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link to all of Dr. Griffith's weekly parent updates

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View the latest update and archived newsletters from TCPS Superintendent Dr. Kelly Griffith.

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Please submit comments to ibullock@talbotschools.org

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Please submit comments to ldevaric@talbotschools.org

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Supporting Student Mental Health during COVID

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Supporting Student Mental Health during COVID

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We know that being there for students is important, but it's not always obvious how to support them - especially when we're seeing them through a screen some or all of the time.

At the same time, the emotional and social challenges of the pandemic have made it even more crucial for teachers to attend to students' mental health needs. Here are some tips for doing that, both remotely and in person.

By building social emotional learning into the daily routines of your classroom, you'll provide students with a reliable way to deal with whatever feelings they're experiencing. Even small exercises can go a long way toward helping kids feel safe and validated.

For example, at the start of each day (after the physical temperature check, if you're teaching in person!) you might have your students take their "feelings temperature" by labeling their emotions using a feelings word chart. Then, they can rate the intensity of the emotion on a scale from one to ten and notice where in their body they're experiencing the feeling. Is their heart beating faster than usual? Do they feel tension in any part of their body? Do they have a stomachache? Students can track these "feeling check-ins" in a journal and share with the class if they comfortable doing so, for example during morning meeting. Practicing identifying their feelings and body responses will help kids learn how to cope with their feelings.

You can also normalize and validate feelings by taking bits of time throughout the day for direct social emotional education. For example, you can lead read-alouds about feelings or mindfulness, or facilitate journaling, role-playing, media discussions, or even just quick group check-ins about feelings. The idea is to let students know it's okay to feel exactly what they're feeling in the moment and give them tools for days when they might be experiencing uncomfortable feelings. Specific tools students can practice using might include a mindfulness corner, a hanging visual about belly breathing or a list of self-calming strategies taped to their desk.

Isolation can cause feelings of depression and anxiety. This has become especially apparent in recent months. While social distancing makes building interpersonal bonds harder, helping students form strong relationships at school has never been more important.

The social learning that occurs between peers at school can be just as important as academics. When you can, prioritize opportunities for your students to get to know each other and bond. With online learning, this might look like playing class games through video chat or assigning group work that students complete together. Group discussions are also a great way for students to practice interacting and build relationships.

Having a close relationship with the teacher can also be a strong protective factor against the development of mental health issues. It's important for students to feel they can go to their teacher if they're having a hard time. Discussing emotions in class can help with this, and you can also emphasize to students that you're available to talk one-on-one if anything gets tough. If you notice a student seeming down or having trouble engaging, consider checking in on them - even a simple "How's class been going for you?" can go a long way.

Put simply, mindfulness means paying attention to the moment on purpose and without judgment. There are many creative ways to incorporate mindfulness into your classrooms, including these simple exercises:

Two-minute meditation: Try starting the day (or taking scheduled breaks) with two minutes where you encourage your students to focus only on their deep, slow breathing.

Noticing details: Kids can practice mindfulness during activities like coloring, dancing, listening to music or even eating. Help them notice small details about their surroundings and what they're doing. What do they hear, smell, see, feel, taste?

Relaxation skill of the week: Teaching relaxation strategies when kids are calm gives them tools to use when their feelings do get intense. Build their toolkits by introducing a new relaxation skill every week and practicing it daily as a class. Some simple skills to focus on include paced belly breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery. Remember, you are your students' model, so take time to verbalize moments when you are beginning to feel stressed or overwhelmed and narrate as you use one of the relaxation strategies to calm yourself.

Kids can usually tell when adults are hiding things from them. That can make an already anxiety-provoking situation feel even worse to kids, since they often assume that things are worse than they actually are. That's why it's important to help your students understand what's happening - without overwhelming them with information.

When students do come to you with questions and concerns, it's important to validate their feelings: "I get that the uncertainty about our school schedule is making you anxious." Then, provide answers to their questions as much as you can: "You're right that there's a chance we might have to switch back to remote learning, but right now we're still coming in person. I promise to let you and your family know as soon as we have any indication that might change."

For younger kids, visuals and stories can help you provide information in a way that they'll understand. For example, you might create a document with pictures highlighting the rules in your classroom around masks, hand-washing and social distancing so that students have a clear sense of what's expected.

Even with school underway, many kids have a lot of free time right now and they're still limited in the kinds of activities they can do. This often leads to kids spending a lot of unstructured time in front of screens, which can have harmful repercussions for their mental health.

Teachers can help with this by structuring as many active, hands-on activities into the day as possible. Even if you're engaging with students online, you can work as a class to come up with a list of fun non-screen activities (taking a walk, playing board games, drawing) and have students complete one activity from the list as part of their daily school assignments. You can also encourage kids to schedule their favorite activities into their daily routines and share with the class about what they've been up to.

Amid so much stress and uncertainty, you may not be able to promise your students that everything will be okay. But by actively supporting their mental health in the classroom, you'll help them feel safe, valued and cared for during a truly challenging time.

