It’s often the teachers who notice first. A third-grader wearing the same clothing day after day who struggles to make friends. A first grader acting out. A fifth grader who quietly slips extra snacks into her backpack and goes without a winter coat. In many schools, teachers dig into their own pockets to put extra jackets in the classroom for recess time and make extra snacks available for students who may not otherwise have food. But in a City Connects school, a teacher’s observations and concerns become a catalyst for conversation, and when appropriate, a plan of action.
The City Connects Whole Class Review makes teachers an integral part of the process. At the beginning of each school year, a Coordinator will meet with each teacher in the school to discuss the strengths and needs of each and every student in their class. The goal is to address the factors that may be interfering with a student’s readiness to learn and engage in school.
“The whole class review is a really valuable tool,” Rachel Cash-Bacon, a teacher in Boston Public Schools, said in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkTTSqoiRsU). “It allows us to sit down with our City Connects Coordinator and think about the students with multiple lenses. We’re thinking about them academically, which teachers always have at the forefront, but we’re also thinking about their health, their family, and all the other components that make them who they are.”
The City Connects Coordinator combines teachers’ input with students’ interests and other information to create a comprehensive and individually tailored plan of support. Coordinators will follow up with teachers, students, and families and adjust the supports as needed throughout the year. “The biggest benefit of City Connects is that it helps us support the whole child—not just academically, but socially, emotionally, and even with things going on at home,” a teacher in Indiana wrote in a survey response.
“It connects students to the right services based on their individual needs, so we’re not missing anything important. It really takes some of the pressure off us as teachers because we know there’s a system in place to help students with challenges that might otherwise get in the way of learning,” explained one teacher through an anonymous annual survey.
Another benefit of City Connects is that the process of reflecting on students, and helping to ensure they get the supports they need to be successful in the classroom also impacts teachers.
In an annual survey of teachers who worked in City Connects schools, teachers reported that the City Connects model expanded their understanding of their student’s lives outside of school. More than 94 percent of teachers reported that they were more patient with their students because they better understood the non-academic issues that contributed to their students’ struggles in the classroom, and thought about the factors influencing student behavior before reacting to the behavior.
Also, teachers in City Connects schools are more likely to stay in their jobs. Preliminary research reveals that teachers are significantly more likely to choose to stay in a school with a system of integrated student support in place, such as City Connects.
Finally, implementation of integrated student support and its increase in teachers’ understanding of the “whole child” enables teachers to build stronger relationships with students and their families.
“I have been grateful for the ways City Connects has connected our students with the resources they need to flourish,” another teacher in Indiana said in a survey. “Also, the support in supplying our teachers with resources to help our students is priceless. I couldn’t be more grateful!”
Teachers are central to how and why City Connects makes a difference. By working with teachers, City Connects Coordinators provide a way for teachers to get to know students more deeply and open doors to opportunities, helping students learn and grow academically and in life.
