The School Leader's Guide to Student Learning Supports

Howard S. Adelman is professor of psychology and codirector of the School Mental Health Project and its federally supported National Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA. He began his professional career as a remedial classroom teacher in 1960. In 1973, he returned to UCLA in the role of professor of psychology and also was the director of the Fernald School and Laboratory until 1986. In 1986, Adelman and Linda Taylor established the School Mental Health Project at UCLA. The two have worked together for over 30 years with a constant focus on improving how schools and communities address a wide range of psychosocial and educational problems experienced by children and adolescents. Over the years, they have worked together on major projects focused on dropout prevention, enhancing the mental health facets of school-based health centers, and developing comprehensive, school-based approaches for students with learning, behavior, and emotional problems. Their work has involved them in schools and communities across the country. The current focus of their work is on policies, practices, and large-scale systemic reform initiatives to enhance school, community, and family connections to address barriers to learning and promote healthy development. This work includes codirecting a national Center for Mental Health in Schools, which facilitates the National Initiative: New Directions for Student Support. Linda Taylor is codirector of the School Mental Health Project and its federally supported national Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA. In her early career, Taylor was involved in community agency work. From 1973 to 1986, she codirected the Fernald Laboratory School and Clinic at UCLA. In 1986, she became codirector of the School Mental Health Project. From 1986 to 2000, she also held a clinical psychologist position in the Los Angeles Unified School District and directed several large-scale projects for the school district. Taylor and Howard S. Adelman have worked together for over 30 years with a constant focus on improving how schools and communities address a wide range of psychosocial and educational problems experienced by children and adolescents. Over the years, they have worked together on major projects focused on dropout prevention, enhancing the mental health facets of school-based health centers, and developing comprehensive, school-based approaches for students with learning, behavior, and emotional problems. Their work has involved them in schools and communities across the country. The current focus of their work is on policies, practices, and large-scale systemic reform initiatives to enhance school, community, and family connections to address barriers to learning and promote healthy development. This work includes codirecting a national Center for Mental Health in Schools, which facilitates the National Initiative: New Directions for Student Support.

List of Guides: Tools for Analyses and Capacity Building Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors Introduction Part I. Why Learning Supports Are Imperative and What's Wrong With the Way We're Doing It Now 1. Why New Directions Are Imperative 2. Which Students Need Learning Supports? 3. Complex Problems, Limited Solutions 4. Controlling Behavior at the Expense of Motivating Learning Part II. New Directions for Learning Support at a School Site 5. Addressing Barriers to Learning in Schools 6. A Schoolwide Component for Learning Support 7. Rethinking Infrastructure: Starting at the School Level 8. School-Family-Community Connections: With a Special Focus on School-Community Collaboratives 9. Using and Extending the Research Base for Addressing Barriers to Learning 10. Coda: Building Prototypes and Going-to-Scale Part III. Resources 11. More About Understanding and Labeling Student Problems 12. Student Support and Behavior Problems 13. Reframing the Roles and Functions of Student Support Staff 14. About Surveying How a School Is Addressing Barriers to Student Learning 15. Natural Opportunities to Promote Social and Emotional Learning and Well-being 16. About Mental Health in Schools 17. New Directions for Student Support Initiative Brief: Assuring That No Child Is Left Behind 18. Examples of Policy Statements 19. Our Published Works and Center-produced Resources on Addressing Barriers to Learning 20. Internet Sites for a Sampling of Major Agencies and Organizations Relevant to Learning Supports Index

"Offers a broad view, and a systemic approach missing from most books on school reform and improving student outcomes, especially for the student who is not achieving." -Susan Wooley, Executive Director American School Health Association, OH -- Susan Wooley, Executive Director "I have not read any other book that is as comprehensive in explaining how the fragmentation of services limits our ability to service children, as well as provides the 'how to.' In this era of data-based decision making, the authors continue to present well-researched material that perhaps many educators have only read about in isolation." -Sandra Screen, Director Office of Psychological Services, Detroit, MI -- Sandra Screen, Director "Provides a roadmap for how schools in collaboration with community partners have a role to play and can address barriers to student learning. The book recognizes how difficult this work is, but also provides critical information for undertaking it...I am not aware of any other book that contextualizes the barriers in sweeping system reform, then provides a step-by-step guide on how to effect it." -- Linda E. Miller, Consultant