Here's why this Salem-Keizer school has the district's best sense of belonging

Salem-Keizer Career Technical Education Center students Aspen McIntosh and Spencer Magann accidental they bask the schoolhouse due to the fact that of the real-world opportunities they are given.

The halfway educates juniors and seniors done hands-on learning successful 10 specialized programs. Programs see residential construction, car assemblage repair and painting, cosmetology, and behavioral wellness and quality services.

"(It) feels liberating to beryllium much of your ain person," Magann said.

In 2024, CTEC had the highest consciousness of belonging retired of each schools successful the Salem-Keizer district.

Salem-Keizer Public Schools was the archetypal schoolhouse territory successful Oregon successful 2018 to measurement students' consciousness of belonging — an indicator of world performance, engagement and intelligence wellness — arsenic a cardinal show metric.

Sense of belonging is the grade to which a pupil feels accepted, respected and valued astatine school, according to Chris Moore, Salem-Keizer's manager of intelligence wellness and social-emotional learning.

Students who deficiency a consciousness of belonging whitethorn acquisition mediocre engagement, grades and attendance.

Moore said erstwhile students consciousness similar they belong, they make a stronger assemblage wrong schools, person improved intelligence wellness and are much resilient.

Salem-Keizer measures students' consciousness of belonging by collecting information connected their relationships with teachers, respect felt by peers and however overmuch they consciousness understood.

However, contempt immoderate progress, determination is inactive much to bash to scope yearly targets.

As of 2024, students successful grades 3-5 were beneath yearly consciousness of belonging targets by 2 percent points and person been since outpouring 2022, but person accrued since outpouring 2023. Students successful grades 6-12 are beneath the yearly consciousness of belonging targets by 1 percent point, a 2 percent constituent alteration from outpouring 2023.

Salem-Keizer Public Schools consciousness of belonging initiatives

The territory created its equity bureau successful 2016 to fig retired ways to get students much progressive successful learning and boost their engagement, show and graduation rates aft noticing disproportionate outcomes for underrepresented students.

In 2018, Salem-Keizer partnered with Panorama Education, a bundle institution successful Boston, to usage their nationally benchmarked appraisal survey strategy to way students' consciousness of belonging.

"Kids successful our assemblage person told america that we've needed to bash better, and I deliberation that's truly what launched america into that space," Moore said.

For example, successful the Panorama survey, students are asked to springiness feedback connected their experiences, specified arsenic what they would similar their teachers to cognize truthful they tin fig retired however amended to assistance students learn.

Since 2016, Salem-Keizer schools person accrued the fig of counselors, societal workers and psychologists successful the territory portion partnering with intelligence health-focused assemblage agencies.

The territory has besides worked with affinity groups, radical brought unneurotic by a communal extremity oregon purpose, to find ways schools tin assistance them consciousness much represented. The territory besides added clubs and a assemblage assets specializer to enactment with students straight successful absorption groups.

The implementation of the affinity groups helped amended the consciousness of belonging for Pacific Islander students successful 2024.

Candalaria Elementary School students created a caller civilization center to assistance amended the consciousness of belonging successful number students.

"Sense of belonging is simply a district-wide endeavor," Moore said. "It's each azygous department's enactment and lives successful each of those schools."

Salem-Keizer's Career Technical Education Center

With 10 years of acquisition moving with adolescents and young adults, including 3 years arsenic a societal idiosyncratic for Salem-Keizer, Kelsie Wafer said young people's consciousness of belonging is simply a large occurrence indicator.

When students consciousness they belong, it helps physique spot and connection, a instauration for getting enactment done, Wafer said.

She said erstwhile trying to amended consciousness of belonging, the challenges could beryllium getting students to permission their comfortableness zones, gathering assurance and teachers adapting to students' changeless changes successful opinions, viewpoints and routines.

McIntosh and Magann said CTEC gives them a stronger consciousness of belonging due to the fact that it's easier to link with people.

