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A National Middle School Summit
Enhancing the Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning of Middle School Youth for Better Academic and Life Outcomes
Held November 11, 2008
Pin Oak Middle School
Sponsored and Developed by
the Holthouse Foundation for Kids
and CHILDREN AT RISK
With the generous support of
Shell
Bridgeway Foundation
One Voice
Promethean
Hosted in collaboration with the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, Raise Your Hand Texas, Houston A+ Challenge, Communities in School Houston, Project GRAD Houston, Rice Center for Education, Early Initiatives, and Texas Association of Parent Educators
This conference was organized to inform educators, administrators, policy-makers, and parents of the need to move forward with our education system –particularly in the area of middle grades reform and integrating social and emotional learning into the daily lives of a public school “tweenager.” Studies have shown, that 60% of middle grade students who demonstrate predictive characteristics (poor attendence, misbehavior, and course failures in 6th grade) will dropout of high school before graduating. As our community continues to work to address the dropout problem, this conference hoped to underscore the need to re-engage youth in learning with particular focus on the benefits of a social and emotional approach to learning. A number of breakout sessions provided perspectives from policy makers, education stakeholders, researchers, and youth specialists and called for changes to both traditional academic structures and youth development programs to result in better academic and social outcomes for youth.
National Speakers
include: Dr. Frederick Hess
Frederick M. Hess, Ph.D. is a resident scholar and director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute as well as the Executive Editor of Education Next. He is best known for his work on a broad range of K-12 and higher education issues including accountability in education, charter schooling and school choice, the politics of education reform, collective bargaining, No Child Left Behind, teacher and administrative preparation, certification and licensing, school governance, college affordability, and the importance of entrepreneurship.
Dr. Anthony Jackson
CEO of the International Studies Schools Network and Executive Director of the Asia Society, Anthony Jackson, Ph.D., trained in both developmental psychology and education, is one of the nation’s leading experts on secondary school reform and adolescent development. Dr. Jackson directed the Carnegie Corporation Task Force on the Education of Young Adolescents, which produced the seminal Turning Points report on middle school reform, and also authored the follow-up blueprint, Turning Points 2000.
Dr. Mary Utne O'Brien
Mary Utne O'Brien, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and Research Professor of Psychology and Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. CASEL is a scientific organization devoted to advancing the science and expanding the practice of SEL in all schools, pre-K through high school. She was also a lead author of the CASEL documents Safe and Sound: An Educational Leader's Guide to Evidence-Based SEL Programs (2003) and Sustainable, Schoolwide, SEL: Implementation Guide and Toolkit (2006).
Dr. Gregory Prince
Former President of the innovative liberal arts college, Hampshire College, Gregory Prince, Ph.D., spent 15 years at the helm of Hampshire building unexpected partnerships with organizations outside of education and with K-12 education. Prince stressed the importance of strong relationships between higher education institutions and their surrounding communities and the responsibility of higher education to society as a whole. Working tirelessly to broaden the public's awareness of the value and role of liberal arts education, he now continues his work through projects related to increasing access to college for underserved students.
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