Building Student Resilience, K–8
Strategies to Overcome Risk and Adversity
Proven strategies for helping students rebound from risk
One of the hazards we face in our focus on test preparation and results-driven schooling is neglecting the needs of our most disenfranchised students. This important book was written to help counter this trend and offer new hope. If, as Gabe Simon suggests, we forge strong relationships and provide scaffolded supports, then we may just make school the transformative experience it should be.
An experienced teacher and principal of a Title I school, Simon provides classroom practitioners, support team specialists, and all levels of schools leaders with numerous strategies for helping students rebound from risk. Included are:
- Compelling descriptions of research on the link between resiliency and academic achievement
- The most important steps educators can take to build students' resiliency
- Game plans for creating caring school-wide teams and classroom structures that engage students, including positive peer influences
- Comments and perspectives from students considered to be at risk
Discover how creating the will to change—combined with the dedication of caring, supportive adults—can support students in reaching their full potential and close the achievement gap once and for all.
"The reader is compelled to engage in what Gabe Simon calls 'tenacious caring,' not because it raises test scores, but because it is the moral imperative of our profession."
—Douglas Reeves, Founder, The Leadership and Learning Center
"Students will be more successful if they have the benefit of caring relationships and high levels of engagement. The challenge, of course, is creating these conditions for every student. This book provides the answer to that challenge."
—Richard DuFour, Educational Author and Consultant
"This is a wonderful, well-researched book, full of statistics and practical strategies that work for at-risk youths and those from high-poverty environments."
—Ruby Payne, Author of A Framework for Understanding Poverty
"Resiliency is a key to the intellectual and emotional development of students. Unfortunately, too many educational policies focus on threats and punishments rather than resiliency. Gabe Simon's splendid book is a welcome antidote for teachers and administrators who want to improve student results, but who also love and care for the students they serve. With an astonishing amount of evidence from a wide variety of sources, Simon makes the definitive case for strategies that are practical and effective. Best of all, Simon amplifies the power of his evidence through the voices of students. The reader is compelled to engage in what the author calls "tenacious caring" not because it raises test scores, but because it is the moral imperative of our profession."
"Virtually all educators endorse the general idea that students will be more successful in and connected to their schools if they have the benefit of caring relationships and high levels of engagement. The challenge of course, is determining how schools can create these conditions for every student. The Building Student Resilience, K-8 provides the answer to that challenge. It offers specific steps and tools educators can utilize in their schools and classrooms. Furthermore, it offers a novel idea for assessing the levels of caring relationships and student engagement in a school – asking the students themselves. This book has a lot to offer. I recommend it highly."
"Dr. Simon starts this book with a reminder from the late, great, Dr. Ron Edmonds that schools can still override almost anything happening in the life of a child. With the use of basketball and sports analogies, inspirational quotes, templates for student success and detailed analysis of data, Dr. Simon provides concrete strategies for propelling "at-risk" youth. In using scientific methodology on student risk behaviors, student resiliency, teacher practices and student test scores to show what school teams and especially school leaders can accomplish in obtaining improved student outcomes, Dr. Simon makes certain his readers will get results. GAME ON!"
"This is a wonderful, well-researched book, full of statistics and practical strategies that work for at-risk youths and those from high-poverty environments.
It is a must-read for any practitioner working with these students."
"Most learning starts from ‘not knowing’ or making errors. Resiliency, therefore, is among the most critical factors in helping students try again, engage in deliberate practice, and develop a fundamental skill of learning. Gabe Simon’s book is the right mix of theory and practice that demands a call to action to create turning points for all students by developing their resilience in the face of risks. A must read, particularly for school leaders, as it shows that developing resilience is key to then raising achievement in a school."
"An excellent resource for planning for today's schools. Make your school a caring community for all students!"
"This book offers excellent resources to support the social and emotional needs of students. The current emphasis on achievement scores has focused on the academic development of our students, but this book provides the resources needed to support the whole child."