
	Houston-Area Educators Gain Expertise in Teaching Students With 'All Kinds of Minds' Million-Dollar Philanthropic Investment Spurs Hope for Greater Support of 'Schools Attuned Program' *Hear more about this program which was featured on an NPR station in Houston, TX!* HOUSTON —Their stories are familiar and often heartbreaking: the bright, verbally-gifted seven-year-old boy who can barely read a word; the sensitive girl so disorganized that she rarely, if ever, completes her homework; the pre-teen whose grades and test scores have suddenly faltered despite promising success in her earlier years. Yet happy endings may be on the horizon as more than 150 Houston-area educators participate in the Schools Attuned Program this summer to learn how to identify the special learning needs that are causing these types of students to struggle, and develop specialized teaching strategies to ensure they succeed. The Schools Attuned Program from All Kinds of Minds, is a national comprehensive professional development initiative that offers educators proven methods for recognizing, understanding and managing students who are struggling in school largely because their brains are “wired” differently. The program is supported by a $1.2 million donation from the Brown Foundation, Inc., with additional funding from The Cullen Foundation, The Powell Foundation and Houston Endowment. “Teachers and administrators in the Houston area are nationally recognized for their commitment to accountability for the learning and care of their students,” says Mary-Dean Barringer, the National Director for Schools Attuned. “This program develops their expertise in the complexity of learning variation, so that when students falter, they have the latest findings from neuroscience to use to get kids on the path to success with the curriculum initiatives and academic programs underway.” Through philanthropic contributions, the Schools Attuned Program is being offered, without cost, to educators in the Independent School Districts of Houston, Spring Branch, Alief, Aldine, North Forest and Humble. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to reach a multi-year agreement with one or more of the districts to provide continuing service beyond the initial training. Developed by All Kinds of Minds, the Schools Attuned Program enables educators to use a neurodevelopmental framework to formulate individualized student learning profiles, which describe a student’s unique strengths and weaknesses in how they learn. Once teachers and staff have identified the learning profiles of their students, they’re able to develop a practical course of instruction that helps students overcome their learning challenges by applying accommodations and interventions in addition to building on their strengths and affinities. Small, independent research studies conducted on the Schools Attuned Program to date have found: · Improvements in the academic and personal outcomes of students who are struggling in school. Schools and parents reported higher end of grade test scores, grade improvement, and increases in students’ self-esteem and self-concept. · Positive impacts on teacher practice. Teachers reported being better prepared to address the learning needs of their students, select the right strategies to improve academic achievement and work with families to better understand and support their child’s learning. · Improvements in school climate, culture, and systems. Schools reported fewer behavior problems, and fewer disciplinary referrals. They found a decrease in referrals for special education along with fewer false positives in those referrals. · Positive impact on parents. Parents of children whose teachers used the Schools Attuned Program reported a deeper understanding and acceptance of their child’s learning issues; parent felt they were forging a hopeful alliance with the school. Three national, independent studies are investigating these promising initial results, with the first results of these multi-year studies being released in late fall 2007. HOUSTONIANS CITE EARLY SUCCESS “The Schools Attuned Program leads a school to a most important discussion—why kids aren't learning what we want them to learn. Schools that take on this challenging discussion have the opportunity to completely transform their learning culture, and the Schools Attuned Program can be a catalyst to this transformation,” said Scott Van Beck, Regional Superintendent of Houston Independent School District West. First developed in 1987, the Schools Attuned Program is a professional development and service delivery program that helps educators acquire the knowledge and skills—and offers a system of innovative tools—to meet the diverse learning needs of all K–12 students. The Schools Attuned Program was launched as a year-round professional development and service delivery program in 2000. More than 30,000 educators in the U.S. and Canada have participated in the program to date. Houston-area educators participating in the program will learn: · Methods for recognizing, understanding and managing students with differences in learning; · Ways to communicate with parents and adult caregivers about their children’s learning needs; and · Ways to effectively collaborate with colleagues to respond to students learning needs, issues and progress. The Schools Attuned Program also develops teams of problem solvers within a school or district. Through the program, educators are able to maintain and practice their new knowledge through ongoing discussions about its impact on student learning. # # #

Houston-Area Educators Gain Expertise in Teaching Students With 'All Kinds of Minds'

Million-Dollar Philanthropic Investment Spurs Hope for Greater Support of 'Schools Attuned Program'

Hear more about this program which was featured on an NPR station in Houston, TX!

