Alaska ICE News May/June 2011 Volume 6, Issue 4 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.
Kids These Days is an award-winning radio show and website! Kids These Days! was selected as the Best Ongoing Public Affairs Show by the Alaska Press Club and Best Talk Show and Best Website Development & Design by Alaska Professional Communicators. There are multiple ways to listen to, join the conversation, or access resources related to the show.
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Helping Kids Succeed Alaskan-Style!
Kids These Days radio features news and information that parents need Parents and families want information that is up-to-date and relevant. They are finding it on Kids These Days radio. Sponsored by Alaska ICE, it is building a growing fan base. On April 5, Kids These Days radio highlighted early learning in Alaska inviting Mike Hanley, the Commissioner of the Dept. of Early Education and Development and Shirley Pittz, Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Coordinator at the Alaska Office of Children’s Services to share their knowledge about what the state is doing to support it. The conversation touched on topics of early intervention and school readiness, early literacy, child care, education policy, the importance of play on learning, child brain research and brain development, and the power of parents in the early years. Positive relationships at home (parents/family) and at school (teachers/peers) were mentioned as key ingredients to youth success, promoting healthy academic and social outcomes. KTD produced a featured story segment with Abbe Hens-
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Recent or upcoming KTD shows: • The Hunting, Gathering, Fishing Family • Drugs These Days • Summer Reads! • Free Range Kids ley, Executive Director of Best Beginnings, a statewide early childhood initiative aimed at preparing Alaska’s youngest for success in school. Best Beginnings is a statewide movement, started in 2006, that is empowering parents and whole communities to help young children learn. Another segment focused on the importance of the arts in learning and student connectedness. Listen to the show and find a host of relevant child and family resources at www.kidsthesedays.org. You can listen to the Early Education in Alaska radio program at: http://tinyurl.com/3fucjns. And, remember to look for new Kids These Days radio programming and info at facebook, twitter, and on podcasts on itunes.
Community ties strengthened in Nondalton Sustainable community change takes time. And, like any personal or group improvement effort, it can be a challenging process. Taking action in support of building healthier communities that support young people however, doesn’t have to be. Great things can happen in a community from a simple idea and a little follow-through. Take the efforts of Carol Loftfield and Nondalton Junior High School students for example. Loftfield attended an AASB assets workshop last spring, gaining a variety of strength-based tools and techniques for encouraging community engagement and helping youth thrive. Upon completion of the two-day training, participants can apply for project funding in their home communities. Seeking a way to strengthen ties throughout the entire community, Loftfield developed an idea for a community engagement workshop around storytelling and art that involved youth, adults, and elders. Her next step was to find enthusiastic partners who were pas-
Nondalton youth and adults engage in crafts and storytelling
sionate and creative to help with planning and facilitation of the event. She didn’t need to look any farther than the Nondalton Junior High Tobacco Free Club. With a little guidance, the youth were off and running. They planned for the workshop and facilitated activities leading up to it, including helping with after school well > Continued on Page 2
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School Climate interest continues to grow As more national and international studies reveal the significance of school climate and its impact on learning, the work of AASB through the School Climate and Connectedness Survey (SCCS) is gaining recognition. “It is the quality of relationships between staff and students and between staff and parents that most strongly defines safe schools.” (Consortium on Chicago School Research, May 2011)
Research shows that non-academic factors like classroom / school environments, school safety and relationships (teacher-student and peer-to-peer) play important roles in student success and reducing risk behaviors. The SCCS measures student and staff perceptions of these climate and connectedness factors. (In 2011 22,500 students and 5,000 staff from 26 districts participated) _____________________________________________ “Findings from Alaska’s School Climate and Connectedness Survey show correlations between student social emotional learning levels and improved academic achievement and reduced risk behaviors, reflecting findings from rigorous national research.” - CASEL brief, 2010 _____________________________________________
Imagination Library continues to expand in Alaska Currently, Best Beginnings has 70 communities enrolled in the Imagination Library program. In April, 12,700 children in Alaska received a free book, but the program is about much more than that. Affiliates are required to facilitate activities that engage parents with their children be it reading, playing, singing, or talking. Find out more at: bestbeginningsalaska.org
The focus on climate and positive relationships and their influence at school spans the nation and the globe, and our work with the SCCS across the state is getting increased recognition from school districts and organizations in and outside of Alaska.
The 2011 School Climate and Connectedness Survey wrapped up on April 1 this year. The data have gone to the American Institutes for Research for analysis. Districts opting for early summary reports received them May 6th. Full, written reports will be sent to participating districts in August, 2011. For more information on SCCS, contact Lori Klein at (907) 463-1660 or visit www.alaskaice.org.
Community ties in Nondalton - continued from page 1 ness activities and crafts for younger students. The theme of the community engagement workshop was “Memory Pools,” with a focus on storytelling and art as enrichment tools that should be shared to strengthen the bonds of everyday relationships within the community. “We wanted to highlight, in particular, cooperative art activities, activities that foster communication, empathy, imagination, creative cooperation, and creative problem solving,” said Loftfield. “As you can see from pictures of our event, we were able to bring in our elders, tell stories from the past and create images of love and imagination to add to our memory pool, and build upon our community assets.”
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Elders and youth enjoyed sharing stories and...
Loftfield also shared that “By coordinating with school staff, LSAC, and parents the Junior High Club increased assets for themselves, younger students, and the community in general, especially in the areas of Support, Empowerment, Social Competencies, and Positive Identity.” The Junior High Club felt empowered by their efforts and the event was such a success that they are planning to host another workshop next year.
Send photos, stories, or event-listings to include in our newsletter and on our website. alaskaice@aasb.org www.alaskaice.org
Recently, AASB staff Sally Rue and Norm Wooten presented at the National School Boards Association annual conference in San Francisco; CEEs Lakota Murray and Jenni Lefing presented at the Bilingual Multicultural Education/Equity Conference in Fairbanks; and Timi Tullis and Lori Klein visited the Yukon School Board Association conference - all about our success with the SCCS and its relation to student achievement.
Yes, great things can happen in a community from a simple idea and a little follow-through. The strengthening of the community fabric of Nondalton is just one example. ...craft time together at the Community Engagement workshop.