CIS of Greater Greensboro - May 2021- ED Corner |
In their most recent newsletter, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) forecast that school psychologists will increasingly be called on to meet the social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs of students beginning now and in the fall. According to their reports, recent estimates have suggested a substantial number of students who will need critical supports, including any who were successful before the COVID-19 PANDEMIC (C-19) and who are not typically considered as at risk. Early research, according to the report, has suggested that more than 20% of students exhibited symptoms of anxiety and depression after just one month in quarantine (Xie X, et al., 2020). Many students who were receiving mental health or behavioral supports have not been able to get access to needed services over the last several months, thus potentially exacerbating problems. Under normal circumstances, we would expect about 20% of children to experience some social-emotional and behavioral (SEB) concern throughout their school trajectory (Costello et al., 2003). Now these rates may double or triple!!! after COVID.
The handout goes on to suggest that given the high number of students in need, solely providing SEB or mental health supports in a traditional one- on- one or small group model is not a sustainable option. The risk is too great for becoming overwhelmed and exhausted. The suggestion is made that schools and school districts must consider a continuum of supports with a specific focus on school-wide SEB supports such as multitiered systems of support (MTSS, positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), and social-emotional learning (SEL).
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Schools and school districts are encouraged to consider how class-and school-wide intervention approaches can help support student SEB functioning by helping teachers deliver class-wide interventions that address the SEB needs of all students. |
And, on behalf of teachers, a group that unfortunately too often get forgotten in these conversations, schools may need to implement systems that monitor the health and well-being of teachers to ensure our frontline providers are well-equipped to serve students. |
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May's Donor Spotlight - Tracey Earley! |
I was introduced to Communities in Schools of Greater Greensboro (CIS) in the late 90’s. Hearing the mission & goals in support of at-risk children was impressive & still keeps me engaged. I had learned & experienced how CISGG focuses on the whole child – education in school, safety & security in the home. My experience started off volunteering at Smith High School mentoring students through graduation. The most rewarding aspect of mentoring was fostering a relationship while helping with school work. As good fortune would have it, I became a Board Member allowing me to understand the operational aspect of CISGG. It is truly amazing how the organization engages community resources with children. Given this past year, CISGG continues to thrive along with the support of the community. With CISGG, no child will be left behind.
Tracey Earley is a Technology Executive at consulting company Accenture.
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Staff Spotlight - Rinda Estes - Champion's Champion! |
She is a self-described “behind the scenes girl.” She is Rinda Estes, the assistant director for program operations and case management. She is where the “rubber meets the road”, ensuring that our operations meet if not excel our standards and that we are constantly striving to find existing community resources for our participants and their families. Our heralded relationship with the joint undergraduate BSW program at NCA&T and UNCG serves as part of her legacy. She singlehandedly created that union which allows BSW undergraduates to have their first professional experience as emerging social workers helping to surround some of our most destitute participants with a community of support. Her thinking goes outside the box to spur solutions to the increasingly difficult circumstances that surround our students and their families. In October she would have served the agency for 18 years. Prior to joining our team, she served as the CIS site coordinator at Smith High School.
Here is a standing ovation for one of the great champions of underserved children and families!
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Back in February, we decided, with the financial support of Lincoln Financial Foundation, to enroll five of our boys from the African-American Male Mentoring Initiative (AAMI) in a pilot project to see if we could help curtail the learning loss and foster additional academic growth through a partnership with Sylvan. This was not the first time we had done so. Back in the mid- to late 90s and early 2000’s, we initiated a similar venture with Sylvan for a group of students reading below grade level with a great deal of measurable success. Since February, the boys have logged 64 hours in virtual and live sessions. We are gathering data now, but it looks like a few of the boys really excelled and others experienced respectable growth. We will publish a full report as soon as we have the major metrics in hand. Meanwhile, we would like to thank the boys, their families. Sylvan Learning and Lincoln Financial Foundation for making this possible.
Pictured above is Anaad Reid, a junior at Smith High School, an 8-year member of our AAMI project, and one of the more successful participants in the Sylvan Learning pilot.
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Your Donation Now Is More Important Than Ever!
Donations may also be made by sending a check to Communities In Schools of Greater Greensboro, P.O. Box 1347, Greensboro, NC 27402-1347.
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