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Supporting Students' Mental Health During COVID - Child Mind Institute

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We know that being there for students is important, but it's not always obvious how to support them - especially when we're seeing them through a screen some or all of the time. At the same time, the emotional and social challenges of the pandemic have made it even more crucial for teachers to attend to students' mental health needs.

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TCPS is planning for school re-opening! This past spring when schools were closed, our Continuity of Learning model provided limited instruction on key standards of core content without a set schedule. In the Fall, we will move to a complete "synchronous learning" model using several possible formats: totally virtual; totally physical; or a combination of both virtual and physical.

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Talbot CARES application (English y Espanol)

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Talbot CARES application (English y Espanol)

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Need help paying bills or paying for childcare due to COVID?

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Guidance from the CDC on keeping kids physically and emotionally healthy

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From the basic to the more complex, ideas to help keep your child on track

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by Terry Heick

What is Remote Learning? In short, Remote Learning occurs when teachers and students move a normally in-person class to a temporary online space. Remote Learning is a kind of eLearning (or 'online learning') but isn't 'online learning' because it is not learning that is designed for purely digital spaces (whereas eLearning is). So what kind of remote learning tips for parents can help? In What Parents Can Do To Help Support Reading At Home, I talked about the ways families can model and support literacy in the home. Below, I offer a continuum of remote learning tips for parents and families (perhaps suddenly) working with children at home.

Three Quick Prefaces

1. These are not meant to be viral tips that blow your mind but rather some basic advice to save your sanity and help your child have their best chance for success learning at home.

2. I've arranged it from 'Basic Remote Learning Tips' to 'Advanced Remote Learning Tips.'

The idea of the first set of remote learning tips is to provide bare minimum guidance for parents who are trying to wrap their heads around this shift to online learning in K-12 public education-more or less a, 'If nothing else, make sure that you...' approach. If you can imagine car maintenance tips, while some could be very advanced (e.g., make sure the car's alignment suits the way the car is used on a daily basis, make sure engine management software is updated to the latest version, etc.) an 'if nothing else' approach to such maintenance might be, "Make sure the car doesn't run out of gas' and 'Make sure the engine has oil.'

3. As I alluded to in the introduction, a final underlying assumption here is that a curriculum is already set (whether it's a public education curriculum from your local school district or an off-the-shelf homeschool curriculum). While some of these tips are universal and apply to any learning-at-home scenario, overall this list wasn't created for parents helping their children learn to learn or learn what to learn, nor would this post be much help if you're trying to create your own customized curriculum for your child. Again-these tips are mainly to help parents who are helping their children complete online learning assignments at home.

With that in mind, on to the tips.
22 Remote Learning Tips For Parents
Bare Minimum: These are intended to be a set of basic tips that are true for most remote learning situations.
1. Set (and keep) a schedule
The closer this is to a 'school schedule,' the easier it will likely be on everyone. You obviously can (and probably should) revise whatever you come up with at first to fit your circumstance at home (your work schedule, sleeping schedules, etc.). But once you've got something that works, stick to it. And this almost certainly means to use some sort of timer to at least clarify how much time is being spent on what.
2. Make sure they have any materials necessary to complete all assignments
Whether its pencil and paper, a stable WiFi connection, log-in information for all accounts, a PDF reader, or note-taking apps or reading strategies-whatever they need to get the work done.
3. Provide an environment conducive to learning
This isn't always easy. If they're too isolated, it's difficult to check in with them. If they're at the kitchen table, depending on the child or their environment, they may be too distracted. This is even more challenging when everyone is home and the house is full.

Background noise can help, as can music. I also use this app myself to keep me from needlessly scrolling social media or checking for messages too frequently.
4. Create a daily plan
Creating a daily plan isn't just a matter of scheduling. A daily plan looks at the schedule and then identifies to-do items for that day and combines the two for a specific plan for that specific day.
5. Don't teach-help them understand
Helping students understand is one of the more obvious remote learning tips for parents. This could be the topic for an entire book because how this happens is complicated and varies greatly from student to student and grade level to grade level and content area to content area.

Imagine the parent of a second-grade student helping them complete an essay on their favorite cookie versus the parent of a high school senior helping them with a Calculus problem or an analysis of Shakespearean versus Petrarchan meter. The former is a matter of sitting with your child, while the latter is going to likely require that you learn alongside your child-or even learn it first yourself and then review it with them after.

The bottom line is that helping your child understand the content is definitely part of the 'bare minimum' range of tips.
6. Make sure all work is completed
And any work that remains incomplete is incomplete for a good reason and has a time-bound, actionable next-step (e.g., email the teacher asking for clarification on step 3 of the activity so that you can turn it in tomorrow by noon).
7. Help them check messages and communicate with school
Check for messages daily from teachers and other students and make sure to reply to any messages that require one.
8. Keep in mind that it's about the child, not the work
This can be difficult for some parents to keep in mind when there is so much pressure (on everyone) to complete the work. And further, this is obviously a parenting philosophy-for some families, it very well may be a matter of discipline to do what you're told and 'do well in school.' If that's true, this tip may not be useful.

