Collaboration key to students' social, emotional growth

From Deer Valley Unified School District: Cherryl
Paul, Director of Organizational Improvement,
Melissa Sepuka, Principal, and Ann O'Brien,
governing board member. 

Collaborative efforts from the governing board to the classroom are necessary to help support the social and emotional growth of students. In Deer Valley Unified School District, the district motto, vision, mission, and strategic plan have been used to develop a comprehensive system that focuses on the whole child. Schools use programs such as Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) to help positive behaviors. Schools have also built programs based on specific needs of students, for example, one school developed a death and dying group when they found that a number of students had lost parents during the school year.