Government – City Connects Blog

National Guidelines on Integrated Student Support

From the earliest days of the pandemic, we’ve seen how powerful it is for schools to provide integrated student support.

To share knowledge about this powerful approach, the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children – home to City Connects — has just released the first “National Guidelines for Integrated Student Support,” a joint project of experts in research and evaluation as well as in the practice of integrating comprehensive school- and community-resources for students.

The guidelines are a “first effort to encapsulate evidence-based best practices and define what high quality implementation looks like in the day-to-day functioning of schools.”

“Our hope is that, in your hands, this knowledge will raise the standards of care and opportunity provided to our nation’s children and youth,” the guidelines’ website says.

The need is glaring.

“Students’ learning and wellbeing are increasingly impacted by the complex challenges of our time,” the report notes, adding:

“More than a third of high school students in the United States experienced poor mental health at least most of the time during the pandemic.”

The Weekly Connect 6/27/22

Here’s the new edition of The Weekly Connect. Check it out and sign up to have it delivered to your inbox!

Here are some of the things we’ve been reading about this week:

A new study finds that Head Start has a positive, intergenerational effect.

A bipartisan bill in Congress would extend pandemic-generated, free school meal programs.

Schools need a plan to help the thousands of students who will struggle with Long COVID.

Schools implement four-day weeks to recruit and retain teachers.

To read more, click on the following links.

The Weekly Connect 6/21/22

Here’s the new edition of The Weekly Connect. Check it out and sign up to have it delivered to your inbox!

Here are some of the things we’ve been reading about this week:

A survey conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the pandemic has hurt student progress in all grades.

The U.S. Department of Education has launched a National Parents and Families Engagement Council to improve communication between families and schools.

Scientists from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have approved the use of Moderna and Pfizer Covid vaccines in young children.

To read more, click on the following links.

The Weekly Connect 6/13/22

Here’s the new edition of The Weekly Connect. Check it out and sign up to have it delivered to your inbox!

Here are some of the things we’ve been reading about this week:

School segregation is increasing, according to researchers.

As universal school meals program ends, President Biden is looking for ways to help schools access food.

One preventative response to school shootings is to more effectively address bullying.

To read more, click on the following links.

The Weekly Connect 6/6/22

Here’s the new edition of The Weekly Connect. Check it out and sign up to have it delivered to your inbox!

Here are some of the things we’ve been reading about this week:

Schools can address the impact of gun violence.

More states pass bills limiting transgender students’ participation on sports teams.

Oklahoma is investing in school counselors.

To read more, click on the following links.

The Weekly Connect 5/30/22

Here’s the new edition of The Weekly Connect. Check it out and sign up to have it delivered to your inbox!

Here are some of the things we’ve been reading about this week:

Nearly a third of students hesitated to seek mental health support, a survey finds.

Democrats in Congress propose a historic investment in child care.

Struggling to cope in the aftermath of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting.

To read more, click on the following links.

City Connects in the news

City Connects Coordinators have been working harder than ever to meet the needs of students, families, and communities.

Here’s a roundup of news stories that share some of the work coordinators are doing.

In Salem, Mass., a fire that damaged five buildings prompted a community-wide response that includes city officials, local charities, and City Connects Coordinators.

“Our thoughts are with our Salem school families who were impacted by yesterday’s fire on Hancock Street,” Salem’s School Superintendent Stephen Zrike said in a news release.

“Salem Public Schools’ City Connects Coordinators, Family Engagement Facilitators, and school leaders are working with identified staff and families who may have been impacted. If you have questions or have been impacted by the fire, please contact your school to be connected with those who can assist.”

In Indianapolis, Ind., Mayor Joe Hogsett is addressing the city’s mental health challenges. In March, he pledged to “implement a clinician-led mobile crisis team to respond to calls for help involving mental health situations in Indiana’s capital city,” the Indianapolis Star reports, adding that another part of the city’s efforts to address mental health is City Connects, which “lets the city work with school children and their families on mental health-related issues.”

And as Indianapolis and other City Connects sites show, the supportive work that coordinators do inside schools integrates with and enhances community wide efforts.

The Weekly Connect 5/23/22

Here’s the new edition of The Weekly Connect. Check it out and sign up to have it delivered to your inbox!

Here are some of the things we’ve been reading about this week:

Since the pandemic, teachers need more help supporting kindergarteners.

Some school districts have revived mask mandates. Other districts face mandate bans.

How some schools are coping with the recent mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y.

To read more, click on the following links.

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