But if you believe that assignments should serve the child rather than the child serve the assignments-or that this is at least partly true-then don't over-emphasize 'getting everything done' over the well-being (not to mention creative genius and curiosity and intrinsic motivation) of your child.
9. Learn to identify the barriers
This is something teachers have to learn early on in their careers-how to pinpoint exactly what's happening or going wrong (not unlike an automotive mechanic or NASA engineers or computer coder. Diagnostic teaching is one approach that can help here but the big idea is to identify precisely why your child might be struggling: Is it focus? Motivation? Too much or too little structure? Do they need a hug or finger-wagging or for you to sit with them?

And if it's a knowledge deficit, exactly what do they not understand? When students say, 'I don't get it,' the first step is to identify exactly what 'it' is-and this isn't always easy. Most students don't know what they don't know. That's why you (and an internet full of resources) are there to help them making this an especially powerful remote learning tip for parents.
10. Use school resources
Contact your child's school, as well as the local school district and state education resources for support. This is especially critical if your child has an IEP or 504 plan and requires additional support and services at school.
Intermediate Remote Learning Tips For Parents
Going the extra mile: Slightly more intermediate tips for parents with the time and resources to dedicate
11. Personalize the learning
You can almost always personalize your child's learning space (sound, light, room, equipment, etc.) and you can likely adjust their schedule. You may even have some control over the curriculum (what they are learning). Use your child's strengths and gifts and build backward from them as much as possible.
12. Encourage a growth mindset
This isn't about what to learn or how to learn but rather how to think about what they're learning. For a somewhat-related post, you can see 'Alternatives To Asking Your Child What They Learned In School Today.'
13. Use the right resources
Here are some homeschooling resources that can help, for starters. The idea here is to know where to go for what to save time when you-or your child-need something.
14. Mix in Genius Learning
You can read more about Genius Hour here. The goal is to help empower your child to see learning as something they have control of and that curiosity can lead them anywhere.
15. Organize their learning environment
Or help them organize their learning environments (both physical and digital).

How this happens depends (as with everything else on this list) on your circumstance: Are you using a Learning Management System (LMS)? Are classes meeting live? Daily or weekly? Does your child love learning or has school been a struggle for them? Is there a fixed curriculum? Any flexibility in that fixed curriculum? Are assignments graded? And so on.

Imagine a high school student sitting at a desktop computer in their bedroom logged on to their local school's LMS. They have their iPad open and Microsoft OneNote open to take notes. Their phone is playing a background noise to help them focus while their physical textbook is open beside the keyboard. They also have their web browser open with multiple tabs open for search, communication, and related learning resources as well as a digital or physical calendar with upcoming due dates for important assignments. And lastly, they have a to-do list and learning plan for that day to guide them.

That's one example of a 'learning environment.'
16. Encourage self-direction
This could've gone in the 'basic' sections complicated but at its most basic, the more they own their learning-and ideally have voice and choice in their work-the easier and more fulfilling everything will be for everyone.
17. Honor the complexity of learning
Think differently about 'helping' your child 'with their school work.' Realize that your child needs a wide range of 'support': academic, collaborative, psychological, technological, disciplinary, etc.
18. Help them find their own motivation
I tried to word this carefully because children range so drastically in not only their levels of motivation and where that motivation comes from. Further, the dynamic of parent-to-child is necessarily different from the parents-as-teacher-to-child.

However, motivating a child is one area where parents are (ideally) better than any teacher could be. The idea here is to help them 'want to' learn without punishing them psychologically or making all motivation external and independent from the actual value of the knowledge being gleaned.
Advanced Remote Learning Tips For Parents
Obviously, these would only apple for some remote learning situations but if you're really ambitious, you could consider trying to do the following:
19. Understand how the brain works and how learning happens
Learning theories and neuroscience basics are two good places to start. is also an important concept.
20. Gamify the learning
Offer points, levels, challenges, visible markers of progress, etc. You can read more about the definition of gamification here and about how gamification uncovers the nuance of learning.
21. Help your child build a learning network
Connect them with their peers-ideally peers with similar goals and approaches to 'life' to their own (e.g., connecting your child who wants to study medicine in college with other students and groups with students who have similar ambitions.)
22. Help them understand the value of specific knowledge and changing knowledge demands
Further, emphasize critical thinking (learning how to think) and learning literacy (learning how to learn) over content knowledge (academic knowledge). This is probably more of a homeschooling tips than a remote learning tip but ideally it would happen in any formal learning scenario.

Remote Learning Tips For Parents

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22 Remote Learning Tips For Parents Helping At Home

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Remote learning tips for parents include focusing on the child's well-being, creating a schedule, providing resources, and making sure work is complete.

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Parent Tips and Tricks for Distance Learning

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Parent Tips and Tricks for Distance Learning

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Parent Tips and Tricks for Distance Learning | Common Sense Education

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Help parents and caregivers keep kids focused, interested, and balanced while learning from home.