The 2 attended McNary High School earlier transferring to CTEC to articulation the caller Behavioral Health and Human Services programme that started successful the 2023-2024 schoolhouse year. The programme works to springiness students "a broad knowing of the complexities surrounding quality behavior, intelligence health, and societal well-being," according to the district's website.

In 1 schoolroom astatine CTEC, posters screen the walls, including 1 of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Other posters absorption connected idiosyncratic check-ins, getting assistance for anxiousness and "What you accidental successful present stays successful here."

McIntosh said the consciousness of belonging she feels astatine CTEC helps her enactment motivated with the enactment of different students.

When students consciousness harmless and comfy successful schoolhouse they tin absorption connected classes and prosecute with the work, Magann said.

Which Salem-Keizer schools person shown improved consciousness of belonging?

In simple schools, Asian students and students with disabilities reported the highest consciousness of belonging successful 2024. Native and Indigenous students, students with autism, and nonbinary students reported consciousness of belonging much than 10 percent points little than different students.

Elementary schools that person improved consciousness of belonging since outpouring 2023 see Highland Elementary, Keizer Elementary, Four Corners Elementary and Bush Elementary.

In secondary schools, sixth people students, students with autism, Pacific Islander students and students with speech/language needs reported the highest consciousness of belonging successful 2024. Native and Indigenous students, students with affectional and behavioral disorders, and nonbinary students reported consciousness of belonging much than 5 percent points little than different students.

Secondary schools that person improved consciousness of belonging since outpouring 2023 see Stephens Middle School, Whiteaker Middle School, Judson Middle School and Parrish Middle School.

How Oregon tracks consciousness of belonging

The Oregon Department of Education began tracking consciousness of belonging information successful 2020-2021 done the Student Educational Equity Development survey. The survey went done a aviator play earlier it went unrecorded successful 2023-2024.

The SEED survey collects accusation connected students' acquisition experiences, including their consciousness of belonging. The survey gathers statewide information from students successful grades 3-11.

When House Bill 2656 went into effect successful 2024, it took distant schoolhouse districts prime of offering SEED surveys to students and required them to marque it available. Students tin take to diminution to participate.

The SEED survey is among ODE's initiatives that beforehand a consciousness of belonging. Others include:

• ODE's Transformative Social and Emotional Learning Framework and Standards focuses connected strengthening equity-focused schoolhouse cultures that enactment students' well-being.

• The Community Care Development Project focuses connected improving Oregon students and families intelligence health, acquisition and well-being done partnerships, affectional support, and effect to carnal and intelligence wellness needs.

• The Care and Connection run emphasizes cultivating a schoolhouse assemblage wherever students tin physique relationships and larn astir others astatine the commencement of the schoolhouse year.

What's adjacent for consciousness of belonging initiatives successful Salem-Keizer Public Schools?

During a schoolhouse committee gathering astatine the extremity of 2024, Moore outlined initiatives that are successful advancement and adjacent steps for the district. These include:

• The territory launched its Behavioral Health Coaching and Training Academy successful August. Moore said much than 1,200 unit person accessed grooming truthful acold this twelvemonth and received 98% affirmative feedback from unit connected the grooming experience.

• The territory has launched its Meadowlark Program, a behavioral wellness program, astatine the Children's Day Education Center. The adjacent measurement is to grow the intelligence wellness attraction programme to much students.

• CTEC students successful the Behavioral Health and Human Services programme person begun mentoring simple schoolhouse students successful the district. The adjacent measurement is to grow it to much of the district's simple schools.

• The territory wants to reimagine school-based intelligence wellness services and is actively recruiting further providers. Their extremity is to person clinicians disposable 5 days per week astatine each precocious schools, 4 days per week successful each mediate schools and 3 days per week successful each simple schools.

• The territory wants unit to proceed supporting taste and affinity groups. The adjacent steps are identifying opportunities and resources to support and grow those programs.

Alexander Banks is an intern astatine the Statesman Journal. Reach him at [email protected]

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected Salem Statesman Journal: Salem-Keizer CTEC programme has district's champion consciousness of belonging