Did You Know?

More than 1.35 million children and youth experience homelessness each year and are most often in shelters or temporarily living with family or friends after losing housing.

»  Expect More. Get More.

Planned Responses to Unplanned Change

The town factory closes. A student commits suicide. A hurricane strikes.

Crisis. Trauma. Cataclysmic events. Unfortunately, no community is immune. And within just the last few weeks, too many have been struck by economic, social, and natural disasters.

While these events are challenging, all students, and all communities, have the ability to recover from stress, misfortune, and change. It is our responsibility as educators, parents, friends, and community members to support and tap the resilience of our youth, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Beyond picking up the pieces, we must help young people make sense of any difficult situation and develop the skills they need to face the next.

Forty years of research demonstrates that the keys to tapping young people’s innate resilience are community engagement, supportive role models, and challenging skill mastery.

» You make a difference! Develop children's innate resiliency by ensuring that they are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. Start today using the free Planned Responses to Unplanned Change tool. This tool provides all the resources you need for workshops on building resiliency, supporting positive school culture and climate, and exploring new roles for families, schools, and communities in times of crisis and change. Or, lead a community conversation in your school or community to engage others who want to make a difference too!

Will the candidates address the needs of the whole child?

On Friday, September 26, Jim Lehrer of the PBS NewsHour will moderate the first U.S. presidential debate of the 2008 election. Gwen Ifill from PBS will moderate the only vice presidential debate on October 2.

As a whole child advocate, ask Lehrer and Ifill to help make whole child education a priority in this election by questioning the candidates on their education policies.

» Share ASCD's Whole Child Web site and newsletter.

“We have a responsibility to ensure our schools are safe environments for students and educators. Parents should never have to worry for the safety of their children when they are at our schools.”

—State Senator Todd Lamb (R-OK)

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