ASCD launched its Whole Child approach to change the dialogue about a successful education - from one that is focused primarily on academics, to one which ensures each child is knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, civically inspired, engaged in the arts, prepared for work and economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world beyond formal schooling.
The Whole Child framework is based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Its tenets of Healthy, Safe, Engaged, Supported, and Challenged, are arranged in a hierarchy to ensure that a foundation of health and safety are targeted as schools focus on effective pedagogy. As part of the free WCN schools are able to receive a personalized needs assessment report based on our framework. The report highlight key areas of strength and needs to focus on. Schools can access the WCN Guide to help them navigate the results and to plan their yea's Professional Development activities. Based on a Continuous School Improvement Logic Model this guide walks schools through building a team, reviewing results, plotting their course, developing and action plan, and reviewing and modifying actions. Finally schools can plot their journey across the WCN Continuum of Benchmarks - 150 benchmarks that are aligned back to the Whole Child framework.
Since the launch of the ASCD Whole Child Network in November 2019 we have grown to have over 1600 members including over 300 school districts, 500 individual schools, spread across every US state and an additional 53 countries. Besides the USA, this includes Albania, Andorra, Anguilla, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Liberia, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, Syria, Thailand, Trinidad And Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
Sign up for free at www.ascd.org/wholechildnetwork to join and start your Whole Child journey. This provides you and your school access to all free guides and tools. Contact us directly for any additional questions or support at wholechild@ascd.org
