Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment

Cairn Guidance is proud to introduce the 2017 Dove Self-Esteem Project National Cadre members, representing thirteen states around the country. These educators participated in a rigorous application process to represent this national cadre. They are passionate about the health, well-being and academic success of youth. The cadre members were selected from many applicants across the US and comprise a mix of both new and experienced professionals that include health teachers, physical Read ▸ about Dove Self Esteem Project National Cadre Introductions!

By Liz ThorneI was recently in Austin, Texas for the 6th annual Ready by 21 Annual Meeting. Organized by the Forum for Youth Investment, the meeting focuses on ensuring all youth are ready and prepared to meet life’s demands. It brought together folks in youth development, program quality, education, government and community based organizations all focused on ensuring youth are ready.A major focus of the meeting was on promoting equity through the lens of readiness as a right. It’s not enough to Read ▸ about The Case for More Love in Education

States are in the process of finalizing their plans for implementation of the Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA gives states new opportunities to more fully integrate health into education policy and practices. Several policy and funding provisions in ESSA are aimed toward supporting student social-emotional, physical, and mental health and ensuring that all students attend school in a safe, supportive environment.Cairn Guidance is launching a State ESSA Plan Webpage for educators, Read ▸ about Every Student Succeeds Act: A Snapshot of State Plans

Written by Heather Deckard, our new Dove Self Esteem Program Coordinator.Did you ever see the commercial with the energizer bunny? The bunny kept going and going due to the amazing batteries it was running on. Well that’s me, Heather Deckard. I’ve been a tireless champion Read ▸ about The Energizer Bunny!

Next week, 5500+ health educators, physical educators, dance educators will be coming together for SHAPE America's annual convention, held in Boston this year. It's not only SHAPE's biggest annual event, but it's March Madness & St Patrick's Day. Let the craziness begin. 5500+ fellow educators creating, learning, facilitating, presenting, sharing, networking and advocating for the whole child. The Cairn Guidance team will be there in full force... we will be exhibiting for the Read ▸ about Next week… SHAPE America, in Boston!

After a much- needed vacation this upcoming week, I will be facilitating a Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool training for the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education. Twenty lead educators supporting school health/health education will participate in a two-day training of trainers (ToT) to equip them with the skills and knowledge to effectively train, teach, and utilize the tool to write lessons, units, develop a scope and sequence, analyze current curricula programs, align Read ▸ about Upcoming HECAT Training of Trainers in Washington DC

Liz Thorne is new to Cairn Guidance as the VP of Policy and Programs. She will be regularly posting on this blog.I started writing my introductory post many times over the last several weeks. Then, after last Tuesday, I had to start over. Don’t worry—this isn’t another politically charged exposition that has been flooding your inbox and social media feed. But it would be disingenuous of me to ignore the fact that a lot of folks across this country are worried about what the future might Read ▸ about What Last Week’s Election Means to Our Work

Why is body confidence and self-esteem important for students?The early teen years are one of the most dynamic in terms of development- physically, emotionally and socially. Fitting in and being accepted by peers is central. In fact, brain science tells us that during early adolescence social acceptance by peers may be processed by the brain similarly to other pleasurable rewards, such as receiving money or eating ice cream. In most cases, affinity for peer groups leads to the healthy Read ▸ about Dove Middle School Self-Esteem Project