Another Initiative? Where Does It Fit In With All The Others?

July 2005

Another Initiative?! Where Does It Fit In With All the Others?

In the weekly Mental Health in Schools Practitioner Listserv (see below), a professional was concerned about the initiatives that come and go, those that are funded for specific purposes and all the other initiatives and how to choose the best one. Drs. Adelman and Taylor have a simple solution, but one that’s not so simple to implement. Yet, it makes a lot of sense. Read what they have to say in this short response. If you’re interested in more detail, a link to the paper, Another Initiative? Where Does It Fit? A Unifying Framework and an Integrated Infrastructure for Schools to Address Barriers to Learning and Promote Healthy Development, is provided in the response below.

MENTAL HEALTH IN SCHOOLS PRACTITIONER LISTSERV (7/18/05)

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THIS WEEK:

Request/Comment:

>Too many initiatives and frameworks: What's a practitioner to do?

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Request/Comment: "Each organization and initiative seems to have it's own framework for conceptualizing student support in schools. All the groups are heading in the same direction and should be supportive of one another. How do these framework fit together? Although this is a conceptual issue, I think it is an important one, since policy and practice are hopefully led by a consistent vision. And, I've only got room for one comprehensive vision! Plus, it is more effective to advocate for one vision at a time. Which do I choose?"

Center Response:

You are right to feel bombarded. But, there is a way to put it all together. We have reviewed a great many documents that offer "frameworks." Sometimes what is presented are a set of principles, sometimes statements of vision, sometimes sets of guidelines and standards, and sometimes conceptual frameworks.

What is clear from any analysis is that the various frameworks differ not only in the nature of what they cover, but also in the breadth of their scope. The task is to embed frameworks that have a narrow nature and focus into the most comprehensive framework. The danger in not doing so is that we continue to address complex problems with limited solutions. (See the lead article in our most recent quarterly newsletter online at http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/Newsletter/summer05.pdf.)

We all must recognize that the framework that directs anyone's work is the one they have assimilated and feel works for them. In working with local sites, we find it is their vision/framework/principles that must be accounted for. When they draw from others, they usually make adaptations to fit their locale. Often, the result is a synthesis of what local city, county, state, educational support agencies, etc. have adopted. As long as the synthesis has resulted in a comprehensive, multifaceted framework for developing policy and practice, it can facilitate effective implementation and sustain the work long enough to achieve long-term positive results.

To help with the specific problem you have identified, we have a new Center policy report entitled: "Another Initiative? Where Does It Fit? A Unifying Framework and an Integrated Infrastructure for Schools to Address Barriers to Learning and Promote Healthy Development." It is online at http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/infrastructure/anotherinitiative-exec.pdf.

Here is a brief excerpt:

"Schools are constantly confronted with another project, another program, another initiative to address students' learning, behavior, and emotional problems, make school safe, and/or promote healthy development. This raises concerns about: How does it all fit together?

Because so many programs have evolved in a piece meal manner, across the country it is not unusual for staff in a district and at a school to be involved in "parallel play." This contributes to widespread counterproductive competition and wasteful redundancy. Effectiveness is compromised. So are efforts to take projects, pilots, and demonstration programs to scale. This raises concerns about: What systemic changes are needed?

One response to all this has been the call to enhance coordination among the many overlapping programs, services, and initiatives. Clearly, a more unified and cohesive approach is needed. However, the emphasis on enhancing coordination is insufficient for addressing the core problem which is marginalization in school policy, planning, and practices of the whole enterprise devoted to addressing barriers to learning....

The unifying concept of an Enabling or Learning Supports Component is presented as an umbrella under which the many fragmented initiatives, projects, programs, and services can be pulled together. That is, such a Component can house all efforts to prevent and minimize the impact of the many problems interfering with learning and teaching and can do so in ways that maximize engagement in productive learning and positive development. For the school and community as a whole, the intent is to produce a safe, healthy, nurturing environment characterized by respect for differences, trust, caring, and support....

By viewing programs, services, projects, and initiatives along a continuum of student needs, schools and communities are more likely to provide the right interventions for the right students at the right time.

Such a continuum encompasses efforts to positively affect a full spectrum of learning, physical, social-emotional, and behavioral problems in every school and community by:

· promoting healthy development and preventing problems

· intervening as early after the onset of problems as is feasible

· providing special assistance for severe and chronic problems.

Pioneering efforts have operationalized the content of an Enabling or Learning Supports Component into six programmatic arenas. In effect, they have moved from a "laundry-list" of programs, services, and activities to a defined content or "curriculum" framework that categorizes and captures the essence of the multifaceted ways schools need to address barriers to learning.

The six content arenas organize learning supports into programs for:

· enhancing regular classroom strategies to enable learning (e.g., improving instruction for students with mild-moderate learning and behavior problems and re-engaging those who have become disengaged from learning at school)

· supporting transitions (e.g., assisting students and families as they negotiate school and grade changes, daily transitions, etc.)

· increasing home and school connections

· responding to, and where feasible, preventing school and personal crises

· increasing community involvement and support (e.g., outreach to develop greater community involvement and support, including enhanced use of volunteers)

· facilitating student and family access to effective services and special assistance as needed.

With appropriate leadership, significant work can be accomplished with respect to restructuring, transforming, and enhancing school-owned programs and services and community resources. In doing so, the focus needs to be on all school resources, including compensatory and special education, support services, adult education, recreation and enrichment programs, and facility use, and all community resources – public and private agencies, families, businesses; services, programs, facilities; institutions of higher education; professionals-in-training; and volunteers including professional making pro-bono contributions.

The long-range aim is to weave all resources together into the fabric of every school and evolve a comprehensive component that effectively addresses barriers to development, learning, and teaching. As leaders and policy makers recognize the essential nature of such a component, it will be easier to braid resources to address barriers. In turn, this will enhance efforts to foster healthy development..."

Listserv Participants: What is your experience in using a broad framework to integrate all the work of school support programs and personnel at your school, in your district? Ltaylor@ucla.edu

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