Resources for Improving Learning Conditions and Building Relationships

This month's updates from The BELE Network [View this email in your browser]( Greetings, BELE family: The murder of Tyre Nichols — the most recent in a long list of names of Black people to die senselessly — continues to show the long road ahead of us to achieving equity and justice in our communities. As we once again endure the process of grieving, we recognize that change and transformation are not simple or linear. We’re reminded of our role as the BELE Network in tackling the inequities in our society: to look at the gaps in our education system and strive to rebuild it into one that truly values, supports, and serves each student. We must continue to work in partnership with young people to bring this vision to reality. This starts by ensuring schools have processes, structures, and spaces for students to form deep relationships with adults, where they are supported to develop their agency and pursue their dreams. We must also continue creating environments that allow students to be seen, valued, and supported in their academic, physical, emotional, and identity development. We value your partnership in this effort, particularly in moments as difficult as this one. We know that, like ours, your work in service of resource equity and developmentally rich and culturally affirming student experience will not stop. That’s why we also wish to remind our partners to take care and space for themselves at this moment. In solidarity and power, Dr. Gisele C. Shorter Director, National Education Strategy Raikes Foundation The Latest from the BELE Network Elevate in Action: West Buffalo Charter School Case Study | PERTS Over 5 Elevate survey cycles from October 2021 to May 2022, West Buffalo Charter School staff partnered with their students and each other to make schoolwide improvements in multiple learning conditions. This latest case study from PERTS’ Elevate in Action series reveals the steps taken and key insights from the process. Read the case study [here](. Learning Conditions Are an Actionable, Early Indicator of Math Learning | PERTS and the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research Teachers can accelerate learning by creating motivating classroom conditions. Highlighting the Elevate framework, this research brief focuses on quantifying the relationship between math achievement and the Elevate learning conditions, and variability in conditions over time. Read it [here](. The Innovative Models Exchange Deep Dive: Project-Based Learning | Transcend Transcend’s recent blog post highlights Project Based Learning (PBL), a type of classroom where a teacher’s role is to guide learning instead of to impart knowledge. PBL, a topic covered on the [Innovative Models Exchange]( helps schools and educators design a school experience to help students make sense of real-world contexts. Learn more [here](. Building Relationships, Connections, and Belonging | BARR In December, the BARR Center hosted a webinar on rethinking how high schools are designed to improve student experience and overcome challenges, including the decline in NAEP scores. Educational leaders spoke on actionable data, supportive relationships, and a collective, evidence-based approach to student support. Watch it [here](. Upcoming Events & Opportunities February 11-12, 2023: Black Teacher Wellness Retreat | Black Teacher Project The Black Teacher Project is holding a wellness retreat for Black educators and leaders to engage with practical tools and approaches to help them thrive inside and outside of schools. Participants will have the opportunity to expand and deepen practices that support their well-being. Register [here](. February 16-18, 2023: National Conference on Education | AASA AASA is hosting the National Conference on Education for school superintendents and administrators to hear new ideas and approaches from education thought leaders to strengthen school districts. Join AASA to meet with a network working to improve equity, student outcomes, and district performance. Register [here](. March 10, 2023: SEL Day Summit | SEL4US The fourth annual SEL Day is coming up in March, a day to collectively spread the word about the importance and impact of social-emotional learning. Help raise awareness for SEL, bring on new SEL stakeholders, create artifacts that demonstrate SEL in action, and share SEL best practices. Sign up [here](. Freedom Dreams Lab | Transcend Nominate a leader for the Freedom Dreams Lab, a Fellowship program and cooperative community that brings together school leaders of color who are ready and excited to innovate and think beyond the status quo. Transcend will support leaders and their work to pilot and provide equitable learning experiences. Learn how [here](. Senior Associate, Development | Education Trust—West Education Trust—West (ETW) is seeking a Senior Associate, Development to join their Planning, Grants, and Administration team. Based in Oakland, this person will help maintain strong relationships, prospect new funders and individual donors, ensure grant applications and reports are timely, and much more. ETW is also looking to hire an External Relations Manager and a K-12 Senior Policy Analyst. Learn more about the opportunities [here](. Submit to the BELE Network Newsletter: We’re always looking for new content from the BELE Network to include in the newsletter. Please share any relevant news, upcoming events, or case studies with us from your organization that you would like to share with the BELE Network. To submit, complete the form here. BELE in the News: Finding Their Crowns: Oakland Organization Helps Young Black Men See Road To Success | NBC Bay Area Kingmakers of Oakland was recently featured in an NBC Bay Area news segment. Chris Chatmon, CEO and Founder of the organization, talks to NBC about his motivation for creating Kingmakers, and programs they offer to teach young Black men skills to expand their school and career potential for the future. Watch it [here](. Learning Should Not be Relevant or Rigorous; It Should be Both | Ed Post Educators for Excellence member and high school teacher Arthur Everett shared his perspective engaging students in rigorous and relevant learning outside of school. He draws on his observations in the classroom along with Educators for Excellence’s teacher survey and data from Transcend’s Leaps Survey of 20,000+ students. Read it [here](. Teacher Expectations Play a Big Role in the Classroom. Here’s How | EducationWeek Whitney Emke, associate director of communications at EL Education, responded to the question “what is the role of teacher expectations in instruction?” in EdWeek’s Classroom Q&A with Larry Ferlazzo. Read what she says on how educators can build equitable outcomes for students [here](. How Do Students Feel About School? A New Survey in Chicago Asks Them | Chalkbeat Chicago Chicago Public Schools students took the Cultivate survey in December 2022, to share how they view their teachers and classroom experiences. Based on the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research’s research on the ways classroom environments shape how students feel about school and how well they do, the survey will help schools better understand where improvements can be made. Read more about it [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](