Strategies in the field - MASC March 10, 2017 Boston College Lynch School of Education’s Center for Optimized Student Support

Out-of-school factors impact achievement

What we know The science of learning is also the science of human development. The science of human development is also the science of poverty and adversity. The science of poverty and adversity is also the science of hope. There is hope for all students when they get the resources and supports they need to be ready to learn. We are learning from a mounting body of evidence how to do this effectively and cost-efficiently.

Understanding why: Learning Learning is a complex process involving many parts of the brain that influence each other Prefrontal cortex = executive functioning and self regulation Hippocampus = contributes to learning and memory Amygdala = emotional regulation and reactivity

Understanding why: Development The brain is built through the process of human development Development is impacted by (1) genetics and (2) environment and experience It occurs over time, with the years between 0-12 as most formative It occurs across multiple domains simultaneously, so social emotional or language development can impact cognitive development Development, and readiness to learn, can be impacted by experiences Including “risk” and “protective” factors

Understanding why: Poverty The experience of poverty and adversity can impact brain development and readiness to learn in two principle ways: A scarcity of developmentally stimulating and supportive resources Lack of books, exposure to rich vocabulary, enrichment activities, play, sports, arts, or supportive relationships Stressors both immediate and distant Experiencing adversity and trauma, chaotic living conditions, parent mental health issues, unsafe neighborhoods Persistent Stress Changes Brain Architecture Dearing 2008

Adversity impacts brains, bodies, emotions, and readiness to learn Notes: “When the brain is subjected to prolonged and repeated stress, the hippocampus has difficulty converting working memory into long-term storage of information, thereby interfering with the ability to learn.” “When the amygdala is activated for long periods of time, it can alter signaling to the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, derailing the learning process.” “Under prolonged exposure to stress, signaling between brain centers can be altered, disrupting the prefrontal cortex as it manages the brain’s stress response.”

What does this mean for Massachusetts’ children?

Number of Children Living at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line in MA

Poverty in Massachusetts is growing, deepening, and distributing

Number of Homeless Students in MA

Changing demographics… The proportion of Latino children in MA grew from 12% to17% over the last decade. The proportion of children in immigrant families has increased from 21% to 28% from 2004-2014. In 2014, MA schools educated 31,000 more students who speak a language other than English at home than they did in 2004.

…and rising need Currently, 31% of students are overweight or obese. Between 13% and 20% of children are diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Children living in lower income families are more likely to experience adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which are potentially traumatic experiences that can interfere with healthy development. Children in lower income families are more likely to have uncorrected visual impairment, untreated dental caries, poorly managed asthma, or be diagnosed with a learning disability or ADHD. Calls from schools to out-of-school support teams and area hospitals are increasing

45 percent of all children in MA schools are “high needs.” Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Selected Populations Report, 2015-2016 http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/selectedpopulations.aspx Definition of High Needs: The new high needs group is an unduplicated count of all students in a school or district belonging to at least one of the following individual subgroups: students with disabilities, English language learners (ELL) and former ELL students, or low income students (eligible for free/reduced price school lunch). For a school to be considered to be making progress toward narrowing proficiency gaps, the cumulative PPI for both the "all students" group and high needs students must be 75 or higher. See http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/accountability/report/aboutdata.aspx

Achievement for low-income students is incremental or stalled 8th Grade MCAS 8th Grade NAEP 68% are not proficient in Mathematics 37% are not proficient in English Over the 8 years between 2007-14, the proficiency gap between low-income students and the state average narrowed by only 5% in English and 3% in Mathematics FRL eligible students are 25 points lower than their non-eligible peers in Reading 32 points lower in Mathematics Gap unchanged since 1998-2015 in Reading, 1996-2013 in Mathematics Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Spring 2014 MCAS Tests: Summary of State Results, p. 20-21 and Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, The Nation’s Report Card, Mathematics 2013 Snapshot Report for Massachusetts, Grade 8, Public Schools and 2015 Reading State Snapshot Report for Massachusetts, Grade 8, Public Schools

What can we do?

Massachusetts is already doing a lot MA DESE Strategic priority to “support the social, emotional, and health needs of students and families.” Safe and Supportive Schools Social Emotional Learning Anti-Bullying Response to intervention Massachusetts Tiered Student Supports Early Warning Indicator Systems Wraparound Zone Initiative Systems for Student Success Partnerships Early Education and B-3 …to name a few

What’s happening at BC

Science + Planning +

= Practice

Close 2/3 of Achievement Gap on Math MCAS

Close Half of Achievement Gap on ELA MCAS for ELL Students

City Connects students are less likely to drop out of high school 15.2% Students who were enrolled in a City Connects school starting in kindergarten have about 50% lower odds of dropping out of high school than students who were also enrolled in Boston Public Schools in elementary school but who were never enrolled in City Connects. The comparison dropout rate in this analysis is lower than the actual Boston Public Schools dropout rate because it includes only students who were in BPS in elementary school. When we add students who entered BPS after elementary school, the comparison rate changes to about 18%, which is still lower than many urban districts nationwide. If an entire district cohort of 5,000 students were to experience the dropout rate of students previously enrolled in City Connects, we estimate that about 358 fewer students in that cohort would drop out of high school. 8%

Dropout rates for sub-groups

City Connects students have lower probability of chronic absenteeism chronic absenteeism defined as absent 10% or more days per year * *Students leave City Connects after grade 5

4Cs: Principles of effective practice Customized individualized universal Coordinated intentional organized Comprehensive whole child multi-tiered Continuous systemic accountable

Key

Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University

Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University

Current landscape

Transformed

Return on Investment A Columbia University study validates a unique approach to helping schools tap community resources Factoring in costs of City Connects and services Factoring in costs of City Connects only

Gateway City leaders Call to: “Create the backbone infrastructure for systemic solutions” to link and coordinate school- and community-based resources (p. 33).

Mission: to develop a statewide infrastructure to facilitate local integration of education with social services, youth development, health and mental health resources for children and families. Learn from City Connects and others in the field Leverage expertise of statewide Advisory Board Create infrastructure adaptable to both K-12 and early childhood Focus on policy, communications, and implementation If we can figure out how to do this in Massachusetts, it can be replicated in states across the nation