Cleveland Metropolitan School District Human Ware Initiative

Project

AIR is assisting Cleveland Metropolitan School District in its Human Ware Initiative, which is assessing and improving conditions that support learning, teaching, safety, and child and youth development. The district designed this initiative following recommendations from AIR's Human Ware (HW) Audit and subsequent report completed in August 2008. "Human ware" addresses the conditions for learning necessary for all students to be academically and socially equipped to succeed.

The Human Ware Initiative follows a three-tiered public health approach for collecting and using data on all children, youth, neighborhoods and schools to identify needs and assets, parse or triage resources, plan interventions and monitor results. The initiative includes a comprehensive array of activities that are part of 10 strategies (e.g., improve capacity to deploy and monitor resources, provide positive behavioral supports and social-emotional learning).

During year 1 (2008-09) of the implementation support, AIR helped the district foster awareness and understanding of the initiative; engage external community stakeholders; review potential approaches and developing stakeholder consensus; plan implementation of human ware policies and practices; and build district-, community-, and school-level human ware infrastructure.

AIR helped carry out five task forces of community (e.g., mental health agencies, mayor's office) and district stakeholders, which made recommendations on a warning and response system, evidence-based programs and practices (EBPP), quality standards, family engagement, and resources. AIR has also supported a number of workgroups. For example, AIR is co-leading a workgroup on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) issues and is currently finalizing recommendations to support and enhance school climate for staff and students.

During year 2, AIR is continuing its consultation and coaching role. Our goals include supporting the district’s efforts to actively and strategically engage various constituency groups, both within the district and within the greater Cleveland community. We will also guide implementation, expand integration, and help the district institutionalize its Human Ware Initiative so that it can effectively sustain this work once AIR's support has ended.

Related Work

30 Jul 2015
Report

Cross-District Implementation Summary: Social and Emotional Learning in Eight School Districts (2014)

Social and emotional learning is the process through which children learn the skills to handle themselves, their relationships, and their work effectively and ethically. This report presents findings about the outcomes of a complex eight-district demonstration project designed to learn about as well and show how and to what end school districts can make social and emotional learning an essential part of every student’s education.
Teenagers working together in a group
29 Jul 2015
Commentary

Social and Emotional Learning Makes News—and Sense

Research findings continue to point to the importance of social and emotional learning in children's lives. In this response to David Bornstein's 7/24/15 New York Times article, David Osher describes initiatives in Cleveland and other districts that have improved students' social and emotional competence and school test performance. The key, he notes, is building the capacity of teachers and schools to implement the programs.
30 Mar 2013
Report

Cross-District Outcome Evaluation Report: Social and Emotional Learning in Eight School Districts (2014)

Social and emotional learning is the process through which children learn the skills to handle themselves, their relationships, and their work effectively and ethically. This report presents findings about the outcomes of a complex eight-district demonstration project designed to learn about as well and show how and to what end school districts can make social and emotional learning an essential part of every student’s education.
23 Aug 2008
Report

Cleveland Metropolitan School District Human Ware Audit: Findings and Recommendations

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District and the mayor of Cleveland asked AIR to conduct an independent gaps analysis and to make recommendations regarding what can be done in Cleveland's schools and by its mental health and other community agencies to improve the connectedness that students have to school, as well as their mental wellness and safety.

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