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As a Title I parent, your voice matters. Please take a minute to let us know how we can improve our communications with you, including conferences, parent meetings and messages/calls home. Send suggestions to emoody@talbotschools.org

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Social and Emotional Toolkit for Parents

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Social and Emotional Toolkit for Parents

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Everything parents and families need to know about supporting a child's emotions, friendships and more

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Helpful information for parents of students of all ages.

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What are Social and Emotional Skills and Why Do They Matter?

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What are Social and Emotional Skills and Why Do They Matter?

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information on supporting your child's emotional health

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Parents, are you wondering what all the talk is about SEL and social-emotional skills? Chances are you're already doing a lot to support your child with these skills, so keep reading to make additional connections about what it is, why it's important, and what resources you can turn to if you're interested in doing more.

Why do youth need social-emotional skills?

Think of a time when your child had a falling out with a friend or a difficult time fitting in socially. Maybe it was a time you received a phone call from the principal as a result of a situation at school, or when your child came home from school sad or upset, or couldn't sleep because of an incident at school. Or was it a situation where your daughter or son could not finish a group academic project because of a problem with classmates?

Unfortunately, youth often have these and other types of negative experiences. Parents are there to help in any way they can, but over the long-term social and emotional skills can minimize the worst of these experiences and make youth's experiences in life easier to manage.

With social-emotional skills, they can establish rewarding relationships with others, maintain meaningful relationships, and handle difficult social situations. They can manage times of high stress, and during times of anger, keep from launching into destructive actions they may regret later.

What are social-emotional skills?

Social-emotional skills are the strategies one has for managing strong emotions, navigating relationships, working effectively with others, solving difficult problems, and making responsible decisions.

Social-emotional skills pave the way for positive life experiences. When these skills are taught and supported, youth are more likely to succeed academically and have a positive attitude toward self and school, and less likely to experience emotional distress and use drugs.

Where and when are they used?

Social-emotional skills are needed and used from early childhood through adulthood. There is never a time they aren't needed. We use these skills many times a day, navigating sibling and parent-child relationships, friendships, social and academic situations at school, our jobs, and anything we do in our communities. We need them for in-person interactions and even when communicating by phone or email.

For example, if a friend texts me about having an extremely bad day, I use my skills for empathizing when responding to her. If I don't recognize and acknowledge her feelings and instead tell her to "toughen up," I may not keep that friend.

What's SEL? Is it different from social-emotional skills?

SEL stands for social-emotional learning. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, it's the process by which we learn and apply social-emotional knowledge, attitudes, and skills for understanding and managing emotions, setting and achieving goals, establishing and maintaining relationships, and feeling and showing empathy for others. Second Step is considered an SEL program because it provides a process for learning and practicing many important social-emotional skills. This SEL: What and Why video explains SEL in less than three minutes.

As a parent, how can I learn more about this and support it at home and in my kid's school?

Two ways to support social-emotional development at home are through the SEL Passport Challenge and with books. This reading list includes books on topics such as friendship, cooperation, bullying, dealing with anger, and problem-solving. For parents and caregivers of children ages two through five, check out this Sesame Street-Committee for Children resource on navigating challenges, and if you are a parent of a teen, look into ParenTeenConnect to support your teen with real issues at home. For more information, check out this list of curated blog posts on Edutopia.org.

How does SEL help prevent bullying, or to protect kids from abuse?

Bullying thrives in situations where bystanders (those who know about and witness bullying) don't stand up for those who are being bullied or don't report the bullying. Students who are bystanders to bullying can use social-emotional skills, such as assertiveness, to stand up to and report bullying when they see it. Because having friends can be a protective factor against bullying, friendship skills are another important social-emotional skill to have.

Safety skills, confidence, skills for identifying one's own feelings (for example, recognizing when something someone says does not feel "right"), and assertiveness skills such as refusing and reporting can make the difference in a potential child abuse situation because they build capacity to recognize a situation is not okay, to say "no" and to report it.

Although social-emotional skills alone don't in themselves prevent bullying or child abuse, they're one of many factors that can affect these types of situations, especially when an adult isn't present.

If your child's school hasn't already reached out to you about social-emotional learning, start a conversation. Ask the staff what they're doing to promote SEL and how you can get involved. Share what you're doing to promote SEL with your child at home.

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Let's Talk SEL: Parents, This Is for You! | Social-Emotional Skills | Committee for Children

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Parents, are you wondering what all the talk is about SEL and social-emotional skills? Chances are you're already doing a lot to support your child with these skills, so keep reading to make additional connections about what it is, why it's important, and what resources you can turn to if you're interested in doing more.

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practical tips for parents

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As a parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher. When parents and families are involved in their children's schools, the children do better and have better feelings about going to school. In fact, many studies show that what the family does is more important to a child's school success than how much money the family makes or how much education the parents have. There are many ways that parents can support their children's learning at home and throughout the school year. Here are some ideas to get you started!

Develop a partnership with your child's teachers and school staff

1. Meet your child's teacher. As soon as the school year starts, try to find a way to meet your child's teacher. Let the teacher know you want to help your child learn. Make it clear that you want the teacher to contact you if any problems develop with your child. Talk with your child's teacher offers some great tips for developing a partnership with your child's teacher.

