Resources for Building Authentic Partnerships and Redesigning Schools | December 2022

This month's updates from The BELE Network [View this email in your browser]( Greetings, BELE family: From smart investments in student safety to building more awareness about the importance of focusing on student experience, your work this year is something to be proud of. We hope that BELE resources and guidance were valuable towards achieving our collective goals, and we look forward to supporting your efforts in 2023. As we close out 2022, we highlight some of our favorite resources from the past year. These may be useful to you as you finish up your final tasks of the year, and as you begin planning for 2023: - [Making Kids Safer at School With Newly Available Funds]( What do we mean by school safety? Certainly, we mean the protection of students from physical violence, but in this piece, BELE shares recommendations for educators to expand the definition to include the creation of supportive learning environments that benefit students’ mental health and well-being. - [Mobilizing Resources to Advance Excellence and Equity for All Students]( We’re in a hard-won moment for state and federal funding for education equity. The team at Education Resource Strategies lays out key guidance for smart investments at the school and district levels. - [BELE Social Media Guidance]( For those of you who interact with community members over social media, this guide is meant to support you when deciding to respond to confrontations on social media related to the anti-equity backlash. - The BELE Learning Series: - [Insights from the Caregiver Community: Building Authentic School & Family Partnerships]( It’s critical for schools to intentionally develop meaningful relationships with caregivers. CASEL lays out four insights for making that happen. - [District-Level Learnings From the Field: What Needs to be True When Redesigning School District Systems and Structures for Human Thriving?]( Many lessons were learned this year from BELE’s district partners. CASEL and NEP lay out some of the most important ones here, focusing on the conditions necessary to enhance the student experience and where districts should concentrate their efforts to sustain meaningful change. The BELE Learning Series Redesigning School District Systems and Structures for Human Thriving | The BELE Network Our new Medium piece focuses on the three key conditions necessary to make systems human-centered, our [first Essential Action](. By establishing the three conditions, district leaders and educators can play a role in building positive student experiences where students feel safe, seen, engaged, and connected in their learning environment. Read it [here](. Building Authentic School and Family Partnerships | The BELE Network This month’s second Medium piece centers around partnering with caregivers and communities, our [fourth Essential Action](. We provide four key strategies gathered from caregivers to create authentic partnerships between caregivers, educators, and school leaders. Read more [here](. The Latest from the BELE Network Out of the Box | Transcend Education and New Classrooms Transcend and New Classrooms just announced the launch of their Out of the Box report, a look at how innovative learning models can transform K-12 education. The report provides a roadmap to adopt innovative learning models to redesign and improve the student and teacher experience. Read the report [here](. Abolish the Bell | Next System Learning Collaborative The Next System Learning Collaborative released the first three episodes of their new podcast, Abolish the Bell. In the podcast, a diverse group of students share their perspectives as students of America’s flawed school system and their hopes for the future of education. Listen to the podcast [here](. Building Toward Effective High-Dosage Tutoring Programs: Lessons Learned From 3 Successful Districts | ERS ERS interviewed leaders from three districts on the quick decisions they had to make during abrupt shifts in schooling models during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Indianapolis Public Schools, and Dallas Independent School District answered what they did early on, how their decisions enabled them to build more expansive programs, and what lessons they’ve learned since. Read more [here](. Bright Spots: Schools and Organizations Cultivating Excellence in Los Angeles Black Youth | UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools UCLA’s new report analyzes Los Angeles schools and organizations with a history highlighting paths to academic success for Black students. Looking at these “bright spots,” the report discusses practices, approaches, techniques, and collaborations that have effectively supported Black students. Read it [here](. Upcoming Events & Opportunities December 16, 2022: Demystifying Systemic Social and Emotional Learning | CASEL CASEL is continuing their 10-part webinar series that addresses critical aspects of high-quality systemic SEL each month and provides insights on prioritizing academic, social, and emotional learning for students. Register for the next webinar [here](. January 11 - February 15, 2023: Coaching for Equity | National Equity Project NEP is offering a 6-week virtual course to develop and refine coaching skills so participants can support people in schools, districts, or education organizations to become more effective teachers, teammates, and leaders. Participants will be able to examine their coaching style from an equity lens and practice new coaching skills. Register [here](. January 24 - March 7, 2023: Learning Together SEL Workshops | CASEL Join CASEL for four live webinars on social and emotional learning to help leaders plan, sustain, and continuously improve systemic SEL implementation in school communities. Participants will learn skills to lead an intentional, collaborative process in a school setting that promotes academic, social, and emotional learning. Register [here](. February 6 - 8, 2023: We Are Crew | EL Education EL Education is hosting a professional learning experience to learn about Crew, a framework for daily whole-class meetings in elementary schools and small advisory groups in secondary schools. Participants will engage with educators and leaders through the Crew structure and explore how it can build a culture centered on belonging, purpose, and agency. Register before January 30th [here](. BELE in the News: Staffing to Make the Pandemic Pivots Permanent | Principal Magazine: The Journal of NAESP Transcend’s work was featured in the November/December 2022 issue of Principal Magazine. In the piece, Transcend offers learnings on how schools can be innovative to help keep the best educators in the classroom while attracting new teachers. Read it [here](. Innovative Models Exchange Offers a Roadmap for Reinventing School | The74 The74 recently covered Transcend’s Innovative Models Exchange and how this new searchable database can support school communities to offer programs in college prep, the whole child model, tutoring, project-based learning, and more. Read it [here](. Lessons with Alexandra Usher and Dr. Alexander Seeskin | Lessons in Adolescence Podcast On an episode of the podcast, Alex Usher and Dr. Alex Seeskin from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research discussed the To&Through Project and their partnership with Chicago Public Schools to analyze student data for actionable insights. Listen to the podcast [here](. Helping Young People Achieve Peak Performance | Psychology Today Turnaround for Children’s Founder and Senior Science Advisor, Pamela Cantor M.D., published a piece in Psychology Today on developing one’s potential and talent. She writes about the role of parents, coaches, and teachers in equipping young people with tools to reach their fullest potential and ambitious goals. Read the article [here](. New to BELE? Start Here [The BELE Framework: A Guide to Building Equitable Learning Environments]( We may have inherited a public education system that nurtures racial and class-based inequities, but it is ours to redesign. The BELE Network created a framework that gives educators, administrators, and policymakers the tools that are needed to create an equitable learning environment. [The BELE Resource Library: Find the Best Resource for Your Needs]( This new, collaborative space is an evolving repository of resources and recommendations from across the BELE Network, curated to help educators, parents, and policymakers create classrooms where every student feels valued and has what they need to thrive. [A Commitment to Put Students First in 2022]( This letter to the BELE community from Gisele C. Shorter, Education Program Officer at the Raikes Foundation, offers a vision for 2022 and outlines BELE's commitment to centering students in all aspects of our work. [BELE Services Information]( Learn about the organizations that make up the BELE Network and the services they provide to see how you can partner with them for your organization's needs. Have a question? Contact us at info@BELENetwork.org Follow us on social media below! Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [LinkedIn]( [Medium]( [Website]( [Email](mailto:info@BELENetwork.org) This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( We Are RALLY · 6565 Sunset Blvd · Ste 400 · Los Angeles, California 90028 · USA [Mailchimp Email Marketing](