American students, and Native-American students. The negative impact of these troubling numbers is borne out by the research, which speaks loudly to the effects of chronic absenteeism on students’ learning and development, especially in early grades. According to research studies, chronically absent students have a reduced likelihood of reading proficiently by 3rd grade and an increased likelihood of dropping out in high school—and chronic absenteeism disproportionately impacts these outcomes for students living in poverty, students of color, and students with disabilities.

In light of this daunting reality, I did my best to embrace Seneca’s value of HOPE and went searching for existing resources that schools can put to use in addressing chronic absenteeism. One resource I came across is Attendance Works, an SF-based organization whose mission is explicitly to advance student success by reducing chronic absence. Attendance Works has a ton of resources on their website—including posters and banners for messaging, handouts for families, and videos for school staff—as well as links to research, current news, and guides for action on chronic absenteeism. They also offer affordable technical assistance options to schools and districts around the country, such as this case study of their work with an OUSD middle school. Chronic absenteeism is no doubt an enormous hill to climb, and the complex result of many of the toughest challenges our students and families face, but some of these resources can hopefully help bring to focus what a first step might be in addressing it.

Blog post written by:
Sean Murphy, Assistant Director of Program Assessment and Evaluation

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Staff Highlight

12/14/2017

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Name: Tayyibah Hasan
Position: Clinical Intervention Specialist

What led you to your current position?
I was always very creative growing up so I decided to get an undergraduate degree in painting at Temple University. After graduating I really wanted to find a way to combine my love for the arts with healing and community. So in 2014 I decided to pursue a degree a Master's in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Expressive Arts therapy from the California Institute of integral Studies. I graduated last May and here I am today.

Fun Fact/Quote?
I have a fear of falling.

What does your average day look like?
On an average day, when I actually wake up on time, I start with some light Youtube yoga then I journal for about 10 minutes while I eat oatmeal. On a really special day I treat myself to a Starbucks latte. I see my client's during the day using expressive arts therapy techniques and connect with families and caregivers. After work I work out. Right now I'm in to cycling, yoga, and pilates. After working out I go home and watch one episode of horrible reality tv. Then I read an intellectually stimulating book, take a shower then go to bed.

Why do you do this work?
I do this work because I believe that everyone should have the access and opportunity to partake on a journey towards healing and I believe in the transformative healing power of the arts.

What hope do you have for the future of All-In?
I hope that we are able to grow our capacity to serve more families. I hope that All In will be an advocate and forerunner for making changes to our current mental health systems.

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The Relationship between Data and Hope

12/13/2017

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I have been thinking a lot lately about the connection between progress monitoring and the Seneca value of HOPE. Sounds strange, I know. But here is the thing – the work we do in partnership with schools is challenging to say the least. We are supporting change in student behavior and change in school-wide systems – both of which are slow, often non-linear journeys. In the process of reshaping student behavior and improving school wide culture and climate, sometimes start with ambitious and ambiguous goals that lack a clearly articulated plan for promoting the changes necessary to achieve them. Without a roadmap, we become convinced we’re going no-where at all - we often lose hope and give up along the way, telling ourselves that, “we just can’t help this difficult student,” or “this school-wide initiative won’t work here.”

Setting concrete, measurable goals, progress monitoring, and celebrating milestones is one way that we can help school teams to understand that things are in fact improving overtime and that there is reason to hold on to hope. I recently came across an impressive example of progress monitoring while preparing for a tour at Verde Elementary in Richmond. In reflecting on their office discipline referral (ODR) data (graph below), I noticed three encouraging trends:

During the first year of our UE partnership (2016-17 school year), ODRs steadily decreased from November to the end of the year in June, creating the beautiful downward slope that we would hope to see
When you compare last year (2016-17) to this school year (2017-18) there is an overall, significant decrease in the number of ODRs each month
And last, when you look at national trends (horizontal lines on the graph), Verde is in fact BELOW THE 25th PERCENTILE for the number of ODRs experienced by students every month.

Connor Crabb, Student Support Assistant

This data is impressive. When a district representative on the tour saw this graph she immediately named a handful of people she wanted to go and share it with – she was excited to share this evidence of impact of the UE model. I was similarly excited to see the progress laid out so beautiful in an objective graph – but I wasn’t surprised. This is the kind of progress that is possible when school teams commit to regularly analyzing data to make intervention decisions. I had heard great stories about how Verde was doing this at their school.

For example, after noticing that 40% of referrals during the 2016-2017 school year came from the playground, the team made a focused effort to create more structure and support at recess. Connor Crabb, a Seneca team member who joined the partnership this school year has supported this effort and the results are inspiring. During the first three months of school this year, students have experienced a 70% reduction in ODRs from the playground compared to the same time period last year (58 referrals vs. 17 referrals).

I know this kind of data-based decision making is happening throughout out programs – at the student intervention level as well as the school-wide level. What I hope is that we are using our progress monitoring to celebrate success and foster this sense of excitement and persistence that we know is necessary in this work. I look forward to hearing more stories about how data has inspired hope in our schools!

Blog post written by:
Jenny Ventura, Director of Model Implementation and Assessment

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Foundational Beliefs of DEI

12/4/2017

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As Seneca’s newest region, Seneca WA recognized early on the need to invest in building a Seneca staff culture here in the northwest. As part of that work, we invested in hiring a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the multi-talented, highly experienced John Scott. As John began on boarding into his new role, one of the first priorities he identified was the need to be intentional in defining what DEI means to us.

