Alaska ICE News Jan./Feb. 2012 Volume 7, Issue 1 Alaska ICE is the Alaska Initiative for Community Engagement, a statewide initiative of the Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB). Community Engagement is the intentional action of groups and individuals working together to create healthy environments that support the growth and education of children and youth.
Apply for a Youth-led Service Project In 2012, Alaska ICE is offering $500 cash awards for projects that involve youth-adult partnerships that plan and carry out communitybased service activities. Have an idea for a project in your community? If so, apply. If not, contact us for ideas. For an application, go to www.alaskaice.org or contact Bridget Smith at (907) 463-1660.
Helping Kids Succeed Alaskan-Style!
www.alaskaice.org
Research-based music program provides brain training for students Compiled from conversations with Lorrie Heagy, Glacier Valley Elementary music teacher and Abreu Fellow 2010 AASB has supported Juneau Alaska Music Matters (JAMM) at Glacier Valley Elementary School (GVES) since late 2010. AASB supports the work of JAMM because it addresses goals aligned with AASB priorities: • Investing in early learning and school readiness skills, • Developing social-emotional learning, • Improving school climate and student and family con- nections to school, • Engaging communities and parents, and • Providing access to quality programs for all children. Even though JAMM is a highly unusual program among public schools, it is firmly grounded in research recognized by the scientific community, dispelling the notion that music is an “extra” or just fluff. Instead, music serves as a foundation for developing school readiness skills, social-emotional learning and working memory.
A video overview of the JAMM program can be seen here: http://tinyurl.com/jammvid. The quote below provides an example of why GVES provides violin instruction for all of its kindergartners and 1st graders. According to the August 2011 Scientific American article, “How to Build a Better Learner,” playing an instrument is “the best brain training” you can give children to help with “language comprehension and promote cognitive skills: attention, working memory and self-regulation.”
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School climate data valuable to districts On the subject of educating our children and youth, the bottom line is continuous school improvement. A shared goal for all 53 school districts around the state, school improvement – in the form of academic improvement, fewer behavioral issues, better prepared graduates, and other positive results is crucial to progress and overall success. One research-based answer to achieving these outcomes: school climate. AASB’s School Climate and Connectedness Survey (SCCS) is in its sixth year and districts from across the state are accumulating and using the data to their benefit, finding bright spots and identifying areas in need of improvement. To date, over 90% (47) of Alaska’s 53 districts have taken the survey at least once. How can the survey benefit your district? Here are some examples from a few participating districts. AASB staff have led consensus workshops with school staff and community members in many districts, facilitating probing conversations of significant issues that lead to action steps.
A district in southeast chose peer climate as a focus for the year, making an action plan where all staff members would make themselves present in the school hallways between classes to greet students and spot any potential problems. This ‘picket fence’ model improved the overall climate in district schools. In one southcentral district student engagement and bullying were chosen as priority areas. Staff worked closely with students in both efforts that included writing
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