If you feel uncomfortable speaking English, don't let a language barrier stop you. What you have to say is more important than the language you say it in! Ask the school to find someone who can interpret for you. There may be a teacher or parent liaison who can help. Or you can bring a bilingual friend or relative with you.

2. Get to know who's who at your child's school. There are many people at your child's school who are there to help your child learn, grow socially and emotionally, and navigate the school environment. Who's Who at Your Child's School describes the responsibilities of teachers, administrators, and district staff. Each school is different but this article will offer a general introduction to personnel of your child's school.

3. Attend parent-teacher conferences and keep in touch with your child's teacher. Schools usually have one or two parent-teacher conferences each year. You can bring a friend to interpret for you or ask the school to provide an interpreter. You can also ask to meet with your child's teacher any time during the year. If you have a concern and can't meet face-to-face, send the teacher a short note or set up a time to talk on the phone. For more ideas about how to prepare for parent-teacher conferences, see Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences at Your Child's School.

Support your child academically

4. Find out how your child is doing. Ask the teacher how well your child is doing in class compared to other students. If your child is not keeping up, especially when it comes to reading, ask what you or the school can do to help. It's important to act early before your child gets too far behind. Also be sure to review your child's report card each time it comes out. For more information, see How To Know When Your Child Needs Extra Help.

5. Apply for special services if you think your child may need it. If your child is having problems with learning, ask the school to evaluate your child in his or her strongest language. The teacher might be able to provide accommodations for your child in class. If the school finds out your child has a learning disability, he can receive extra help at no cost. For more information, see Where To Go For Help.

6. Make sure that your child gets homework done. Let your child know that you think education is important and that homework needs to be done each day. You can help your child with homework by setting aside a special place to study, establishing a regular time for homework, and removing distractions such as the television and social phone calls during homework time. Helping Your Child With Homework offers some great ideas for ensuring that your child gets homework done.

If you are reluctant to help your child with homework because you feel that you don't know the subject well enough or because you don't speak or read English, you can help by showing that you are interested, helping your child get organized, providing the necessary materials, asking your child about daily assignments, monitoring work to make sure that it is completed, and praising all of your child's efforts. Remember that doing your child's homework for him won't help him in the long run.

7. Find homework help for your child if needed. If it is difficult for you to help your child with homework or school projects, see if you can find someone else who can help. Contact the school, tutoring groups, after school programs, churches, and libraries. Or see if an older student, neighbor, or friend can help.

8. Help your child prepare for tests. Tests play an important role in determining a students grade. Your child may also take one or more standardized tests during the school year, and your child's teacher may spend class time on test preparation throughout the year. As a parent, there are a number of ways that you can support your child before and after taking a standardized test, as well as a number of ways you can support your child's learning habits on a daily basis that will help her be more prepared when it's time to be tested. Learn more standardized tests and general test-taking in How to Help Your Child Prepare for Standardized Tests.

Get involved with your child's school

9. Learn what the school offers. Read the information the school sends home, and ask to receive information in your native language if necessary. Talk to other parents to find out what programs the school offers. Maybe there's a music program, after-school activity, sports team, or tutoring program your child would enjoy. Remember to keep track of events throughout the school year.

10. Volunteer at your child's school and/or join your school's parent-teacher group. Teachers appreciate it when parents help out at the school! There are many ways you can contribute. You can volunteer in your child's class or in the school library. You can make food for a school event. If you work during the day, you can attend "parents' night" activities or your child's performances. At most schools, a group of parents meets regularly to talk about the school. This group is usually called the PTA or PTO. The meetings give you a good chance to talk with other parents and to work together to improve the school. How to Get Involved in Your Child's School Activities offers some more ideas that you can get involved, especially for busy parents.

Get informed and be an advocate for your child

11. Ask questions. If something concerns you about your child's learning or behavior, ask the teacher or principal about it and seek their advice. Your questions may be like these - What specific problem is my child having with reading? What can I do to help my child with this problem? How can I stop that bully from picking on my son? How can I get my child to do homework? Which reading group is my child in?

12. Learn about your rights. It's important to know what your rights are as the parent regarding special services, English instruction, immigration status, and more. Learn more in Your Rights as the Parent of a Public School Student.

13. Let the school know your concerns. Is your child doing well in school? Is he or she having trouble learning, behaving, or studying? Is there a problem with another student, teacher, or administrator? If you have a concern, How to Let the School Know About Your Concerns describes some steps to take.

Support your child's learning at home

14. Demonstrate a positive attitude about education to your children. What we say and do in our daily lives can help them to develop positive attitudes toward school and learning and to build confidence in themselves as learners. Showing our children that we both value education and use it in our daily lives provides them with powerful models and contributes greatly to their success in school.

In addition, by showing interest in their children's education, parents and families can spark enthusiasm in them and lead them to a very important understanding-that learning can be enjoyable as well as rewarding and is well worth the effort required.

15. Monitor your child's television, video game, and Internet use. American children on average spend far more time watching TV, playing video games and using the Internet than they do completing homework or other school-related activities. How to Monitor TV Viewing and Video Game Playing and Help Your Child Learn to Use the Internet Properly and Effectively offer some ideas for helping your child use the media effectively.

