Introduction
For the last several years, Jake, according to his father, has been a difficult child, impulsive, quick to anger, and the word "active" does not begin to describe his behavior. When he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at age five, it was almost a relief. But the medication hasn't been the magic pill his parents had hoped, and they worry about side effects. Jake's second-grade teacher is understanding, but even she is losing patience with his disruptive behavior.Every morning it's the same scene at the Farber house. "I don't want to go to school," wails Joey. "Don't make me go." And every morning Joey's mother brings her always tearful, sometimes angry seven-year-old to his classroom and runs from the room, her feelings of anger, sadness, and confusion mirroring those of her son.
Trudy's kindergarten teacher is worried about her. Always a shy child, lately Trudy has been so withdrawn that she has hardly spoken. Increasingly, she spends her time curled up in the large stuffed chair in the reading center, sucking her thumb. Although school staff members haven't seen any bruises, they are more and more convinced that Trudy is being abused.
Every day, scenarios like those described above are being played out in families and classrooms across America. The way that teachers and school staff deal with these issues will have a profound influence on children's success in school and beyond. Although schools have traditionally separated children's academic achievement from social and emotional development, increasingly educators are coming to the conclusion that while educational achievement is the central purpose of schooling, a narrow focus on academics will not always bring results.
Due, in part, to a number of tragic, high-profile acts of school violence, there is growing recognition that disruptive and antisocial behaviors are best addressed in the early years, before patterns of behavior become established and resistant to change. In addition, there is increased awareness that when schools tolerate teasing, bullying, and the division of students into winners and losers, feelings of isolation, alienation, anger, and despair may become all too common among students who feel left out. Yet, as Greenspan and Benderly (1997) point out, "Children who have become withdrawn, angry, suspicious, or humiliated--that is, those who most need emotional support--are least likely to get it" (p. 1).
While school violence rarely escalates into the sensational events that have made headlines in the last few years, emotional and behavior problems can take a toll on the atmosphere of learning (Moores, 1999 Northwest Magazine Safe Schools issues). According to polls of kindergarten teachers, growing numbers of families are unable to raise children who are ready for school, and schools are said to be unready for children. Teachers often spend a great deal of time attending to the needs of children who lack persistence and motivation, and who are unable to focus attention, to get along with other children, and to control their emotions and behavior. During the last few years, many schools and families have begun to move beyond the finger-pointing stage and are developing partnerships to promote the optimal development of all children.
Even before First Lady Hillary Clinton's "It takes a village" campaign, educators and human service workers had reached consensus on an important principle: Children do not exist in isolation; rather, they develop in the context of child/family/school/community relationships. Creating a school climate that fosters success for all children requires careful attention to the relationships between all of these contexts for development. Polson Partnership Project Coordinator Co Carew points out, "Creating school communities that foster positive relationships among all members is not in competition with math and other basic subjects; social and academic competence go together."
But how do already overburdened teachers find the time to create these ever-widening circles of inclusion? More and more schools are creating school-based child and family support programs to address the social and emotional needs of children, and to build strong linkages between home, school, and the community. It is these programs and the school communities into which they are integrated that are the focus of this paper.
Of course, school-linked comprehensive services are not new. As early as 1923, an urban superintendent asserted:
The school should serve as a clearinghouse for children's activities so that all child welfare agencies may be working simultaneously and efficiently, thus creating a child world within the city wherein all children may have a wholesome environment all of the day and every day (quoted in Tyack, 1992).
Since that time, numerous collaborations have been created to address the complicated problems faced by children and families in today's society. A number of publications have captured the experiences of collaborative endeavors across the country in guides for integrating education and human services (Melaville & Blank, 1993; Together We Can, Winer & Ray, 1994; Putting the Pieces Together, U.S. Department of Education, 1996). The programs highlighted in this paper differ from many of the collaborative efforts discussed in these publications in one important respect: Rather than being one player in a collaborative partnership with numerous community agencies that create their own vision of a pro-family system, school-based child and family support programs keep children and their school success at the center.
While effective programs evolve to meet the unique needs of a particular school community, they share many commonalties. They are frequently directed by a working team that includes teachers, principals, school psychologists, social workers, and/or counselors. Partnerships with the juvenile justice system, Head Start programs and other preschool teachers, and medical and mental-health community members increase the support network for children and families. In addition, at the center of these partnerships is often a position that has a long history in Head Start programs, but is still relatively rare in schools. Variously described as a family advocate, child and family mentor, parent liaison, case manager, family service worker, and child-development specialist, this liaison between home and school plays an important role in breaking down barriers that inhibit home/school partnerships.
Services are both child and family-focused. In the context of a supportive relationship, children are given opportunities to learn conflict-resolution strategies, anger management, communication, problem solving, and friendship skills. Family advocates or mentors (often with guidance from licensed counselors or social workers) frequently work directly with children, as well as coaching teachers and all staff members in the use of strategies to promote children's social skills and emotional development. When schools and families provide opportunities for children to systematically think through emotions, to reflect on their behavior, and to understand how others' think and feel, children are much less likely to lash out at classmates or staff (Egan, 1999; Kohn, 1996; Meier, 1995). Vivian Paley, an author and educator whose latest book, The Kindness of Children (1999), is an exploration of children's impulsive goodness, advises adults to begin having conversations with children about kindness, fairness, and justice well before kindergarten.
Listen closely to children's questions. Be alert to the fact that they are absorbing all of what is played out before them. And try not to miss any opportunity to sift through the rightness or wrongness of what unfolds, whether the child is actor or audience in the drama. Keep talking about it. Because that is the thing that is of the greatest interest to the child; what is fair, what is not fair, and why does so much of what goes on seem unfair (1999).
Services to families address a range of issues. Families may be given opportunities to learn about children's development, assistance in developing positive behavior plans for their children, and help in accessing health, educational, and social services, as well as other resources. "A family might need shoes, food, housing, or clothing. Whatever it takes to make a child equal to other kids, that's what we help with," explains Zann Johnson, family advocate at Mary Harrison Primary School in Toledo, Oregon.
A strong philosophical base is critical to program success. In High Risk Children in Schools, researchers Pianta and Walsh observe:
Theory is what is missing in the contemporary discourse on risk. Good theory allows us to see contemporary reality through contemporary lenses rather than through the lenses used yesterday. Most important, for those of us working in applied fields, a good theory points us toward action (1996, p. 3).
Fortunately, a rich body of research from the fields of sociology, family systems theory, brain development, and developmental and cognitive psychology can guide the formation of school-based support programs, and increase the likelihood that educational reform will lead to enhanced student learning. By understanding their role in fostering the development of young children, teachers and school staff members can have a profound effect on children's success at school and beyond. Pianta and Walsh conclude, "Now that we have a far more accurate idea of how the human mind develops, we must base our educational methods not on tradition but on the best current insights into how children learn" (1996, p.219).
In this paper, research on attachment, resiliency, early brain development, culturally responsive teaching, and school reform are explored, and promising practices based on the research are highlighted. Elements of school-based child and family support programs in elementary schools are also discussed. Throughout the document are links to materials suitable for handouts in workshops. These handouts include synopses of a concept, summaries of research, and suggestions for designing learning experiences for young children and their families. In addition, there are links to relevant publications and information.
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This document's URL is: © 2001 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
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