Center for School and District Partnership (CSDP)

Offerings to build a "Sense of Belonging"

How to Apply

Use this application form to register for one or more programs in the catalog. You can register as a single school or as a district team. If you have questions about a particular program, please reach out to the contact listed in the program description.

We strongly encourage you to apply by Tuesday, 6/14. While any Massachusetts district is able to register for the programs in this catalog, priority will be given to districts identified as requiring assistance by the state's accountability system. Additional selection priorities or criteria are noted in each program's description.

Sense of Belonging Support

Students' sense of belonging is a critical — and often undervalued — condition for academic success. Students who feel a sense of belonging "feel socially connected, supported, and respected." They trust their teachers and their peers, and they "feel a sense of fit at school" due to efforts at the school level to promote a safe and supportive learning environment. In order to engage with students and their families as authentic partners, we must approach engagement with a focus on equity. This means a) establishing meaningful engagement activities and systems that do not characterize or treat specific parent groups as deficient in their level of engagement or approach to education and b) acknowledging and navigating cultural differences through communication, humility, and sensitivity. (Acceleration Roadmap, p. 6)

You can read more about each program offered within this priority below. Click on the title of a program to see a more detailed description; you may use the planning sheet below to keep track of programs you're interested in across each priority area. Once you have determined which programs your district and/or schools will be applying to, you can complete this application form.

Planning Sheet for Catalog Registration

Sense of Belonging Prioritization and Implementation

Network

Status

Applications Open

Offered by

LearnLaunch Institute

Description & Outcomes

This network will support district and school leaders to make changes on a high level to support students' sense of belonging. Teams will audit existing systems and structures, identify areas of need, and create specific plans to use policies, processes, and systems to build stronger student belonging. Participation is free for all Massachusetts schools and districts.

Best Suited For

This network is most appropriate for teams that are interested in examining district-wide policies, practices, and systems and have identified student belonging as a priority in the 22-23 school year.

Program Duration / Meeting Frequency

The network will convene for cohort meetings 5 times over the course of the year (every other month), and will participate in a site visit two times over the year. Each team will appoint a team lead to engage in 1:1 coaching on a monthly basis with a LearnLaunch coach.

Participant Requirements

Teams will consist of 6–8 members, which may include:

District representative (such as Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Director of Special Populations, etc.)
Leaders from different school
Registered team members commit to attending and participating in all sessions.

We recommend the majority of the team be district representation

Capacity / Eligibility

Please note interest in participating in this network through the application link. Once the provider has been selected for this program, we will reach out with additional information.

Contact

Tori Todd , LearnLaunch Institute

Building a Sense of Belonging through Tier 1 Instruction

Network

Status

Applications Open

Offered by

LearnLaunch Institute

Description & Outcomes

This network will support school teams, with district representation, to design relevant and inclusive learning experiences to foster students' sense of belonging. Teams will examine instructional practices on a classroom and school level that support students' sense of belonging. In this year-long cohort-based network, participating district teams will learn about, implement, and refine school-wide instructional practices that contribute to positive cultures and student social-emotional development.

Best Suited For

Schools that have identified student belonging as a priority and consistent Tier 1 instructional practices as a key lever.

Program Duration / Meeting Frequency

Participant Requirements

Teams will consist of 6–8 district and school level representatives which may include

Principal
Assistant Principal
Department chairs, instructional coaches , if separate from the roles listed above
District representative (such as Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, etc.)

We recommend the majority of the team be school-based representatives

Registered team members commit to attending and participating in all sessions.

Capacity / Eligibility

Please note interest in participating in this network through the application link. Once the provider has been selected for this program, we will reach out with additional information.

Contact

Tori Todd , LearnLaunch Institute

Multi-Tiered Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Systems

Academy

Status

Applications Open

Offered by

SfSS and Education Development Center & Transforming Education

Description & Outcomes

A strong system of social, emotional, and behavioral supports—across all three MTSS tiers has been shown to lead to positive outcomes for students including academic success and positive mental health. The Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Academy will support districts in building evidence-based, data-driven, and culturally responsive systems of support using two research-based frameworks: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

In year 1, participating district and school teams will select one of two tracks—SEL or PBIS, and receive focused professional development and coaching to build local capacity to implement programs, practices, and policies organized around either of these two frameworks. Throughout the three-year journey, teams will participate in academy-wide events directed at the integration of social, emotional, and behavioral supports.