16. Encourage your child to read. Helping your child become a reader is the single most important thing that you can do to help the child to succeed in school-and in life. The importance of reading simply can't be overstated. Reading helps children in all school subjects. More important, it is the key to lifelong learning. Learn more in Fun Reading Tips and Activities and Fun and Effective Ways to Read with Children.

17. Talk with your child. Talking and listening play major roles in children's school success. It's through hearing parents and family members talk and through responding to that talk that young children begin to pick up the language skills they will need if they are to do well. For example, children who don't hear a lot of talk and who aren't encouraged to talk themselves often have problems learning to read, which can lead to other school problems. In addition, children who haven't learned to listen carefully often have trouble following directions and paying attention in class. It's also important for you to show your child that you're interested in what he has to say. Talking With Your Child offers some great ideas for using conversation to stimulate language development.

18. Encourage your child to use the library. Libraries are places of learning and discovery for everyone. Helping your child find out about libraries will set him on the road to being an independent learner. Remember that libraries also offer a quiet place for students to complete homework, and are often open in the evening. Learn more about resources for students in Library Services for School-Aged Children.

19. Encourage your child to be responsible and work independently. Taking responsibility and working independently are important qualities for school success. You can help your child to develop these qualities by establish reasonable rules that you enforce consistently, making it clear to your child that he has to take responsibility for what he does, both at home and at school, showing your child how to break a job down into small steps, and monitor what your child does after school, in the evenings and on weekends. If you can't be there when your child gets home, give her the responsibility of checking in with you by phone to discuss her plans. Learn more in Encourage Responsibility, Independence, and Active Learning.

20. Encourage active learning. Children need active learning as well as quiet learning such as reading and doing homework. Active learning involves asking and answering questions, solving problems and exploring interests. Active learning also can take place when your child plays sports, spends time with friends, acts in a school play, plays a musical instrument or visits museums and bookstores. To promote active learning, listen to your child's ideas and respond to them. Let him jump in with questions and opinions when you read books together. When you encourage this type of give-and-take at home, your child's participation and interest in school is likely to increase.

Recommended Resource from Understood.org

For more great ideas, take a look at the bilingual resources on Partnering with Your Child's School from Understood.org, a free website focused on learning and attention issues.

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Twenty Ways You Can Help Your Children Succeed At School

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As a parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher. When parents and families are involved in their children's schools, the children do better and have better feelings about going to school. In fact, many studies show that what the family does is more important to a child's school success than how much money the family makes or how much education the parents have.

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link to Healthy Talbot, includes information about where to find help with food, utilities, rental assistance, local events and MORE!

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© 2018 Healthy Talbot, a project of Talbot Family Network Terms of Use and Privacy

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Ayuda con Imigracion, clases de ESL y Mas!

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Ayuda con Imigracion, clases de ESL y Mas!

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Informacion del Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center

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Centro de Recursos Multiculturales Chesapeake

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Inicio - Centro de Recursos Multiculturales Chesapeake

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El Centro Multicultural del Chesapeake capacita personas de diferentes culturas a convertirse en miembros exitosos y comprometidos en nuestra comunidad mediante la coordinación de servicios y programas informativos. A través de la educación, nos esforzamos por deshacer las barreras culturales que surgen de las diferencias de idioma, apariencia o tradiciones étnicas.

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Understanding the Federal laws that shape your child's education

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Please take a moment to complete our parent survey and let us know how we can support your child's academic achievement in the 2020-21 school year.

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Web survey powered by SurveyMonkey.com. Create your own online survey now with SurveyMonkey's expert certified FREE templates.

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Here's a link to an article explaining ESEA and ESSA and what parents need to know

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1. What is ESEA?
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) was originally passed as part of the Lyndon B. Johnson administration's War on Poverty campaign.

The original goal of the law, which remains today, was to improve educational equity for students from lower-income families by providing federal funds to school districts serving poor students.

Typically, these school districts receive less state and local funding than those serving more affluent children. Why? Usually because local property taxes are typically the primary funding source for schools, and property values are much lower in poorer areas.

ESEA is the single largest source of federal spending on elementary and secondary education. In return for these taxpayer dollars, states and districts must show that they're working to meet the needs and providing a quality education to all of their students. When education policy folks talk about accountability, this is what they mean.

2. What is Every Student Succeeds or ESSA?
ESEA has been reauthorized eight times since 1965, most recently in December of 2015 when lawmakers revamped No Child Left Behind and renamed it the Every Student Succeeds Act. Each reauthorization brought changes to the program. Despite the changes, its central goal remains: improving the educational opportunities and outcomes for children from lower-income families.

3. Wait... are you saying ESSA is ESEA?
Yup.

4. And No Child Left Behind was ESEA before that?
You got it.

5. So giving states money for schools, if they meet ESEA requirements, holds states accountable for protecting children?
That's the idea.

