WIDE Produces Students Who Are Good At Learning And Good At Life

Student well-being, inclusion, diversity and equity are being incorporated into the school curriculum in a focused initiative for students at all grade levels.

At the December 19 meeting of the Board of Education Assistant Superintendent Edgar McIntosh presented an education report in which he highlighted progress in the area of WIDE (Well-being, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity) and illustrated how connection to WIDE and sense of belonging, produces students who are not only good at learning, but good at life. Dr. McIntosh spoke of supporting student’s “Power Skills” (formally known as “Soft Skills”) such as teamwork, problem solving, communication, adaptability, critical thinking, and time management is essential to ensure that our students thrive.

Dr. McIntosh’s opened with an illustration of the long term plan to improve WIDE in the district. At the beginning of the 2021-22 school year the Compact Committee began its focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion which included the hiring of Dr. Gay as a DEI consultant. Dr. Gay provided DEI training and education for District’s leaders, BOE members and educators. Last year also saw the addition of dozens of more inclusive books added to school’s libraries.

This school year the Compact Committee expanded its focus to include “Well-Being” thus creating the acronym WIDE. During the 2022-23 school year a district wide PTA Well-Being Committee was formed in addition to the District’s new DEI Committee. This year’s work includes parent workshops, assured educator training, and the development of a survey to gather responses to already identified needs. The WIDE work by the Compact Committee will continue into the 2023-24 school year as the District aims for a holistic and responsive approach.

McIntosh also brought attention to the many ways that WIDE can be seen in action in the District including SHS’s collaboration with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater where students are learning dance and choreography from Alvin Ailey professionals. Also of note, when students were asked to create a profile of an SHS graduate, the first attributes outlined are being a critical thinker, a skillful practitioner, a lifelong learner, a compassionate leader, and a “Non-Sibi” community member.

In yet another example, SMS Librarian Shawna Frazin spoke about the use of books and reading fiction to prevent bullying and grow empathy. In addition to curating a list of high interest books that help grow empathy, Frazin also has students research articles that illustrate how reading fiction can influence empathy.

Participation in extracurricular activities such as clubs and intramurals can further foster a sense of belonging. Scarsdale High School offers 80 active student organizations and the middle school offers an equally robust slate with activities like the school play, knitting club, and modified sports.

The BOE then heard from SHS teacher Heather Waters about the importance of Global Learning and the exchange programs that offer our SHS students a chance to step out of Scarsdale and create global connections. Senior Carson Cohen spoke about his recent experience in his Italian exchange program calling his two weeks abroad “transformative”.

Dr. McIntosh called attention to the importance of Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) and the teaching of skills such as resiliency, self-regulation, and executive functioning. In an effort to streamline SEL and create a common process with shared information across all the schools, the district is exploring SEL curriculum such as CASEL and implementing structures such as Multi-Tiered System of Support which provides common processes, progress monitoring tools, and structure to support students who have needs in executive functioning, behavior, and the social/emotional realm.

School Social Workers

Superintendent of Special Education Eric Rauschenbach described that adding more social workers to our faculty has already proven to be greatly beneficial, overall, this year there has been less social anxiety and a marked improvement in academics. Rauschenbach explained that with the added social workers and the youth services programming at both SMS and SHS, counselors are able to be more proactive and keep small problems small instead of spending their time trying to put out bigger fires. In addition, the new social workers are pushing into classrooms to teach students about growth mindset, dealing with grief and loss, and social media awareness. The team is also streamlining processes and creating a Student Services web page where students can find support services all in one place.

Mr. Rauschenbach went on to detail new support programs at SMS and SHS. The groups focus on skills based individual and group counseling using the principles of DBT-mindfulness, managing emotions, enhancing relationships, and increasing distress tolerance. The students participating in the support programs report feeling marked improvements both socially and academically.