The Whole Child

What Works

Together, research, practice, local needs assessments, and a commitment to collaboration create a roadmap for what works to educate the whole child. Use this section to get the resources you need to identify and address challenges in educating the whole child such as bullying and implement evidence-based practices such as arts integration. Explore each topic to get free resources from experts and practitioners committed to building your capacity to educate the whole child. Come back each month as we focus on a new topic of critical importance to educating the whole child.

Topic of the Month

Assessment

We focus extensively on test scores and far too little on the whole child. We often choose one-size-fits-all fixes while ignoring solid research about the infinite ways students learn and children develop. The true measure of students’ proficiency and college-, career-, and citizenship-readiness must be based on more than just their scores on state standardized reading and math assessments.

We shouldn’t simply teach to the test. We need to teach for understanding, and assessments are tools to gauge that understanding. When used effectively, assessments can facilitate high levels of student achievement by providing ongoing information about students’ grasp of key concepts and how to enhance their learning to help them meet or exceed academic requirements. States, districts, and schools should provide a more comprehensive picture of student achievement through multiple assessments of and for learning.

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Whole Child Examples

School Example

Kansas High School Overcomes Poverty and Unemployment Issues In Stride

Determined to give students a home-away-from-home that provides endless motivation, support, and guidance, Columbus Unified High School in Columbus, Kans., provides personal adult advocates for each student to ensure that they reach their goals before and after graduation.