1. Is Improving education imperative to the success of our country?

Absolutely! Our schools are struggling to meet the demand for a highly skilled and educated workforce. We're using an education model that was designed to prepare students for life in the middle of the last century. If we want to prepare our nation's children to compete for jobs with workers from around the world, we cannot accept this outdated model. We live in a global economy that requires our children to be prepared to think both critically and creatively, evaluate massive amounts of information, solve complex problems, and communicate well. A strong foundation in reading, writing, math, and other core subjects is still as important as ever, yet by itself is insufficient for lifelong success. The demands of the 21st century require a new model - a whole child approach to learning, teaching, and community engagement.

2. What is the Whole Child Initiative? How did ASCD start it?

The current focus on schools often ignores what children need in order to grow up to be healthy, happy, productive, and engaged citizens. ASCD brought together a group of leading thinkers, researchers, and practitioners and asked them to expand the meaning of student success and accountability. As a parent, you understand that it takes a lot more to be successful in life than doing well on math and English tests! ASCD's Whole Child Initiative is expanding the definition of education to include academic, social, and civic competence, as well as healthy development. We are calling on you as parents, along with educators, policymakers, and communities to work together to transform the conditions of teaching, learning, and community involvement so that each child can develop his or her strengths and unique capacities for intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual learning. Responsibility for educating and supporting the whole child does not start nor stop at the school door. Schools, local businesses, parents, and community agencies must align to provide every student with conditions that support learning. We need a new era of mutual responsibility for our young people.

The Whole Child Initiative is working with over fifty partners, including the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), to change the conversation about education at the local, state, and federal levels, and put resources into the hands of people who are committed to a whole child approach to education. Our website, www.wholechildeducation.org, is full of great resources, such as free tools like the Grade Your School and Community tool, information and research about whole child education, opportunities to take action and advocate on behalf of the whole child, and the Whole Child Blog.

3. How do you define a 'Comprehensive Education?

A rich and comprehensive education prepares children for a changing world. It moves beyond a narrow focus on academic achievement as measured by only standardized tests and creates learners who are knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, civically active, artistically engaged, prepared for economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world beyond formal schooling. To achieve this goal, educators, parents, community members, and policy members must work together to ensure that:

• Each student enters school healthy and learns about and practices a healthy lifestyle.

• Each student learns in an intellectually challenging environment that is physically and emotionally safe for students and adults.

• Each student is actively engaged in learning and is connected to the school and broader community.

• Each student has access to personalized learning and is supported by qualified, caring adults.

• Each graduate is challenged academically and prepared for success in college or success in college or further study and for employment in a global environment.
  

4. How do you think your blog helps to achieve this goal?

The Whole Child Blog highlights new ways of approaching education policy and practice. It provides opportunities for parents, educators, and community members to stay informed, get involved locally and nationally in advocating for sound policies that result in effective practices, access useful tools and resources to help your school and community educate the whole child, and join a new kind of conversation about education.

The Whole Child Blog features a diverse and growing community of bloggers committed to educating the whole child. To name but a few of our regular bloggers, Melissa McCabe features relevant and timely news, David Snyder identifies research that has implications for a whole child approach, Klea Scharberg highlights examples of promising whole child practices, and Jessica Cameron addresses topics that we feature in greater depth on the Whole Child Podcast every month. We also feature guest bloggers like author Eric Jensen and principal and father Marc Cohen. Check out the full list of whole child bloggers.

5. What sort of actions do you think are necessary on a grassroots level to ensure that children are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged? What sort of contributions can parents make?

Too often, the conversations we have about education do not include all that we know from experience, research, and common sense about the ways children learn and develop. When we take a step back and begin to consider the qualities and skills that are necessary for young people to be prepared for success beyond school, a vision for educating the whole child emerges. Parents, educators, and community members across the globe are using the Community Conversations Project to start these kinds of conversations and improve decision-making that is informed by community opinion and leads to a more comprehensive approach to learning. You can start planning a community conversation in your local community today using a Community Conversation Guide. Please contact us at wholechild@ascd.org and we will be happy to help you and answer your questions.

Get involved and inspired, take action, and advocate for educating the whole child on www.wholechildeducation.org. Here are just a few things you can do right now:

• Stay informed by signing up for the Whole Child Newsletter, become a fan on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.

• Sign the Whole Child Petition and tell your state board of education that they must do more to educate the whole child.

• Send letters to your members of Congress and ask them to make a whole child approach to education a national priority.

• Download the Whole Child Podcast to learn more about topics important to you.
  

We want to hear from you! Email us with ideas about making the Whole Child Blog and www.wholechildeducation.org more useful for you and share your stories about what's working and what's not in your school and community.

6. What does a school using a whole child approach to education look like?

We hear this question frequently, and while there is no one 'right way' to educate the whole child, there are schools that serve as excellent models. Each school and community has its own unique set of opportunities, challenges, and resources. Educating the whole child is a matter of building the capacity of schools and communities to ensure that each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

Starting this year, we are annually recognizing a school that is using innovative and effective practices to successfully ensure that each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. Malcolm Price Laboratory School (PLS) in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the winner of ASCD's first-ever Vision in Action: The ASCD Whole Child Award, serves as a great model of a whole child approach.

Every member of PLS' diverse PreK through 12th grade population participates in a college preparatory curriculum and is held to the highest expectations. PLS provides multiple pathways to graduation and flexible scheduling so they can personalize their curriculum and plan for the future.

Grassroots Café, a new breakfast and lunch program provides students with fresh, organic foods from local farms. The program, which features made-from-scratch meals, has drastically cut down on the amount of processed foods and trans fats served to students.

All 6-12 students at PLS participate in cooperative advisory groups that meet daily at the middle school level and at least twice a month at the high school level.

Practices such as project-based learning and comprehensive school counseling allow students to focus on topics of their choosing in a physically and emotionally safe environment.

Learn more about PLS and sign up for the Whole Child Newsletter to hear more about what a whole child approach to education looks like.