Blog

Four Learn4Life students enjoyed a wonderful experience of having facials with Community Wraparound’s Community Mentor, Christina Vargas, on August 24th, at Community Wraparound’s office in the Jacobs Center in San Diego, Facial supplies were provided and the youth laughed and giggled as they enjoyed the experience together. Angelina shared that her favorite part was meeting everyone and having a different space to hang out with girls. Amy was grateful to be invited to express her feelings,...

Photo: Shutterstock To read more of Daniel Villareal's article, please click here. Several school districts in Virginia’s Democratic-leaning regions are flat-out refusing to implement transphobic policies recently handed down by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). The policies force students to use bathrooms, pronouns , and names that align with their sex assigned at birth. The state’s Attorney General Jason Miyares sent a letter on Thursday telling schools that they’re required to...

Shelley Paul and Jill Gough had heard that doodling while taking notes could help improve memory and concept retention, but as instructional coaches they were reluctant to bring the idea to teachers without trying it out themselves first. To give it a fair shot, Paul tried sketching all her notes from a two-day conference. By the end, her drawings had improved and she was convinced the approach could work for kids, too. “It causes you to listen at a different level,” said Jill Gough,...

To read more of Jennifer DePaoli and Jennifer McCombs ' article, please click here. DePaoli, J., & McCombs, J. (2023). Safe schools, thriving students: Evidence-based strategies for creating safe and supportive schools. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/701.445 A rise in the number of school shootings over time has driven increasing attention to school safety. However, school shootings are not the only physical safety threat students may encounter at school. Other types...

Announcing the Sharpen Shop with an entire collection of resiliency gear that has powerful messages of hope and healing. In particular the award-winning "5 Minute Mindfulness" program has been deployed in resilient schools and community suicide prevention initiatives for over 10 years.

Evidence-based "5 Minute Mindfulness" cards are available that boost resilience, mental health literacy and accessibility.

Successful health equity strategies must be inclusive, and focus on all marginalized and minoritized persons and their communities. Any lesser view will continue to yield a faulty health equity equation.

(This is a review of what I believe is an important new resource for the PACEs [for positive and adverse childhood experiences] science movement. Opinions expressed are my own, and are shared as a parent, advocate, author, and longtime student of trauma, healing, and prevention. Thoughts are also shared through my lens as someone who believes, deeply, in the incredible importance of and value in building healthier, more compassionate communities to support and nurture pregnant and new...

In Trauma-Informed Parenting Program: TIPs for Clinicians to Train Parents of Children Impacted by Trauma & Adversity , distinguished psychologist and renowned expert, Dr. Carryl P. Navalta, presents a practical and hands-on guide for clinicians working to improve emotion regulation of trauma-affected children. Readers will discover how to assess, conceptualize, and treat children dealing with the effects of exposure to various forms of trauma and adversity and to provide their clients'...

By Laura Gallant, 7/27/23, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ For many educators, the end of July is a time to start brainstorming about the set up of your classroom. When thinking about how to decorate your classroom and how to get to know your students, consider doing this in a HOPEful way. Below are 10 tips to add HOPE and the Four Building Blocks to your classroom before students even arrive. The environment building block is a large focus for these tips, but educators can practice...

Photo: Shutterstock To read more of Molly Sprayregen's article, please click here. Tennessee’s largest teacher organization, along with five public school teachers, is suing the state’s education department over its policies on teaching about racism and sexism. The Tennessee Education Association brought the lawsuit to target S.B. 0623 , which became law in June 2021 and bans school curricula from teaching that “an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently...

To read the Learn4Life article, please click here. We see time after time how students can blossom and flourish when just one adult in their life shows that they care. Tanja Politiski in our Lake Elsinore school is that inspiring, caring teacher for so many of her students…like Zane, a homeless student she was determined to help meet his goal of graduating. He was doing well with school, but then his foster mother asked him to leave their home. At age 17, the last thing he wanted to do was...