October 1998
Center Promotes Social and Educational Success in School
October 1998
Center Promotes Social and Educational Success in School
Not long ago, Gary Siperstein, director of the Center for Social Development and Education sat in a high school lunchroom, and watched the dynamics. "The social forces unleashed there were amazing," he recalls. "You can learn a lot about how a kid functions by watching what happens in the lunchroom. For kids who are not connected, that's a key place where stress occurs," he adds.The Center for Social Development and Education has been on the forefront of research into how the social aspects of a child's educational experience influences their learning. Two new projects will put into practice the findings of the Center's ten years of research into the social issues that face children in early adolescence.
One initiative, the Promoting Social Success Program, aims to provide to children with cognitive delays the skills and support they may need to successfully join in a regular education classroom. The program focuses on 4th, 5th and 6th grade students. "Just because these children are being physically included into a regular education classroom, doesn't mean social inclusion," says Siperstein. "Often, it means that these children are more alone, more challenged."
Project staff will provide training to classroom teachers and staff&emdash;including bus driver, school lunch aides and teachers aides&emdash;who work and interact with children with cognitive delays, as well as technical assistance to teachers and special education teachers, and training materials and workshops for parents. Stipends, professional development points, and graduate course credit will serve as incentives for teacher and staff participation.
The project will last for a minimum of three years, and will establish partnerships between the Center and public elementary schools in the Greater Boston area. This project is funded by the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Boston Public Schools.
The Center's second initiative is the Bridges to Success in Middle School program. This program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, aims to bridge the transition between elementary and middle school for children, especially those with special needs. Siperstein says it is no mystery why this time in a child's life is so critical. During adolescence, children go through an enormous amount of change. If there is stress in any major area of the child's life&emdash;academic, social, home,&emdash;the impact can be felt everywhere.
According to Siperstein, the three "bridges" the program focuses on are academics, peer relations, and the new school environment.
"Kids can have problems in any one or all three of these areas. What holds the three bridges up is support. We focus on helping parents and teachers be more supportive, and teaching children the skills to access the support of their peers and others," he says.
Without support, children may experience short and long-term adjustment problems, such as poor achievement, behavior problems, attendance problems, lack of motivation, poor self-concept, alienation and eventual drop-out. Siperstein notes that the majority of children who drop out of high school are those with special needs.
A three-year project, The Bridges to Middle School Program will be implemented in six middle schools and as many elementary schools that feed the middle schools as possible. It is also a three year project. Funding sources for the Center's projects include $250,000 from the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation, and $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education. Additional funds are being provided by the Boston Public Schools.
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