Over the course of three years, teams will work closely with academy subject matter experts on the following:

Effective social, emotional, and behavioral classroom-based programs and practices
School-wide and classroom-based behavior expectations
Strategies for responding to student behavior across all settings
Small group supports for students with low to moderate social-emotional, behavior, or mental health struggles (e.g., support group for students with social-pragmatic challenges)
Intensive, individualized mental health support services for students with high mental health needs, including through collaboration with community-based mental health providers
Data-driven process for assessing students strengths and needs, matching students to interventions, and monitoring progress
Centralized planning and decision-making including
Schoolwide communication and coordination, including: integration of SEL into academic instruction, common SEL standards that are vertically aligned, and coordination of supports using a Whole Child lens
Staff development and support, including: trauma-sensitive training for all adults, and clear roles and responsibilities for supporting students' social and emotional growth.
School-based teams that use data and teacher referrals to identify students who need tier 2 and 3 supports.

Best Suited For

Districts and/or schools that have identified tiered systems of social, emotional, and behavioral support as a core priority.

Program Duration / Meeting Frequency

Throughout the 3-year academy, district/school teams will participate in:

Coaching and technical assistance with subject matter experts, including in-person site visits
Synchronous and asynchronous trainings
Topical webinars
Access to tools and resources

Participant Requirements

Have an established team in place to commit to the outlined meetings and tasks
Commitment to monthly meetings with TA leads in order to work on various related tasks, including action plan development and assessment
Communicate internally with teams to ensure that the action plan(s) or related efforts move forward
Commitment to engage in PD sessions, webinars, and other events

For PBIS Track:
School Team (6 – 8 individuals): administrator(s), 2–3 individuals who will be trained to serve as PBIS Coaches, parents/caregivers, students, teachers by grade level, representation across special populations, and related service staff.

For SEL/MH Track:
Teams can apply either as schools or districts. It's important that at least 1–2 people on the team are able to make decisions regarding policy or practice. Teams are comprised of between 7–10 people including:

At least one district representative
At least one school administrator
At least one mental health support staff
At least one classroom teacher
Additional members representing special populations, students, families, etc.

Capacity / Eligibility

Open to all

Contact

Shai Fuxman , Education Development Center

More information can be found at MTSS Academies & Other PD

Systemic Student Support (S3)

Academy

Status

Applications Open

Offered by

SfSS and The Rennie Center & Boston College's Center for Thriving Children

Description & Outcomes

What is the Academy?
We partner with schools to reimagine student support to focus on the holistic development of every child. A strengths-based, preventative approach to student support will become part of the foundational structure of each participating school, ensuring that every child receives the support they need at the time they need it.

How do we do this?

Examine and fortify your school's student support processes, shifting to a proactive model. Build upon existing structures to review student data, discuss strengths and needs for all students, and connect them with resources.
Create an individual plan for each student's success based upon a holistic review of their strengths and needs.
Place equity at the center of student support practices. Ensure teams make student support decisions that affirm each child's cultural and linguistic identity.
Organize resources, interventions, and enrichments in order to connect students to the support they need at the time they need it.
Rather than focusing on existing student support structures, some teams may choose to adopt the City Connects model of optimized student support. Academy providers will work with each team to assess if this option would be a good fit for their local context. (Please note that this option would require additional personnel and financial commitments on behalf of the school/district.)

Research from Boston College's Center for Thriving Children shows evidence that when schools address the individual and holistic needs of each and every child through an integrated student support model, student outcomes are positively affected. Research further shows that taking a whole child, every child approach to student support leads to:

Increased grades and tests scores
Increased student attendance
Decreased dropout rate
Improved school climate and culture
Improved student-teachers-family relationships

Best Suited For

Schools that are looking to strengthen their student support systems.

Program Duration / Meeting Frequency

The S3 Academy is a 3-year commitment is broken into cohort-specific programming. Through a comprehensive coaching model, each school will have individualized support that matches their needs and context. In the first year, teams will participate in:

Up to five, 60–90 minute network sessions
Up to ten individual technical assistance sessions with an Academy coach

Participant Requirements

The S3 Academy is designed to support school-based teams. Schools/districts of any size, location, or general demographics are invited to participate. Each participating school team should include the following members:

A school administrator or designee with decision-making authority
A student support-related staff member (e.g. school counselor, school social worker, school adjustment counselor etc.)
Teacher(s) to pilot the work
District-level administrator to support decision-making that requires district-level input and shared learning across schools
Other stakeholders at various points during the three years (e.g., students, families, partners, etc.)

You may apply on behalf of a district that plans to include multiple schools or as an individual school team. Each school that joins the S3 Academy must have their own team lead (e.g. principal or other school administrator with decision-making authority).

Capacity / Eligibility

Open to all

Contact

More information can be found at MTSS Academies & Other PD

Last Updated: August 11, 2022