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Hi Bonnie- So, here is a good case for the alternative approach First off, strong headline here. I'm interested, but when I open, I got a bit scared off. Too much text for me to read in a busy day. Give me the snippet (i.e. metatag description) and if that then interests me, give me a link out to read, preferrably a link to the CCA website. Content alone will raise the SEO of your site. Traffic will help futher. Rob On Thu, Dec 18, 2014 at 1:45 PM, Bonnie Berk <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > *Sandy Hook, two years later: Steps we must take* > > By Andrea Spencer > > > > The recently released report by Connecticut’s Office of the Child Advocate > describes a trajectory toward unimaginable tragedy – lost lives of twenty > young children and those of the educators who tried > > to protect them two years ago on December 14th. Investigation of this > trajectory was commissioned by Connecticut’s Child Fatality Review Panel, > conducted by experts from psychology, psychiatry, > > social work, education and advocacy. The result is a document that details > the life of AL, the perpetrator of the Sandy Hook shootings. Amidst a > welter of informational sources, the panel struggled > > to comprehend and then to communicate the complexities of systems failures > that emerged. These failures left untreated a desperately damaged and > severely mentally ill individual who brought about > > unparalleled devastation in the lives of school, families and the Newtown > community. What remedies might diminish the potential for similar > disasters? The report provides many important recommendations. > > > > However, among these, school records were one key source of insights into > the circumstances and lost opportunities that defined AL’s withdrawal into > isolation and violence. From an educational > > perspective, what lessons might be learned? > > > > First, educators must look at children through a broad lens that takes > into account not only academic achievement but incorporates consideration > of the whole child in the context of school and family. > > This is particularly critical for some children who seem to assume a cloak > of invisibility. Like AL, they don’t make waves; they do their homework; > they get A’s and B’s; and sometimes, despite the best > > intentions of teachers and administrators, they slide into obscurity in > busy schools and classrooms. It’s not hard to do. In increasingly > compartmentalized school structures close relationships between > > individual students and teachers become more difficult to establish and > maintain. Is every quiet child potentially harboring visions of violence? > Of course not. But a closer look and careful, comprehensive > > assessment of social-emotional well-being as well as academic progress > might raise red flags that were missed in AL’s case, with terrible > consequences. > > > > Second, schools must have the resources to communicate with and integrate > a broader perspective on children’s special needs through systems that talk > to each other. Increasing pressures of time and > > fiscal resources often mean that the more complex challenges of individual > children are narrowly defined or left unattended. In AL’s case, the focus > of his education gradually became narrowed to specific, daily curricular > decisions – what classes to assign, which books to read, even what > conversational topics were tolerable. In school records, perspectives and > prescriptions of clinical experts briefly emerged but had no sustained > influence in crafting effective strategies for a cohesive education and > treatment plan. Lack of access to complementary, school-based mental health > services means that many children will continue to suffer consequences that > severely limit their options and opportunities lifelong. National > statistics on educational outcomes for children with emotional disturbance > are clear. Without intervention, the futures of these boys and girls will > be severely compromised – not only in terms of life outcomes but, too > often, in terms of their own health and safety or that of others. > > > > Third, we need to examine the preparation of teachers, administrators, and > others who provide related services in our schools. Education means more > than academic rigor. Teacher preparation and > > professional development have become increasingly focused on curricular > content and quantitative measurement in ways that can distract from needed > focus on the broader physical, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive > development of children. Are we preparing teachers who are sufficiently > sensitive to the social, emotional and mental health needs, as well as the > academic progress, of children? > > Are we truly preparing educators who can engage, support and (on occasion) > challenge parents as well as students? Who are knowledgeable about > community resources within and outside the school > > building? > > > > There is no ready solace for the families and community of Sandy Hook. > However, unless we are prepared to look critically at education, we will > fail to act in ways that have promise for preventive strategies. We must > emphasize observation and understanding of each individual child in every > classroom. Based upon that observation, response to red flags when they > occur is essential for physical and mental health as well as for successful > academic outcomes. While tragedy of the magnitude of Sandy Hook is without > precedent, one lesson learned is that the realization of each child’s > potential, as well as preservation of personal safety and academic promise, > demands a broader perspective, improved professional preparation, and > connectivity with community resources. As we value the lives and learning > of all our children, we can do no less. > > > > *Spencer is dean of Pace University’s School of Education, an educational > consultant to the Center for Children’s Advocacy and co-author of “Shooting > At Sandy Hook Elementary School.”* > > > http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/education/227314-sandy-hook-two-years-later-steps-we-must-take > > >