Transforming School Through Adult-Student Partnerships 🤝

This month's updates from The BELE Network [View this email in your browser]( Greetings, BELE family: When one student expressed feeling unheard when speaking up about their school experience, it ignited a conversation across a Michigan school district on how student voice could be better activated. Fueled by this feedback, teachers at [Baker Middle School]( successfully co-developed and implemented a new structure of listening sessions with their students. This structure included each student identifying teachers that they trusted to be present in the room. With the spaces in place for honest conversations, teachers heard concerns from students about how school rules were being interpreted and enforced. Based on the students’ feedback, the school’s staff are now re-evaluating the rules that were flagged as outdated or inconsistently applied. As the ones impacted daily by decisions typically directed by education leaders, this push was critical for students to feel like they had a place to talk and be heard. “I realized I was not always the trusted adult and needed to get out of the way,” said the Principal of Baker Middle School. To learn more about how adults can center student experiences and effectively design schools with students, visit NEP’s [suite of youth-adult design partnerships resources](. Stay tuned for more learnings and recommendations to come. In Partnership, The BELE Network [Discover more resources]( The BELE Learning Series The Transformative Power of Youth Organizing Coaches | National Equity Project The latest BELE learning brief highlights how near-peer mentors and Youth Organizing Coaches can help school districts listen to and respond to the experiences of students. The brief explores four key insights on how the role can be implemented in schools to uplift student voices and support education leaders to partner more meaningfully with students. Read it [here](. The Latest from the BELE Network Youth-Adult Co-Design and Design Partnerships | National Equity Project NEP launched their suite of knowledge products on youth-adult design partnerships with two new resources. Co-Design as a Catalyst for Equity and Developing Youth-Adult Design Partnerships provide key lessons and recommendations to help educators and other adults develop practices, tools, and mindsets to effectively partner with students to co-lead change efforts. Check them out and stay tuned for more resources [here](. Most Americans Say They Are Less Likely to Support a Candidate Who Stands for Curriculum Restrictions or Book Bans in 2024 | We Believe and Ipsos A new Ipsos poll for We Believe is out as urgency rises around book bans that remove books from libraries and classrooms. Among its findings is that parents across the political spectrum want their children to learn a range of perspectives and be introduced to age-appropriate lessons on various topics — even challenging ones. Read more [here](. Community-Based Design Community Profiles | Transcend Community-based design is a collaborative and local process that brings together youth, educators, administrators, caregivers, and experts to redesign learning to create positive student experiences. Transcend highlights two school communities, the Brooklyn STEAM Center and D.C. Public Schools’ Van Ness Elementary School, that brought stakeholders together to create equitable learning environments for young people. Learn more about them [here](. Upcoming Events & Opportunities October 30: Building Schools Together: The Power of Student Perspective | Transcend Virtual Transcend’s new webinar series explores the power of community-based design in education. Each section will showcase stories from diverse learning communities and highlight the unique roles of students, families, educators, and school leaders. Brooklyn STEAM Center Students will lead and share their experiences for the first conversation, “The Power of Student Perspective.” Register [here](. November 7: Re-Envisioning In-School Suspension (ISS) | NewRoot Chicago, IL Join NewRoot in person to learn about a framework for schools to reimagine in-school suspension and other disciplinary interventions as opportunities for restorative practices and skill-building. Participants will examine their school's disciplinary interventions and gain tools for shifting those spaces in a restorative direction. Register [here](. November 14: The Three As: Alone, Affinity & Alliance Workshop | National Equity Project Virtual NEP’s workshop will explore the power of racial affinity structures in fostering racial justice within organizations. Participants will become better equipped to navigate complex issues of race and equity by exploring their identity, engaging in meaningful dialogue, and creating connections with others from similar backgrounds. Register [here](. November 30 - December 2: ELevate | EL Education Denver, CO Join EL Education at their annual ELevate conference “for practitioners, by practitioners.” Presenters will share their expertise in EL Education curricula, the Three Dimensions of Student Achievement, and the Core Practices. Sessions will cater to multiple audiences, including school and district administrators, instructional leaders, school board members, and curriculum specialists. Register [here](. BELE in the News Kids Aren’t the Only Ones Who Benefit From Social-Emotional Learning | EdSurge Bloodine Barthelus, Senior Director of Practice at CASEL, writes about the importance of implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) practices for students and educators alike. By building community among teachers, practicing mindfulness, and increasing access to resources, schools can introduce SEL to educators to more easily foster positive learning environments for their students. Read more [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. [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](