Project Lead: Megan Gildin, Ed.D.
The growing consensus on the need to meet the needs of the whole child to support student success, means that ISBE’s Wellness Department is overseeing an increased number of federal and state initiatives intended to promote student well-being. ISBE requested support in building coherence and alignment across these related investments, and for understanding how and where they are being implemented at the local level with an eye towards equity. The work will be aligned with Goal 2 of ISBE’s approved: “All districts and schools will receive the resources necessary to create safe, healthy, and welcoming learning environments, and will be equipped to meet the unique academic and social and emotional needs of each and every student.” The work also aligns with: “Providing comprehensive students supports, particularly those related to social-emotional learning and mental health,” The Wellness Department requested support as they oversee the following ARP-funded initiatives: REACH, SEL Hubs, Community Partnership Grants, and initiatives to support students experiencing homelessness.
R9CC will support ISBE and the Director of Wellness in (a) developing a cross-department logic model with the Student Care department; (b) developing and facilitating two staff convenings; (c) gathering and analyzing data on where the wellness initiatives are implemented and key wellness-related outcomes using geographic information system [GIS] technology; (d) engaging in collaborative review and interpretation of these data to inform decision making and identify success stories ; and (e) supporting the development of the process to revise the state social emotional learning (SEL) standards.