Did You Know?

The two issues that are most important for moving schools in the right direction: better teachers and more parental support.

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Now, More Than Ever

While we face tremendous challenges in the year ahead, we know that each of you will be a voice for whole child education. We were excited to see the recent recommendations to ensure the continuity of learning for schools during extended student absence or school dismissal that were released by the U.S. Department of Education in collaboration with health experts and agencies across the federal government. The recommendations describe the need to "establish plans that not only ensure health and safety, but also maintain a continuity of learning."

As whole child supporters, we know that though the H1N1 virus may pose a new kind of threat to student wellness, the challenge of ensuring the health and safety of all students while engaging and challenging them is nothing new to schools educating the whole child. In a recent conversation with us, Steelton-Highspire (Penn.) School District Superintendent Deborah Wortham described her reply to a news channel that contacted her about her district's response to H1N1. She told them, "When you're educating the whole child, addressing the health and safety of students is something you do every day. This is not something new for us." The critical questions and the necessary planning for H1N1 may be different than other health challenges, but the attention to and understanding of the relationship between health and learning is not.

In addition to providing a wealth of recommendations to ensure the continuity of learning, such as instructional delivery options and resources, federal agencies are partnering with a wide range of providers to make diverse resources more accessible. Just as the Department of Education cannot provide sufficient support to schools without partnering with other agencies, few schools will have the capacity to prepare for and respond to an H1N1 outbreak on their own. Most will need to develop and utilize existing partnerships to share resources and best practices.

» This month's Whole Child Podcast features guests that shed light on the opportunities and challenges of coordinating school responses to a potential H1N1 outbreak. Download the September podcast to hear from Jerry Weast, Montgomery County (Md.) Public Schools superintendent; Linda Davis-Alldritt, RN, president-elect of the National Association of School Nurses (a new whole child partner); and Theresa Lewallen, ASCD's managing director of constituent services and the liaison to the federal government agencies handling H1N1. Each guest brings a unique and valuable whole child perspective to the challenges schools and communities face as they develop coordinated responses to the H1N1 flu pandemic. Share your reactions, ideas, and questions on the Whole Child Blog. Because now more than ever, we must strive to ensure that each child is not only healthy but also safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

2009 PDK/Gallup Poll

The 41st annual poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, conducted by Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK) in conjunction with Gallup, allows educators and policymakers to track public opinion on public schools. A diverse and bipartisan group selected eight issues to research, including grading our schools, No Child Left Behind, innovation, and charter schools. This year's poll also included questions about timely issues such as the economic stimulus legislation.

Read highlights, or download the full results (free for PDK members, $4.95 for nonmembers).

Whole Child Social Networking

Join thousands of other whole child supporters on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest news, learn about the work of our partners, and share the work you are doing to educate the whole child. Social networking is a convenient and powerful way to advance the Whole Child Initiative internationally and locally. Join us today!

» Expect More. Get More.

“All the teachers now are thinking about future planning, as they should, how they might deliver that from some alternate location … how to work that electronically, how they ensure we have a connection to each one of these kids.”

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