A Commitment to District-Wide Well-Being: Goldendale School District and The Learner First 2020-2021 Report

Key Takeaway: Goldendale School District's commitment to aligning SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) goals with state standards has created no less than transformative results for students. Through intentional design and personalized approaches facilitated through a partnership with educational consultants The Learner First, teachers have created engaging and meaningful learning experiences that cater to individual interests and needs. Read on to discover inspiring case studies that highlight the power of building relationships, tapping into students' passions, and providing choice in assessment, ultimately fostering deeper connections with students and igniting their love for learning.

Criteria: Inspiring case studies for educators that reiterate the transformative value of SEL and holistic learning practices, engaging professional development resource

Resource:   https://www.thelearnerfirst.com/books-and-resources/case-studies/

Title:  A Commitment to District-Wide Well-Being: Goldendale School District and The Learner First 2020-2021 Report

Year: 2021

Author: Joanne McEachen and Matthew Kane

Primary Author: Joanne McEachen, https://www.thelearnerfirst.com/about/

Summation and Insights:  The Goldendale School District, in partnership with The Learner First educational consulting team is paving the way for a transformative approach to education, centered around contributive learning and student well-being.  The district participated in a series of professional development modules and created “Change Teams” at the primary, middle, and high school level, consisting of educators from various schools who actively shared insights and best practices.  A central focus of the district was aligning SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) models with state standards.  Educators embraced the approach of “starting small,” meaning that teachers identified one or two students as “least-served learners,” or students who might otherwise slip through the cracks.  After identifying an individual student, teachers interviewed them about their personal interests and experiences in order to create meaningful teacher-student relationships and customized learning experiences in the classroom. The district's commitment to personalized education is evident in a collection of compelling case studies, highlighting the remarkable impact of these innovative practices.

In one remarkable case, a third-grade teacher, Naomi, found a powerful way to engage a disinterested student named Ingrid. Through a one-on-one interview, Naomi uncovered Ingrid's fascination with something simple - her love for looking under rocks - and was inspired by this seemingly small interest to create an entire nature-based curriculum!  Naomi crafted an immersive nature, bird-themed set of lessons that thematically integrated art, graphing, and writing skills and even incorporated online bird cams. The theme not only captivated Ingrid but also united the entire class and their parents, fostering a deep sense of connection and creating a powerful community of nature enthusiasts.

In another inspiring story, Sophie, a dedicated science educator, recognized that her student, James, seemed disengaged and purposeless by the remote learning experiences necessary during the challenging times of COVID-19. With no connection to his peers or the physical classroom, he rarely attended online classes and failed to complete his assignments. Curious to uncover his potential, Sophie engaged in a one-on-one conversation with James and discovered his passion for math, science, and video games. James aspired to become a video game developer and found solace in neatly organized concepts. In an attempt to capture James's personal interest, Sophie offered her students the freedom to choose creative approaches to building a model of photosynthesis, hoping James might express his understanding through a storyboard for a video game. Although James didn't come around to engaging in the activity, his classmates actively embraced the new assignment, showcasing their learning through innovative comic books and flipbooks.  As for James, after the pandemic, when he finally returned to in-person learning, it became clear that Sophie’s efforts had made a bigger impact on him than she could have imagined.  James felt that he had a meaningful relationship with an educator who cared about him and began to display a greater enthusiasm for school and even improved communication skills, including actively seeking out Sophie to talk before class. 

Educators interested in reading more case studies or learning more about the Goldendale district and The Learner First partnership should check out this compelling report, which provides rich details, sample questions for educators to foster successful social and emotional learning environments (for example: Do you make connections between curricular learning content and learners’ self-understanding? How often?), and a sample of a partial action plan created by one of Goldendale’s Change Teams.  For more on empowering case studies that transformed student experience, check out the report in full or see our L.E.A.R.N summation of the Goldendale/Learner First 2021-2022 end-of-year report on enhancing district wide well-being.