Overcoming the Impact of Poverty and Violence on Children’s Ability to Learn and Thrive

Posted by on February 04, 2013

2013 EDUCATION SUMMIT
Before the Test Scores: Overcoming the Impact of Poverty and Violence on Children’s Ability to Learn and Thrive
http://www.catholicpartnershipschools.org/summit

MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013
The Enterprise Center, Burlington County College, Mt. Laurel, NJ

Keynote Address:
Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character

Panelists Session Leaders:
Dr. Cybele Raver, New York University
Focus: The role of young children’s emotional development and the impact of self-regulation in cognition and school readiness.

Dr. Stephanie Jones, Harvard University, Graduate School of Education
Focus: The longitudinal effects of poverty and exposure to violence on social and emotional development in childhood.

Dr. Mary Dozier, University of Delaware
Focus: Teaching parents and caregivers how to help children deal with adversity using practical applications based on understanding connections between experience, brain development, and behavior.

Jenny Roca, M.Ed., Literacy Specialist, Penn Center for Mindfulness, University of Pennsylvania
Focus: How practical mindfulness and meditation practices can promote academic literacy, behavior control, improved focus and productivity, and enhanced coping skills in school-age children.

Summit Overview:
One day gathering of researchers, social scientists, educators, teachers, administrators, and parents coming together to shape a program of action that springs from a greater understanding of the physiological and neurological impact of poverty, violence, and trauma on a student’s ability to learn and succeed. After the keynote address, presentations by the panel members, and the audience Q&A, smaller expert/practitioner groups will explore in facilitated working groups more effective strategies for improving behavior, resilience, academic achievement, and parental engagement.  The summit will be the jumping off point for additional conversation and networking that will ultimately lead to new and practicable solutions.  The post-conference blog will be a platform for exchange of ideas, research, and the sharing of strategies and practices that work.

SUMMIT SCHEDULE
8:00 a.m.                     Registration/Breakfast
8:45 a.m.                     Welcome & Overview
9:00 a.m.                     Keynote Address – Paul Tough
10– 10:20 a.m.            Break
10:30 a.m.                   Panel Discussion
11:30 a.m.                 Q & A
12:15 p.m.                   Lunch
1:15 – 2 p.m.               Concurrent Session I
2– 2:15 p.m.                Break
2:30 – 3:15 p.m.          Concurrent Session II
3:30 p.m.                     Closing Session/ Next Steps

Focus of General and Concurrent Sessions:
Turning theory into practice with what we know now.  Research is great but how does one use it to inform daily practice?

What are doable interventions that have been shown to reverse the negative impact of violence and poverty and get children on the right academic path?

How can mindfulness strategies and practice create a safe and emotionally healing space for learning?

What is the role of parents?

Who Should Attend:
•    Superintendents, Administrators, Teachers
•    Diocesan/District Leaders
•    Funders & Investors in Education
•    Social Support Workers,  Nurses
•    Counselors
•    Education Specialists
•    College/University Researchers and Professors
•    Graduate and Undergraduate Students in Education, Applied Psychology, Social Work
•    Pre-School Directors and Staff
•    Parents

Attendees will gain valuable information about:
•    The long-term impact on memory, executive function, and motivation from negative emotions and sustained stress in children;
•    The effects of trauma, poverty, and anxiety on a child and the resulting behaviors in the classroom and on the playground;
•    The latest best practices for improving literacy, behavior, and whole child outcomes;
•    Role of parents in mitigating the effects of social and emotional stressors in their child’s life.

ABOUT THE HOST
Catholic Partnership Schools

Founded in 2009, the Partnership is a post-parochial model of Catholic urban education that serves as a school management organization centralizing all financial, operational, and academic functions for five neighborhood K-8 schools serving the children of Camden, NJ.

What sets Catholic Partnership Schools apart from other reform efforts in today’s educational landscape isn’t just its innovative business model. The Partnership, as a separate 501 (c) (3), oversees and supports standards, programs, and student outcomes while it wraps children and their families in a rich choice of remedial and enrichment opportunities designed to mitigate the effects of poverty, violence, and trauma. As a result, our students are achieving the highest literacy rates in the city and are moving on to rigorous secondary schools that ensure a meaningful choice of college, profession, or trade.

The Partnership continues the Catholic educational tradition and long legacy of leadership in providing values-based education, character development, and parental engagement in its schools at the same time it continues to seek out and implement the latest best practices in educating  students living in poverty.

For additional information about the conference or ways to get involved, contact:
•    Karen Dietrich, SSJ, PhD, Executive Director, 856-338-0966,  kdietrich@cspschools.org
•    Pamela Rainey Lawler, Director, Development & Communications, 856-338-0966, plawler@cspschools.org