麻豆传媒入口

At Valor Collegiate Academies鈥攖wo charter schools on one campus in Nashville that serve grades 5 through 8鈥攖he core philosophy is that 鈥渞eally strong SEL work is very advantageous to kids also doing well academically in school,鈥� says Todd Dickson, who founded the schools with his twin brother, Daren. Structured community and character development programs like weekly Circle gatherings聽and advisory meetings called pride groups are deeply ingrained in the schools鈥� culture, and all students and teachers are expected to achieve fluency in the language of social growth and learning.

The fact that teachers participate fully isn鈥檛 an afterthought. Daren Dickson sees that decision as crucial to the school鈥檚 success, since 鈥渁dults drive this kind of work鈥濃�攁nd students seem to recognize the value of closing the distance between staff and student expectations. 鈥淚t helps a lot, because they also know what we鈥檙e going through,鈥� explains sixth-grade student Samiyah. 鈥淥ther schools can say you don鈥檛 understand who your teacher is, but we can鈥檛 say that because they do the same thing as us.鈥�

Valor believes that the resulting culture provides a safe space for academic risk taking鈥攕tudents have to 鈥渇eel comfortable being OK that they don鈥檛 know everything鈥� in order to learn, explains Todd Dickson. It also promotes communication and communal problem solving, and builds a strong foundation of self-knowledge and competency among community members.

It鈥檚 an approach that seems to be working: Valor Flagship Academy, the first Valor school, produced outstanding academic results, including the highest standardized test scores in the city and the state, in its first year of operation (2014鈥�15). Valor will expand over time to cover grades 5 to 12, and students devote at least four hours a week to social and emotional learning (SEL)鈥攐ver the course of eight years, a significant amount of time.

A Foundational Commitment to SEL

Valor鈥檚 SEL work is based on ideas that Daren Dickson developed throughout his career as a social worker, clinical and program director, and social justice advocate, including work he did at the nonprofit Seneca Center in the San Francisco Bay Area with vulnerable young people and communities.

Valor is intentionally diverse, with a student body that has no majority ethnicity鈥擲arah Giblin, principal of both schools, says that Valor is the first school in the state of Tennessee to make this a goal. Roughly half of the students receive free or reduced-price lunch. 鈥淲e believe that, for our kids to be successful, we need to learn with and from people that are different,鈥澛爏ays Giblin.

In addition to actively seeking diversity of opinions, Valor incorporates social and emotional learning and academic development through weekly community-enhancing Circle discussions鈥攁 model used by students and by teachers鈥攁nd through .

Weekly Circles

Community building happens intentionally at Valor as students gather in groups of about 20 students led by an adult mentor. Circles begin with a mindfulness exercise, and then every students takes a minute to express how they are feeling鈥攚hat Daren Dickson calls getting the 鈥渆motional tone鈥� of the group. Next comes social and emotional work: Pairs of students may address interpersonal issues, or a student may take responsibility for actions that affected the community鈥攁n example of a restorative practice. Students also share academic work before concluding on a high note with peer-to-peer appreciations.

Like many schools embracing SEL nationwide, Valor has found that staff practices should mirror student practices. 鈥淚 think having the adults do the practice themselves, and really know the importance of it, is our main strategy,鈥� says Todd Dickson. He adds, 鈥淐ircles are a time for the community to come together, and develop themselves as individuals, develop their relationships鈥濃�攖hings that are as important for adults as they are for students.

The Compass Model

Valor鈥檚 Compass model has four dimensions, seeking to guide each student to develop a Sharp Mind (the pursuit of knowledge and skills) and a Big Heart (compassion for oneself and others) and to follow a Noble Purpose (one鈥檚 deepest values) through Aligned Actions (in part by being engaged and supportive of one鈥檚 community). Social and emotional learning is not seen as a soft skill: 鈥淲e believe that that鈥檚 going to drive them to incredible academic success,鈥� says Daren Dickson of the Compass work that students do.

This story was produced by 麻豆传媒入口 as part of a series developed in collaboration with the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, with support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.聽