Welcome
Welcome to the home of the Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center (SSS-TAC)! We provide technical assistance and/or web resources to districts, schools, parents and/or families on the topic of school climate as part of the New York State Education Department Supportive Schools Grant Program.
Our goal is to cultivate safe and supportive environments for all students. We know that readiness and excitement to learn is accompanied by a sense of belonging and safety, as well as strong relationships with adults and peers. Through collaboration with grantees, we support the implementation of research-based practices that promote a positive school climate and student engagement.
Reopening Resources
and provide access to supports. Working together, we can provide an equitable and inclusive educational experience for all students. We express our gratitude to school professionals across New York for their dedication and commitment to this work.
Below is a beginning list of resources for reopening this fall. More will be added as it becomes available. For additional resources on topics related to school climate, visit our Tools and Resources page. If there is a specific topic or resource you’d like to learn more about, please contact us.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept of a safe and supportive learning environment has taken on new meaning. Now more than ever, we must expand our thinking around school climate and social-emotional wellness. Although these times can be rife with uncertainty and divide, one thing remains clear: community matters. Creative approaches will be needed to build and fortify relationships, engage stakeholders,
SSS-TAC Newsletter
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January 2020
April 2020
August 2020
Helpful Links
Below are links to information you may find helpful. Please click on any link below to visit other websites with helpful content.
In The News
Schools shifted chronic absenteeism strategies amid closures
To improve absenteeism rates, and even engagement in school, a report from Attendance Works and American Institutes for Research suggests schools focus on improving conditions of learning, which include: creating an environment of physical and emotional health and safety; having a sense of belonging, connectedness, and support; providing relevant learning that is academically challenging; and improving adult and student social and emotional competencies.
July 31, 2020
How to Teach Social-Emotional Learning When Students Aren't in School
Tens of millions of students are dealing with massive upheaval to their educations and daily lives with their schools shuttered indefinitely to thwart the spread of the coronavirus.
Add to that fears over a pandemic that could sicken them or loved ones, students now more than ever need strong coping skills to adjust to this new reality that will likely, for many, extend through the end of the school year and beyond.
But should social-emotional learning really be a focus for educators right now as they scramble to figure out how to teach their classes remotely?
March 30, 2020
A Social & Emotional Care Package for Teachers
When teaching and learning moved entirely online in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, parents and guardians became “home schoolers.”
They soon realized that this responsibility was not easy and took to social media to voice concern about the quality of the assistance that they were giving their children. They acknowledged that they did not realize just how much teachers do, how knowledgeable they are, and how hard they work to help children learn. Such recognition and acknowledgement bode well for the teaching profession.
It also makes a case for why teachers’ social and emotional well-being must be a priority of any plan to reopen our schools.
July 26, 2020