Bridging the Gap Between Youth Development and Academic Achievement

Topic Area: Youth as Contributors

Type: Keynote

Too often, well-intentioned educators find themselves stuck on the horns of this dilemma. They feel pressure from stakeholders – policymakers, board members, even staff and parents – to boost academic achievement. At the same time, they know and feel that students are not just walking heads; they need support and guidance to learn vital social-emotional skills that prepare them to function in today’s diverse and challenging world.

This keynote address helps participants explore the issue of school climate to discover how those apparently-opposing goals are really mutually supportive. In this session, participants will acquire valuable information about youth development, hard data from the Search Institute and other research organizations, and practical tools for initiating and guiding organizational change. They can use these to reframe the discussion, reconcile now-competing interests, and move forward with an approach to educational success for students and staff that integrates these two complementary themes.

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