2024 CDE Fall Conference: Creating a Landscape of Wellbeing and Belonging

Discussing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has encountered various challenges across Colorado and throughout the United States. Unfortunately, it has been subject to misconceptions, including confusion with Critical Race Theory and unfounded associations with certain agendas (including those who advocate for LGBTQ+ rights). Addressing SEL has thus become increasingly complex. However, we aim to offer adaptable approaches endorsed by statewide organizations, tailored to your school community's values.

Session Objectives:

• Participants will receive practical tools to navigate these discussions effectively
• Participants will learn different options when addressing the terms of Social Emotional Learning programming.
• Participants will learn techniques to calm high conflict conversations around Social Emotional Learning.

Attendees will gain an understanding of the overarching need for comprehensive sex education (CHSE), and youth disparities as it relates to their sexual health outcomes particularly for LGBTIQA+, BIPOC, disabled youth, youth survivors of sexual violence, and those traditionally left out of sex education. They will also learn the need for anti-racist and anti-oppressive CHSE and strategies for implementing it in the classroom. Lastly, folx will walk away with recognizing CHSE as a multi-prong approach to addressing suicide prevention, substance use, mental health, and sexual violence among other critical factors that impact young people and hence their health outcomes.

Session Objectives:

1. Promote and encourage conversation around the value in promoting work around anti-racist and anti-oppressive sex education in schools and districts in Colorado
2. Speak to and discuss the value in leveraging data collection opportunities and efforts to speak to diverse and critical issues in sex education
3. Discuss CHSE as an approach for addressing suicide prevention, substance use, mental health promotion, sexual violence, etc.

This session encourages dialogue on learning on implementing strategies in schools to create a nurturing and inclusive environment, focusing on new arrivals to the school community. The goal is to establish a sense of belonging and acceptance through empathy, understanding, and encouragement to ensure newcomers feel valued and supported. The message invites collaboration in fostering a culture of warmth and hospitality for all individuals within the educational sphere.

Explore the transformative power of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) in enhancing student mental health and academic success. This session delves into the integration of mental health supports across MTSS's three tiers, emphasizing strategic use of interconnected systems frameworks.
Participants will discover how to build a culture of care through Tier 1 supports, apply advanced interventions in Tiers 2 and 3, and harness collaboration for holistic student wellbeing.

Session Objectives:

1-Comprehensive Understanding of MTSS: Master the structure and application of the three-tier support system in MTSS, focusing on specific mental health interventions to enhance student outcomes.
2-Strategic Implementation Skills: Learn to implement foundational mental health supports at Tier 1 and effectively apply targeted interventions at Tiers 2 and 3 to address more complex student needs, including crisis management.
3-Collaboration and Systems Integration: Develop the ability to enhance mental health support through the use of an interconnected systems framework, improving collaboration across educational stakeholders and boosting the efficacy of mental health initiatives.

“More Than a Buzzword: Belonging Programming to Live It Out!” delves into practical steps for fostering a culture of inclusion. Presenting a case study of Carmody Middle School's successful belonging programming, attendees gain insight into engaging student participation in belonging activities, peer mentoring, enhancing school identity, intentional calendar planning, and how to collect and disaggregate data that centers around belonging. Attendees will utilize inventories to assess their school's inclusivity and brainstorm programming to bridge gaps. Empowering educators with actionable ideas, this presentation offers a roadmap for creating vibrant, inclusive school environments where every student feels seen, heard, and valued.

Session Objectives:

1)Teachers, counselors, and administrators will develop a comprehensive understanding of strategies to enhance belonging programming across all tiers (Tiers 1-3) within the school day. Drawing insights from the experiences of Carmody Middle School counselors, participants will gain practical ideas and techniques for fostering inclusivity and connection among students, tailored to diverse needs and contexts.

2)Participants will acquire skills in data collection methods specifically designed for evaluating and refining belonging programming initiatives. Educators will learn how to gather meaningful data on student engagement, satisfaction, and sense of belonging, empowering them to make informed decisions and adjustments to their programming.

3)Educators will engage in self-reflective practices to evaluate their school's current level of belonging. Utilizing inventories and assessment frameworks, participants will assess the strengths and areas for growth in their school's culture of inclusivity. By identifying actionable items for improvement, attendees will develop personalized action plans to enhance belonging within their own school communities.

This session will explore current data on LGBTQ students' health and wellbeing, highlighting the crucial role of a supportive school environment. Attendees will learn best practices for fostering true belonging through systemic and academic approaches, ensuring sustainability and buy-in from all school community members. Drawing from History UnErased’s work in over 3,000 schools, real-life examples and testimonials will showcase effective strategies for urban, suburban, and rural settings, minimizing and navigating pushback, and bringing all members of the school community together around student wellbeing and achievement.

Session Objectives:

1- Understand the impact of school environments on LGBTQ students' health, wellbeing, and connectedness.
2- Identify and implement best practices for creating sustainable, inclusive educational environments.
3- Gain insights from successful real-life examples and testimonials to replicate inclusive practices in diverse school settings.

Through an Attorney General’s Justice Innovation Grant, case management was undertaken for 20 justice-engaged youth to support school re-entry and success. With only 20% of adjudicated youth earning a diploma nationwide, the support team assisted stakeholders in moving students toward graduation. Participants will be introduced to the findings from this process that impacted the content and passage of HB24-1216 and understand how those provisions will impact their school or district going forward. Bill provisions can increase belonging for justice-engaged students and their families when implemented in a way that supports educational success.

Session Objectives:

1) Leave with an understanding of how HB24-1216 will impact your school or district.
2) Embrace greater understanding from student and family perspectives of common elements and barriers in the educational trajectory of justice engaged youth,
3) Gain experience analyzing an educational journey map completed by a student and their family member and working collaboratively to identify common themes and experiences that could be better addressed through a school commitment to ensuring belonging.

Utilizing a trauma-informed approach with highly mobile students is an important practice to avoid re-traumatizing youth. Rather than punishing students for things they can’t control, we want to give youth the support and resources they need to succeed. Learn from Colorado State University independent student presenters about some of the school policy challenges and how K-12 staff best supported them through their highly mobile experiences. Join us for this interactive session equipping participants with what we need to know for supporting youth in a trauma informed way through school systems.

Session Objectives
Conference attendees who engage in this session will be able to accomplish the following:
• Summarize what a trauma-informed approach looks like in a middle/high school setting
• Identify best practices for engaging with highly mobile students navigating school systems
• Discuss that college is a safe place with a middle school or high school student