Equitable & Empowering Learning for Each and Every Child

Teacher attrition—a key source of teacher shortages—disrupts student learning and costs districts money. The teachers who are most likely to leave the profession are those who are least prepared. More and more states are turning to teacher residencies and other strategies, such as service scholarships, as they look to simultaneously improve the quality of preparation and provide a long-term solution to teacher shortages.

The significant decline in school attendance since the onset of the pandemic is concerning since chronically absent students are more likely to fall behind academically, disengage socially, and drop out of school. As state policymakers consider solutions, much can be learned from community schools and other whole child approaches, which have emerged as research-based strategies to address barriers to attendance and help schools reengage students.

This session introduces structures and practices that support positive relationships and create caring learning communities. Presenters highlight how redesigning high schools to be relationship-centered enables academic learning, social and emotional development, and adolescent well-being. Participants consider how these approaches might be enacted in their educational settings.