Starting the New Year Connected: Strategies for Connecting With and Engaging All Students
During this January 11, 2023, Crowdsource Coffee, leaders discussed how to identify students who feel disconnected from their community. We brainstorm…
Tag: Inclusive Practices
Inclusive practices ensure that all members of the school community—regardless of background, ability, identity, or learning style—can engage in learning and feel a sense of belonging. These practices remove barriers and foster environments where every student can thrive
Exceptional Situations, Exceptional Students: Networks to Support Students in Intensive Circumstances
The academic and behavioral needs of most students are met through a continuum of support within a school. Some students, however, require out-of-syst…
Elevating Diverse Student Voices: Empower Student Engagement and Agency
During a Crowdsource Coffee on December 7, 2023, Portico leaders, coaches, and facilitators shared their experiences and discussed new ideas for how …
Student Experience Survey: Measuring Belonging, Connection, Engagement
Let’s move away from an environment where kids are sorted, packaged, and labeled based on the perceptions of adults that barely knew them. Readiness…
Compliment Activity: Create a Caring Campus Community from Day One
This activity was shared by the former principal of Oceanview High School, Courtney Spelber (Huntington Beach Union High School District), in a Crowds…
Celebrate Progress as Excellence: Encouraging Growth Mindsets & Inclusion
In education, celebration is far more than a feel-good moment—it’s a powerful practice that nurtures belonging, reinforces growth, and sustains mo…
Getting to Really Know Each Other Through Inquiry: Activity with Staff and Students
The beginning of the school year is a critical window. Before we dive into content, expectations, or systems, we have to invest in relationships. If w…
You Belong Here: Making Sure Each Student Is Known
It's not news to educators that students who feel they belong within a school community are more successful both in and out of school. But knowing som…
Use Another Word: Incorporating Student Voice in Key Decisions at All Levels
When Carmen Gelman—Ms. G to her students—arrived at Springfield High School as the new assistant principal, racial tension filled the campus and f…
PBIS: Building a Schoolwide System Around Shared Identity & Expectations
To meet one of the major goals of the Santa Ana Unified School District, Valley High School, in partnership with Carmen Gelman, was challenged to get …