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Did You Know?
» Share ASCD's Whole Child website and newsletter. |
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The 21st Century ImperativeMost schools continue to use a model that was designed to prepare students for life in the middle of the 20th century. Ensuring students have a strong foundation in reading, writing, math, and other core subjects is as important as ever, yet these skills alone are insufficient for success in the 21st century. We know children must learn to think both critically and creatively, evaluate massive amounts of information, solve complex problems, and communicate well to meet the demands ahead of them. However, these are the same skills that will ensure we transform the conditions of learning today. This is the 21st century imperative. From its inception, the Whole Child Initiative has advocated for action at the local, state, and federal levels to advance a whole child approach to learning. Since Wednesday, whole child supporters have sent more than 300 letters to members of Congress asking for their support of the Secondary School Innovation Fund Act, introduced this month by 2008 Whole Child Leadership Award winners Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Representative Dave Loebsack (D-IA). This legislation is closely aligned with the Whole Child Initiative, and ASCD helped craft the original version of the bill, known as the GRADUATES Act. This new legislation would provide competitive grants to middle and high schools and school districts to provide high-quality research and evaluation, expand the success of emerging models, and support successful strategies, including
More than one million students drop out of high school each year, jeopardizing their futures and costing our economy billions of dollars in lost wages. This legislation will help stem the flow of high school dropouts by implementing scalable innovation that benefits all students. » Act Now! Join us as we continue to call on members of Congress to support this important legislation. Use our sample messages to contact your senators and representative to encourage them to support the Secondary School Innovation Fund Act or thank them for cosponsoring it. Share this powerful video with family, friends, and colleagues to help raise awareness about the need for innovative high school redesign. Then, ask them to contact their members of Congress. |
Nominate Your Outstanding School CounselorDo you know a stellar school counselor who's running a comprehensive, data-driven program? The American School Counselor Association, a whole child partner, is seeking nominations for its School Counselor of the Year awards program. This program brings up to 10 finalists and their nominators to Washington, D.C., in late January 2010, where they will participate in a congressional briefing, meet their members of Congress, and be honored at the School Counselor of the Year Gala. From these 10 finalists, one school counselor of the year will be selected. Nominations are due July 17, 2009. Nominate online today! Advocate for State and Federal Action!After sending letters to your members of Congress, ask your state board of education to take a stand for whole child education. Sign the Whole Child Petition asking them to support policies and practices that ensure each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. Then, ask other stakeholders in your state to take a stand for the whole child using our simple recruitment tool. » Expect More. Get More.  |
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—President Obama addressing a joint session of Congress in February 2009 |
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