We Care Schools

 is a widely accepted expression about teaching. We Care Schools (WCS) move this truth from teachers caring alone to school communities caring together. WCS’s enhance the learning environment by adapting principles and practices of Community Renewal International’s (CR) Relational Foundation model. WCS began in the 2018-19 school year as a collaborative initiative between University Elementary (UES) and CR Institute. We have created a community of practice to scale WCS.

Creating a school culture of caring prioritizes and brings intention to an important human reality: “caring relationships are our most valuable and value-creating resource” (Robert Hall). What will it look like when caring relationships support our learning, our diversity, our conflicts, our opportunities and our whole system(s) of community?  We Care Schools engage our imaginations to discover answers through the power of caring together.

During the successful WCS pilot at pre-K to 5^th grade University Elementary (UES) in Caddo Parish (2018-19), educators, students, parents and school partners were guided to pursue an outcome: ‘We are creating pathways to a school culture of caring as the foundation for learning and community.’

UES WCS pilot was officially accepted as a Tier 1 Positive Behavior Intervention & Supports (PBIS) plan. Predictably, creating a culture of caring improves behavior patterns (teachers, students, parents). During focus groups, teachers described how WCS has positively impacted their teaching and student learning. 

Based on the pilot, WCS enhances the school learning and teaching environments. It provides foundational preparation for students to pursue meaning and purpose in community. Prioritizing relational and community outcomes addresses unintended consequences of the current education paradigm. Research reveals alarming increases in loneliness-related poor health and well-being outcomes among millennials and generation ‘Z’.

Brain Science, Behavioral Sciences, Health Sciences, and Educational Research all point to the importance of caring relationships and community as critical factors for individual health and well-being. WCS applies this research in fun creative practices that empower and celebrate caring together.

Creating a school culture of caring is both a strategy and an outcome that is unique to relational connectedness within each school community. After 5 years of developing the UES culture of caring, data is revealing positive patterns of change. Significant gains in behavior, attendance, teacher satisfaction / retention, and last year test score gains are attributable to the UES culture. The culture of caring provides a framework, or toolbox, for aligning and adding new programs that grow relational capacities of the UES caring culture. ACE’s training, TBRI, VYJ Crisis Response, Restorative Justice, Strategic Doing and Growing Greener are examples of adding new tools / skills that are growing capacities of the UES caring culture.