Provide welcoming schools with more ongoing training, time for reflection, and targeted support when integrating displaced students and staff¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Based on the report's conclusion, school leaders in receiving schools "did not know what it took to be a successful welcoming school, suggesting a need for training that is more ongoing, along with time for reflections and targeted support." Staff also said planning for mergers was insufficient and that they wished they had more training and support on welcoming staff and students who had just lost their schools. The strategy addresses integration of grieving displaced populations into receiving school communities.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Districts must provide transition planning time, principal transition coordinators, and sustained training and support for welcoming school staff rather than one-time resources

Constraints¶

• One-time influxes of extra funds and supports were hard to sustain after the first year due to subsequent budget cuts

Target Learners¶

• Elementary school students in receiving schools
• Displaced students from closed schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• Maintaining academic progress during school transitions
• Building cohesive school communities and relationships after mergers

Related Strategies¶

• Implementation Success Partnership with check-ins and training events for all staff
• Provide a structured first-year Getting Started Experience plus year-long administrator training when adopting a comprehensive curriculum
• Support curriculum implementation with initial multi-day training plus ongoing onsite consultation during the school year
• Brief initial training with extensive follow-up coaching and on-site facilitation for whole-school program implementation

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Gordon, M.F., de la Torre, M., Cowhy, J.R., Moore, P.T., Sartain, L.S., & Knight, D. (2018). School closings in Chicago: Staff and student experiences and academic outcomes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/school-closings-chicago-staff-and-student-experiences-and-academic-outcomes