And, now, we offer to you, Seneca WA’s Foundational Beliefs about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

In our ongoing effort and vYision with serving all of our communities in equitable ways, and to maintain the integrity of DEI work, we have created a list of foundational beliefs that we try to remain connected to while engaging participants in conversations (and movement) about diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Oppression is learned and we believe it can also be unlearned.
Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
It takes sustained, rigorous effort and action to change systems. We will not ‘naturally’ evolve toward greater diversity, equity, and inclusion.
People learn at their best when they embody humility and believe that they always have more to learn, remaining curious and engaged.
Relationships are fundamental and at the heart of DEI work.
Experiencing discomfort is a key component of transformative learning and authentic social change.
We believe that a commitment to creating language, actions, and systems that embody DEI principles and practices will create more humane, sustainable environments and truly inclusive communities.
Hurt people hurt people.
Most people are well-intentioned, even while they unconsciously hurt others. Impact and outcomes matter more than intention.
There are no easy fixes or magical solutions for DEI work.
DEI work means having the courage to name and transform oppressive issues, including but not limited to: sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, ableism, adultism, etc.
When our communities are truly diverse, inclusive, and equitable, we all benefit and are stronger/healthier because of it.
Change is possible and necessary. There is hope.

Blog post written by:
John Scott, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Washington

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STAFF HIGHLIGHT: Washington UE Staff

12/4/2017

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This is Seneca Washington’s first contribution to the UE blog, and as such, we thought we’d share with you some highlights about ALL of the staff engaged in our Unconditional Ed work here in Washington! To date, Seneca WA oversees UE partnerships in two counties in Washington, King County (Seattle) and Pierce County (Tacoma). We have one full partnership, at SOAR Academy, and several partial partnerships, both in other charter public schools and in Seattle’s district schools. Supporting this work are a diverse and incredible group of staff, inclusive of student support counselors, clinical intervention specialists, occupational therapists, speech language therapists and assistants, school psychologists, a UE coach, a nurse, a board certified behavioral analyst, supervisors, administrative support professionals and more.

One of the unique UE positions here in Washington is also one of our newer ones: the role of Reset Counselor. We currently have reset counselors assigned to four Seattle Public Schools. Each reset counselor works closely with the school’s leadership team to identify school-appropriate processes for teachers to request additional support throughout the day when a student appears to need a “reset” – a short time out of class focused on re-regulating, engaging some coping skills, and re-entering successfully. These short, behavioral resets are considered a Tier 2 intervention rooted in restorative practices. Counselors track their interventions carefully in Apricot to allow school teams to make informed decisions about student and classroom needs, intervention strategy success rates, and early signs that a young person may be in need of additional help. Since adding the position to their campuses, principals report lower levels of office discipline referrals, improved student-teacher relationships (where coaching or mediation by the reset counselor can be of great help), and a feeling of decreased acuity across the schools. We are carefully tracking data and excited to share lessons learned and implications for practice in future blogs!

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School Highlight: SOAR Academy

12/4/2017

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“Success!
Outcomes!
Arts, and
Rigor!”

Welcome to SOAR Academy, the school whose chant can often be heard shouted enthusiastically in classrooms, staff trainings, and special events. A proud community of students, parents, and staff, SOAR has maintained a rich partnership with Seneca since the earliest days of its design, with an official Unconditional Education partnership beginning the day the doors opened to students back in August 2015.

In that first year, SOAR Academy looked a lot like most other new UE partnership sites. That all changed the summer of 2016. With seven weeks until the start of the school year, the school’s founder and leader resigned. With few other options in place and a school community committed to staying open, the school’s Board turned to Seneca and invited the organization to take the wheel, providing the school’s leadership team and strategy for the following year.

Today, SOAR Academy is several months into its third school year serving the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, WA, with Jessica Stryczek, a 12-year Seneca employee (and former All-In! Director of School Partnerships) as its principal. The charter public school currently enrolls grades kindergarten through third, with a plan to add grades yearly until reaching scale and serving grades kindergarten through eighth. The school has set out to engage a student population that is representative of the diverse Tacoma community, with particular attention paid to creating a positive learning environment for all students, including those historically left behind or disproportionately disciplined in district schools. As of the 2016-17 school year, 82.5% of SOAR’s students identified as non-white, and over 77% qualified for free or reduced-price meals. 14.2% received special education services and 12.5% experienced homelessness or housing insecurity.

The SOAR instructional approach is characterized by a rigorous, arts-integration curriculum and culturally responsive and trauma-informed teaching practices, utilizing the Unconditional Education model as a template for school operations and interventions. Clinical intervention specialists and student support counselors on site help to manage behavioral crises, re-integrating students back into the general education setting as quickly as possible so learning opportunities are maximized. The unconditional element of the work is taken seriously by all staff; not a single student has been expelled or suspended at SOAR since Seneca assumed responsibility for its operation. Read more about the school’s commitment to meeting the needs of all students in this recent blog feature on Education Post.

In a state where charter schools have faced a series of challenges and years of uncertainty, SOAR Academy stands as a reminder of HOPE, the belief that, despite current challenges in policy and practice, a free public school can indeed grow to address its students’ complex array of needs with compassion, energy, and joy.

It is an honor to begin introducing the Unconditional Education family to Seneca Washington’s work at SOAR and across the Pacific Northwest! We stand on the shoulders of those of you who have done this work longer in California and are proud to join you on a collaborative effort to re-imagine the student experience in truly inclusive public schools. Thank you for giving us HOPE!

Blog post written by:
Lihi Rosenthal, Executive Director of Washington Programs

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Welcome

Staff Highlight

New Data and Resources to Combat Chronic Absenteeism

Staff Highlight

The Relationship between Data and Hope

Foundational Beliefs of DEI

STAFF HIGHLIGHT: Washington UE Staff

School Highlight: SOAR Academy

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