6. Why do we need ESEA and federal education accountability at all?
Before the federal government started requiring states to test every student (almost) every year as a condition of receiving ESEA money, there wasn't enough data to tell how specific groups of students were performing. States were able to just look at the average scores and assume everything was okay.

With results from annual testing, though, it was possible to look deeper into how different groups of students were performing. This subgroup reporting, as it's called, made it obvious that the under-achievement of the most vulnerable students had been masked in the old system of reporting. African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, English-language learners, students with disabilities and many others were being left out or left behind because schools were not held accountable for their individual progress and growth.

Federal requirements and expectations in ESEA provide transparency and oversight on states and districts to ensure that there are protections for these vulnerable students, schools, and communities. This provides and targets additional services and support they need to succeed.

After decades of inequities, neglect, and inaction at the state level, this law is designed to help states meet their commitments to protect the interests of these children and communities.

Transparency and accountability -those are crucial pieces to addressing achievement gaps. We can't fix the problem if we can't see it.

7. What does the law actually do?
In exchange for receiving billions in federal funds each year (money that goes to states and then districts by a formula based in part on the number of students living in poverty), states agree to track the progress of schools and districts, step in and support them when needed, and show that the money is being used to support these students.

While ESSA covers a lot of ground, it's the law's requirements for annual testing, accountability, and school improvement that receive the most attention. Let's look at those:

Annual testing. ESSA requires states to test students in reading and math annually in grades 3-8 and once in high school. States must also test kids in science once during elementary school, once in middle school and once in high school. They can use their own state test, or a nationally recognized test like the SAT or ACT. The law also encourages states to get rid of unnecessary testing and provides funds for them to audit their current situation (i.e., how many tests are required at the state, district, and school level, which are redundant, etc.)

Accountability. States have to measure school performance based on several factors-some academic and at least one non-academic factor that gets at "school quality." They'll look at test scores to see how many students are on grade level for reading and math, how many students are showing growth (even if they're not quite on grade level), how non-native English speakers are progressing in their grasp of the language, and high school graduation rates. The non-academic factor or factors can be whatever states want (it doesn't even have to be supported by research), but a lot of states appear to be leaning toward things like chronic absenteeism, school safety, parent or student engagement surveys, etc. The academic factors have to be given a greater "weight" or priority over non-academic factors in the school's overall rating. In other words, student achievement and growth scores can't count for the same amount as chronic absenteeism, for example.

School improvement. Based on the overall performance of a school, looking at all of these factors, states must identify the schools that are struggling the most, the bottom 5 percent, and provide comprehensive support-however a state wants to define that is up to them, but it's the highest level of support. Schools that don't fit into the bottom 5 percent, but have subgroups of students (e.g., black, Hispanic, low-income, etc.) who are struggling will be identified for "targeted support." Targeted support is also defined by each state, but it's one step down from the most comprehensive support states will give the schools struggling the most.

8. How is Every Student Succeeds different from No Child Left Behind?
Under No Child Left Behind, which was passed in 2002, schools were required to meet yearly progress goals that eventually had 100 percent of all kids on grade level by 2014. That sounded great, but everyone soon realized it wasn't realistic. The penalties for not making enough progress each year were severe and some argued they hurt struggling schools that needed funding the most. Some states applied for waivers from the federal government which allowed them to avoid some of the consequences if they promised to innovate and hold themselves accountable in other ways. Other states lowered their standards and made standardized tests easier so they could increase scores. They could do this because states were allowed to determine what was meant by "proficient."

No Child Left Behind also didn't give schools any credit for schools helping kids make academic growth. For example, if a fifth grader who was reading at a second-grade level finished the year reading at a fourth-grade level, the school wouldn't get any credit for that, even though it helped this child make remarkable growth. Testing on grade level was the holy grail.

The Every Student Succeeds Act fixed a lot of those problems. Specifically, it gave states a lot more flexibility to set their own goals and their own consequences for schools that didn't reach those goals. It emphasized students' academic growth, not just whether they're on grade level. It also gave states freedom to use other nationally recognized tests to replace their statewide standardized test.

9. What does ESSA say about Common Core?
Not much. Mostly that the federal government can't try to compel states to use the Common Core State Standards or any other set of standards. The law just requires states set "challenging" standards in math, reading and science.

10. So, is ESEA working?
While we still have a long way to go, especially with closing the achievement gaps, we are making real progress.

According to a national test that's given every year (called NAEP), both 4th- and 8th-grade students showed improved math scores between 2011 and 2013, but dipped slightly in 2015. Reading scores in 2015 basically stayed the same for 4th graders and were slightly lower for 8th Overall, there have been gains in both subjects since the early 1990s.

Math scores for Hispanic students across cities, states, and nationwide have increased significantly over the past ten years, and this increase reflects a steady trend.

High school graduation rates are at an all-time high of 83 percent, though the evidence here isn't bulletproof. Higher graduation rates certainly reflect some improvement, but there are also examples of inflated scores, or lowering graduation requirements.

The bottom line is this: To know if all these efforts are working, we have to have a way to track how all students are doing-including all the subgroups and vulnerable populations. Right now, annual testing, combined with other measures like graduation rates, surveys, college readiness measures, etc., is one of the best ways we, as a society, know how to do that.

