Building Student Resilience, K-8: Strategies to Overcome Risk and Adversity

by Gabriel H. Simon

Overview

Proven strategies for helping students rebound from risk

An experienced teacher and principal of a Title I school, Gabe Simon provides classroom practitioners, support team specialists, and all levels of schools leaders with numerous strategies for forging strong relationships and providing scaffolded supports to help students rebound from risk. Included are:

• Compelling descriptions of research on the link between resiliency and academic achievement
• The most important steps educators can take to build students' resiliency
• Game plans for creating caring school-wide teams and classroom structures that engage students
• Comments and perspectives from students considered to be at risk

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452258676
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	11/21/2012
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Consulting Description

Table of Contents

Preface vii

About the Author ix

Introduction: Turning Points 1

Our Current Landscape 2

Rebounds: Resiliency Overview 5

The Need for Turning Points 7

Including Student Voices in the Game Plan 9

The Significance of This Work 9

1 How Do We Know They Will Bounce Back? 11

Evidence From the Record Books 11

The Impact of the Resiliency Protective Factors 13

Summary of Theoretical Base 14

Seminal Work on Resilience: the Kauai Study 16

Specific Resiliency Protective Factors Impacting Student Achievement 17

Conclusion 24

2 The Caring School Team 25

The Schoolwide Game Plan 25

Students' Perspectives on Support 25

3 The Engaging Classroom Team: The Classroom Game Plan 39

Perspectives on Engagement 39

Practical Applications 42

4 What We Urgently Stand For and Against: Does Your School Truly Put Student Learning First? 49

Teacher- Versus Learner-Centered Practices 50

Creating a Sense of Urgency 52

Faces of the Achievement Gap 52

Own It! 52

5 All-Star Performance: What Will Your Legacy Be? The Leadership Implications of Systemic Change for All Students 55

Transformational Leaders as Agents of Change 55

Own the Challenge 56

The Soul of a Leader 57

Conclusion 58

Turning Points 59

Appendices

Appendix A Envisioning Life Beyond High School 61

Appendix B Demystifying College 65

Appendix C Life Skills 67

Appendix D Enrichment Opportunities 69

Appendix E Student Growth Plan 71

Appendix F Schoolwide Standards for Behavior 75

Appendix G Classroom Goals (Fifth-Grade Example) 79

Appendix H Dreamboard Template 81

Appendix I Hattie's Meta-Strategies for Student Growth 83

Appendix J My Plan for Success 85

Appendix K Grade Improvement Plan 87

Appendix L Levels of Support 89

References 93

Index 99

Editorial Reviews

"Virtually all educators endorse the general idea that students will be more successful in and connected to their schools if they have the benefit of caring relationships and high levels of engagement. The challenge of course, is determining how schools can create these conditions for every student. The Building Student Resilience, K-8 provides the answer to that challenge. It offers specific steps and tools educators can utilize in their schools and classrooms. Furthermore, it offers a novel idea for assessing the levels of caring relationships and student engagement in a school – asking the students themselves. This book has a lot to offer. I recommend it highly. "

Dr. Richard Du Four

"This book offers excellent resources to support the social and emotional needs of students. The current emphasis on achievement scores has focused on the academic development of our students, but this book provides the resources needed to support the whole child. "

Edward C. Nolan

"An excellent resource for planning for today's schools. Make your school a caring community for all students! "

Pamela B. Maxwell

"Dr. Simon starts this book with a reminder from the late, great, Dr. Ron Edmonds that schools can still override almost anything happening in the life of a child. With the use of basketball and sports analogies, inspirational quotes, templates for student success and detailed analysis of data, Dr. Simon provides concrete strategies for propelling "at-risk" youth. In using scientific methodology on student risk behaviors, student resiliency, teacher practices and student test scores to show what school teams and especially school leaders can accomplish in obtaining improved student outcomes, Dr. Simon makes certain his readers will get results. GAME ON! "

Dr. Crystal A. Kuykendall

"Most learning starts from ‘not knowing’ or making errors. Resiliency, therefore, is among the most critical factors in helping students try again, engage in deliberate practice, and develop a fundamental skill of learning. Gabe Simon’s book is the right mix of theory and practice that demands a call to action to create turning points for all students by developing their resilience in the face of risks. A must read, particularly for school leaders, as it shows that developing resilience is key to then raising achievement in a school. "

John Hattie

"This is a wonderful, well-researched book, full of statistics and practical strategies that work for at-risk youths and those from high-poverty environments.
It is a must-read for any practitioner working with these students. "

Ruby Payne

"Resiliency is a key to the intellectual and emotional development of students. Unfortunately, too many educational policies focus on threats and punishments rather than resiliency. Gabe Simon's splendid book is a welcome antidote for teachers and administrators who want to improve student results, but who also love and care for the students they serve. With an astonishing amount of evidence from a wide variety of sources, Simon makes the definitive case for strategies that are practical and effective. Best of all, Simon amplifies the power of his evidence through the voices of students. The reader is compelled to engage in what the author calls "tenacious caring" not because it raises test scores, but because it is the moral imperative of our profession. "

Douglas Reeves

"Virtually all educators endorse the general idea that students will be more successful in and connected to their schools if they have the benefit of caring relationships and high levels of engagement. The challenge of course, is determining how schools can create these conditions for every student. The Building Student Resilience, K-8provides the answer to that challenge. It offers specific steps and tools educators can utilize in their schools and classrooms. Furthermore, it offers a novel idea for assessing the levels of caring relationships and student engagement in a school – asking the students themselves. This book has a lot to offer. I recommend it highly."

Dr. Richard DuFour

"Dr. Simon starts this book with a reminder from the late, great, Dr. Ron Edmonds that schools can still override almost anything happening in the life of a child. With the use of basketball and sports analogies, inspirational quotes, templates for student success and detailed analysis of data, Dr. Simon provides concrete strategies for propelling "at-risk" youth. In using scientific methodology on student risk behaviors, student resiliency, teacher practices and student test scores to show what school teams and especially school leaders can accomplish in obtaining improved student outcomes, Dr. Simon makes certain his readers will get results. GAME ON! "

Doctor - Crystal A. Kuykendall

"Virtually all educators endorse the general idea that students will be more successful in and connected to their schools if they have the benefit of caring relationships and high levels of engagement. The challenge of course, is determining how schools can create these conditions for every student. The Building Student Resilience, K-8provides the answer to that challenge. It offers specific steps and tools educators can utilize in their schools and classrooms. Furthermore, it offers a novel idea for assessing the levels of caring relationships and student engagement in a school – asking the students themselves. This book has a lot to offer. I recommend it highly. "

Doctor - Richard Du Four