Mindfulness training is helping Philly students – and teachers – thrive

About “1,500 (High School) students from 75 of the nation’s poorest schools in 35 cities,” are enrolling in college courses in elite universities like Harvard and Columbia through an initiative started by a nonprofit—and succeeding. The aim of the program is to prepare underprivileged students for the rigors of college education, and give them a confidence boost before they enter college. They complete the same coursework as the college students and get a grade. “All of these schools talk this game, ‘We want diversity, but we can’t find these kids,’ and this proves they can build a pipeline."

In Australia, a universal survey in several secondary schools helps to identify students who are at risk of becoming homeless and connects them with wraparound services. The prevention-based model may soon be piloted in King County, Washington.

As more research has found links between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and negative health outcomes, a growing number of organizations and sectors are incorporating trauma-informed screening and training into their work. Police officers, primary care pediatricians, parents, and school counselors are moving away from the question "what's wrong with you?" to ask "what happened to you?"

Teaching people about the harmful impacts of social media and tech addiction are a crucial first step in mitigating its consequences. The Center for Human Technology (CHT) has partnered with Common Sense Media to launch the Truth About Tech campaign, which calls for a shift in values surrounding technology and tech companies. The organizations accomplish this through a curricula designed to teach awareness and mindfulness about tech use beginning at an early age. By high school, students are introduced to ethical design principles.

The Covina-Valley School District in California reduced high school drop-out rates and chronic absenteeism among special education students by providing a more engaging environment and curriculum for students. Students are divided into three levels based on their levels of cognitive competence, and educators rewrote textbooks and curriculum to fit the varying needs and capabilities of students within each level, as opposed to putting all special students in one level. Another successful approach has been to combine general and special education staff meetings and increase curricular collaboration.

Students at Provine High School will soon be able to open up accounts with Hope Credit Union, right in their own hallway. The partnership is helping students realize that having a relationship with a financial institution can create a more stable financial future, breaking the cycle of poverty.

Educational nonprofit OneGoal has proven that its model of education helps provide low-income students in Chicago and Houston with the tools needed to pursue a college degree. Now, the nonprofit hopes to improve the college graduation rate in New York City by assisting high school students in understanding the basic techniques to achieve success.

Schools in Mesa, Arizona, are using the team teaching model to boost teacher morale and fill gaps in staff. The model allows teachers to work together to teach a large group of students in one big classroom rotating between one-on-one instruction, small groups, and large-group lectures.

Ethnic Azeri students face disproportionate barriers in achieving university education compared to Georgians. One of those reasons is due to language barriers. Isolated from Georgian society, it's not uncommon for Azeri communities to not speak Georgian fluently. The center has now expanded into a network of multiple centers. One center serves as many as 160 children. It’s working. Some of the centers had a 100% success rate in helping Azeri students enter college.

In Baltimore, a non-profit known as the Next One Up program is helping young men who are struggling in school by supporting and advancing their academic, athletic, and social development through small group activities. Although small, the highly-individualized program – which "focuses on students who have attendance issues, have experienced trauma, or need food, clothing, or parental support" – meets every Sunday for class and homework help, followed by a sport of their choice. All who have participated so far have graduated high school on time.