HOUSTON —Their stories are familiar and often heartbreaking: the bright, verbally-gifted seven-year-old boy who can barely read a word; the sensitive girl so disorganized that she rarely, if ever, completes her homework; the pre-teen whose grades and test scores have suddenly faltered despite promising success in her earlier years. Yet happy endings may be on the horizon as more than 150 Houston-area educators participate in the Schools Attuned Program this summer to learn how to identify the special learning needs that are causing these types of students to struggle, and develop specialized teaching strategies to ensure they succeed.

The Schools Attuned Program from All Kinds of Minds, is a national comprehensive professional development initiative that offers educators proven methods for recognizing, understanding and managing students who are struggling in school largely because their brains are “wired” differently. The program is supported by a $1.2 million donation from the Brown Foundation, Inc., with additional funding from The Cullen Foundation, The Powell Foundation and Houston Endowment.

“Teachers and administrators in the Houston area are nationally recognized for their commitment to accountability for the learning and care of their students,” says Mary-Dean Barringer, the National Director for Schools Attuned. “This program develops their expertise in the complexity of learning variation, so that when students falter, they have the latest findings from neuroscience to use to get kids on the path to success with the curriculum initiatives and academic programs underway.”

Through philanthropic contributions, the Schools Attuned Program is being offered, without cost, to educators in the Independent School Districts of Houston, Spring Branch, Alief, Aldine, North Forest and Humble. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to reach a multi-year agreement with one or more of the districts to provide continuing service beyond the initial training.

Developed by All Kinds of Minds, the Schools Attuned Program enables educators to use a neurodevelopmental framework to formulate individualized student learning profiles, which describe a student’s unique strengths and weaknesses in how they learn. Once teachers and staff have identified the learning profiles of their students, they’re able to develop a practical course of instruction that helps students overcome their learning challenges by applying accommodations and interventions in addition to building on their strengths and affinities.

Small, independent research studies conducted on the Schools Attuned Program to date have found:

· Improvements in the academic and personal outcomes of students who are struggling in school. Schools and parents reported higher end of grade test scores, grade improvement, and increases in students’ self-esteem and self-concept.

· Positive impacts on teacher practice. Teachers reported being better prepared to address the learning needs of their students, select the right strategies to improve academic achievement and work with families to better understand and support their child’s learning.

· Improvements in school climate, culture, and systems. Schools reported fewer behavior problems, and fewer disciplinary referrals. They found a decrease in referrals for special education along with fewer false positives in those referrals.

· Positive impact on parents. Parents of children whose teachers used the Schools Attuned Program reported a deeper understanding and acceptance of their child’s learning issues; parent felt they were forging a hopeful alliance with the school.

Three national, independent studies are investigating these promising initial results, with the first results of these multi-year studies being released in late fall 2007.

HOUSTONIANS CITE EARLY SUCCESS

“The Schools Attuned Program leads a school to a most important discussion—why kids aren't learning what we want them to learn. Schools that take on this challenging discussion have the opportunity to completely transform their learning culture, and the Schools Attuned Program can be a catalyst to this transformation,” said Scott Van Beck, Regional Superintendent of Houston Independent School District West.

First developed in 1987, the Schools Attuned Program is a professional development and service delivery program that helps educators acquire the knowledge and skills—and offers a system of innovative tools—to meet the diverse learning needs of all K–12 students. The Schools Attuned Program was launched as a year-round professional development and service delivery program in 2000. More than 30,000 educators in the U.S. and Canada have participated in the program to date.

Houston-area educators participating in the program will learn:

· Methods for recognizing, understanding and managing students with differences in learning;

· Ways to communicate with parents and adult caregivers about their children’s learning needs; and

· Ways to effectively collaborate with colleagues to respond to students learning needs, issues and progress.

The Schools Attuned Program also develops teams of problem solvers within a school or district. Through the program, educators are able to maintain and practice their new knowledge through ongoing discussions about its impact on student learning.

# # #