Barrera Minute 12 - Listening to Student Voices
Emotional support comes in many different forms at SDUSD’s Wellness Centers, located on high school and middle school campuses.
Over the course of my almost eighteen years as a trustee at San Diego Unified, I have made it a practice to meet with students to hear their ideas for making school better. Typically, their responses include things like improved cafeteria food, more time for recess, or cleaner bathrooms. But the conversations I had following COVID surprised me. At all levels –elementary, middle school and high school – students identified their biggest need as more support for mental health for themselves and their friends.
This need is directly related to chronic absenteeism, one of the most difficult challenges facing public schools. Getting students to come to school goes beyond avoiding colds and flu to supporting the well-being of the whole child. Perhaps the student doesn’t feel valued or connected at school. Or maybe they are overwhelmed by test scores and grades, extracurriculars, their social life, a job, or family responsibilities.
As Senior Advisor at the California Department of Education, I led a working group of national experts to produce new recommendations for reducing chronic absenteeism. The key is creating an environment that makes students want to be at school -- connections to caring adults, an engaging curriculum, and a welcoming space for families. These are the themes built into San Diego Unified’s new Wellness Index, a partnership with San Diego State University and the County Office of Education to measure student mental and physical well-being.
“Richard Barrera is leading a truly innovative effort at San Diego Unified to use hard data along with social and scientific strategies to identify solutions to the challenges that keep students from succeeding in school”
One critical element of our district’s strategy is to listen to our students.
Through initiatives like their “What I Wish My Parents Knew” campaign, students are also lifting up their own voices through a district-wide Student Wellness Education and Resources(SWEAR) committee which links all high schools.
We’ve already seen promising results from these efforts. In a recent student survey, the percentage of students who said they feel they belong, matter to others at school, and have caring relationships with their teachers increased 2.7 percent. As a result, more students are coming to school. According to the 2024 California Schools Dashboard San Diego Unified saw its overall rate of chronic absenteeism decline for a second consecutive year, and early projections indicate it will drop again this year.
With your help, I can continue my statewide work on wellness and absenteeism as State Superintendent. Please support my campaign at https://www.barreraforedu.com.
Richard
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