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The Engagement Gap | Poverty and Education | Teacher Leadership | Choosing Your Tomorrow Today

The Engagement Gap

Making Every School and Every Classroom an All-Engaging Environment

Although much has been written about the achievement gap, less has been said about redirecting our focus on student engagement in learning. And focusing on engagement may be the closest thing we have to ensuring effective learning is taking place. Centering on the process of effective pedagogy may be far more beneficial than narrowing our attention only to the outcomes. The spring 2016 Whole Child Symposium focused on the engagement gap:

• Why is engagement important?
• What do we mean by engagement, and what does it look like?
• How do you make your school and your classroom an all-engaging environment?

What do students think? Students share their thoughts on how to turn schools into places where young people can thrive in a video from The Future Project.

Read the Sympoisum Report on The Engagement Gap (PDF)

View the Archives

Watch the Slideshow

Poverty and Education

Addressing Poverty as a Sector, as a School, and as a Classroom

Socioeconomic status has been touted as one of the greatest determinants of academic achievement and success. A 2014 report (PDF) conducted by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) indicated that poverty, if unaddressed, can explain up to 46 percent of the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) scores in OECD member countries.

In spring 2015, ASCD convened the third ASCD Whole Child Symposium in Washington, D.C. The symposium focused on the issue of poverty as it relates to school reform and education improvement efforts. The topic is particularly timely for two reasons:

• For the first time in recent history, the majority of public school children in the United States come from low socioeconomic households, according to the Southern Education Foundation.
• We have just passed 50th anniversary of the U.S. War on Poverty, which was launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Read the Sympoisum Report on Poverty and Education (PDF)

Learn about poverty and education by the numbers (PDF)

View the Archives

Current Research and the History of Poverty in the United States

Classroom Experiences and Practitioner Insight

Whole Child Symposium Panelists Take Audience Questions

Watch the Slideshow

Teacher Leadership

The What, Why, and How of Teachers as Leaders

Teaching today is a more complex set of roles and responsibilities than ever before. The skills and knowledge required to successfully engage students and prepare them for our quickly-changing society define how teachers lead within the classroom and without.

In early December 2014, ASCD convened the second Whole Child Symposium to explore how to support aspiring teacher leaders, especially those who want to stay in the classroom as instructional leaders and more.

Read the Symposium Report on Teacher Leadership (PDF)

Learn more about the teacher leadership landscape (PDF)

View the Archives

Why Are Teacher Leaders Important to the Education Profession?

How Can We Best Support Aspiring Teacher Leaders in the Classroom?

Whole Child Symposium Panelists Take Audience Questions

Watch the Slideshow

Choosing Your Tomorrow Today

How Today's Decisions Affect Our Youth, Economy, and Society Tomorrow

The spring 2014 Whole Child Symposium featured discussions on the theme "Choosing Your Tomorrow Today" across three events in three separate settings, with each event seeking different voices, audiences, and perspectives. Participants were encouraged to ask questions, argue issues, and suggest solutions online throughout the duration of the seven-week discussion.

Read the Symposium Report on Choosing Your Tomorrow Today (PDF)

View the Archives