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The ABC's of ESEA, ESSA and No Child Left Behind - Education Post

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What is ESEA? The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) was originally passed as part of the Lyndon B. Johnson administration's War on Poverty campaign. The original goal of the law, which remains today, was to improve educational equity for students from lower-income families by providing federal funds to school districts serving poor students.

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Information and Support for Children Ages 0-5

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to the Talbot County Judy Center Partnership

305 Glenwood Avenue
phone: 410-822-0689
fax: 410-822-9508

What is a Judy Center?

The Judy Center is a partnership between Talbot County Public Schools, community programs, agencies and organizations, as well as private businesses and most importantly families, with the goal of assuring that ALL children enter school with the readiness skills they need to succeed. What happens in the first 5 years of life and the connections that are formed in the brain during that time, have a direct impact on how successful a child will be in school as well as in their adult lives!

Where is the Judy Center located?

The Judy Center is more of a "philosophy" than a place, so our services are located throughout the Easton Elementary School (EES) attendance area. The Judy Center's Administrative Office is located at EES-Dobson, which also houses our P3 classes, Pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten programs. Choptank Health and Eastern Shore Psychological Services (ESPS) also provide services onsite. In addition Shore Up Head Start and Critchlow Adkins Children's Center's "wrap around care" programs are located on the EES campus. Other partners, programs and services are located throughout the Easton community.

What other services do Judy Centers provide?

High quality, accredited, full day/full year and wrap around childcare services for children 6 weeks through Kindergarten.

Early Head Start and Head Start

Home visiting services that focus on health and development

Library and literacy services as well as free children's books

Physical, dental and mental health services

Play Groups for children birth to age three, family recreational and community activities

Parent Education/ Parent Support Groups

Adult Education (ABE/GED/ESL), job training and higher education opportunities

Joint professional trainings for staff

Service Coordination for children and families

Learning Parties and Other Family trainings

Who is eligible?

Any child from birth through Kindergarten that lives within the Easton Elementary School attendance area is considered a "Judy Center" child/family.

Does it cost anything?

Judy Center's do NOT charge for the services that they directly supply but there may be costs associated with some individual programs. Please contact specific partners or call us at the Judy Center for more information.

Who is "Judy"?

Judy Hoyer was the Early Childhood Supervisor for Prince George's County and her dream and life's work was to improve the lives of young children. She believed that children and families would be served best if all services were located in the same place and services were coordinated. Judy's legacy has succeeded in shaping and enhancing the futures of thousands of students throughout Maryland.

Partners

The Judy Center is unique in many ways, especially through our focus on collaboration with our partner agencies. Monthly coordination meetings ensure that services and efforts are not being duplicated. All classroom programs undergo an extensive validation/accreditation process through the Maryland State Department of Education to ensure both quality programs and consistency among programs.

If you have questions about the topics listed below, feel free to give us a call 410-822-0689

How to pay for childcare

Childcare options

Local early childhood programs

How to find support and resources in the community

Activities to do at home with your child

Child development issues

School readiness

Parenting questions

Mary Adkins

Project Coordinator

Dina Myers

Service Coordinator

Colleen Brighton

Administrative Assistant

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The Talbot County Judy Center is a partnership between Talbot County Public Schools, community agencies, organizations, and businesses serving children from birth to age six and their families. The goal of the partnership is to provide services and assistance to children and their families so ALL children enter school with the readiness skills they need to succeed.

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The Maryland State Department of Education recently released new School Report Cards. This star rating system gives parents and community members a quick at-a-glance way to understand school performance, based on various measures of school quality and student success. For information about Talbot County's school ratings, click below!

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2023 Maryland School Report Card

We are pleased to share the most current information available to help our stakeholders measure student achievement in all 24 districts from year to year.

Welcome to the Maryland Public Schools Report Card.

Please select which Data you would like to view:

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We are pleased to share the most current information available to help our stakeholders measure student achievement in all 24 districts from year to year.

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Understanding State Academic Standards

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"All states and schools will have challenging and clear standards of achievement and accountability for all children, and effective strategies for reaching those standards." -- U.S. Dept. of Education

Search our interactive map to find standards specific to your state:

U.S. Map of State Standards

Common Core State Standards Initiative

"The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)....These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs. The standards:

Are aligned with college and work expectations;

Are clear, understandable and consistent;

Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;

Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;

Are informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and

Are evidence-based."

Voluntary National Education Standards for the Major Subject Areas

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Curriculum: National and State Standards | Education World

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"All states and schools will have challenging and clear standards of achievement and accountability for all children, and effective strategies for reaching those standards." -- U.S. Dept. of Education Search our interactive map to find standards specific to your state: U.S.

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Here's a link to some great ideas to help your child be successful in school.

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academic achievement; parent participation; early childhood education; learning activities; school readiness;

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Helping Your Child Succeed in School -- Helping Your Child Series

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Helping Your Child Succeed in School is a booklet that provides parents with information, tools and activities they can use in the home to help their child develop the skills critical to academic success.