This library highlights examples of state laws, policies, initiatives, and programs aligned with whole child design. It is intended to help policymakers, educators, and other key stakeholders learn how states across the country are pursuing whole child policy and systems change. The library is not an exhaustive compilation of all the whole child work states have taken on and will be periodically updated with new examples as states continue to innovate and redesign to support every child’s learning and developmental needs. If you have a state policy example you would like to share, please submit it using this form.
Displaying 1 - 50 of 179 examples
Setting a Whole Child Vision
Convene a Diverse Set of Stakeholders to Develop a Statewide Whole Child Vision
In 2015, the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) began efforts to set a vision of the whole child by defining the characteristics of a successful student. In support of the vision, the KSDE launched the Kansans Can School Redesign Project in 2017. This project focuses on redesigning an elementary or secondary school around the vision of the graduate profile and characteristics of a successful high school graduate. (For more information about this state example, see Setting a Whole Child Vision.)
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In 2017, Ohio’s superintendent of public instruction and the Ohio State Board of Education worked with over 150 state partners, including school districts, local PTAs, higher education institutes, and community stakeholders, to develop a strategic plan centered on supporting the whole child. The strategic plan has three core principles (equity, partnerships, and quality schools), four learning domains (foundational knowledge and skills, well-rounded content, leadership and reasoning, and social and emotional learning), and 10 priority strategies focused on recruiting and retaining effective educators, creating meaningful accountability structures, providing whole child student supports, expanding quality early learning, and transforming high schools. (For more information about this state example, see Setting a Whole Child Vision.)
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Developed as a part of the TransformSC initiative to transform South Carolina’s education system, the state’s profile of a graduate was approved in 2015 by the South Carolina State Board of Education as well as numerous stakeholder organizations. The graduate profile includes the knowledge, skills, and characteristics needed for students to be successful upon graduating high school. The South Carolina Department of Education has also developed a prototype of 12 aligned competencies to make the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate actionable in all classrooms and learning environments across the state.
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In Virginia, an initiative from the Virginia State Board of Education in 2014 to examine future directions for the state’s accreditation systems and graduation requirements led to the creation of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate. At the same time, the General Assembly created the Standards of Learning (SOL) Innovation Committee to provide support and recommendations to inform the graduate profile. The General Assembly codified the SOL Committee’s recommendations in 2016 and directed the state board to develop and implement the Profile of a Virginia Graduate, which established a new set of expectations—known as Virginia’s 5 Cs: critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, collaboration, and citizenship skills. (For more information about this state example, see Setting a Whole Child Vision.)
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Setting a Whole Child Vision
Assess Conditions for Learning and Development for Children and Youth
Kentucky’s Longitudinal Data System (now known as KYSTATS) was created in the 2013 legislative session to expand on the work of the Kentucky P-20 Data Collaborative, a joint effort among the Kentucky Department of Education, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, and the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board. The Kentucky Center for Statistics, which operates the data system, is legislatively authorized to collect and link data from the various Kentucky education and workforce data systems that provide data records to KYSTATS. These reports and statistical data are provided to state policymakers, agencies, practitioners, administrators, and the general public to allow them to evaluate education and workforce efforts in the state. (For more information about this state example, see Setting a Whole Child Vision.)
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Setting a Whole Child Vision
Establish Coordinating Bodies to Advance the Whole Child Vision
Illinois Public Act 100-1139 was enacted in 2019 to create the Emotional Intelligence and Social and Emotional Learning Task Force and to develop curriculum and assessment guidelines and best practices. The task force divided into four workgroups on social and emotional learning (SEL) standards, screeners, support and resources, and partnerships and issued a final report and recommendations in 2021. The report includes an SEL support guide with resources for districts to integrate SEL into their multi-tiered systems of support framework, statewide SEL partnerships, an implementation timeline, and funding sources. Recommendations include updating the state SEL standards and creating supports to implement universal SEL screening.
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The Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund was
originally created in 1999 by the state legislature to oversee expenditures
related to improving child and youth health and well-being. In 2020, an
executive order gave the Children’s Cabinet a larger role in early childhood
issues. Now the activities of the Children’s Cabinet are guided by the
state’s Blueprint for Early Childhood. The Blueprint works to coordinate
services through the state’s mixed-delivery system via a common framework
intended to foster cross-sector collaboration. Services include health care,
child care, early intervention, early education, mental health, prenatal and
maternal support, home visiting, developmental screening, and child abuse
prevention programs.
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Established by executive
order in 2005, the Maryland Children’s Cabinet coordinates state agency
service provision by focusing on prevention, early intervention, and
community-based services for all children and families. In 2006, the Maryland
General Assembly recodified Local Management Boards to increase local
authority to plan, implement, and monitor the provision of child and family
services. The Children’s Cabinet provides technical assistance to the Local
Management Boards as well as dedicated grant funding through its Interagency
Fund.
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Maryland’s Commission on Innovation & Excellence in
Education (often referred to as the “Kirwan Commission” after its chair
William “Brit” Kirwan) was established by statute in 2016 to review and
update the state’s school funding formulas and to develop policies and
practices so that Maryland’s schools perform at the level of the world’s best
systems and so students are prepared for career and college in the 21st
century. In 2020, Maryland passed House Bill 1300, The Blueprint for
Maryland’s Future, to implement the recommendations of the commission. Among
the many changes, the bill included changes to the state’s school funding
formulas and concentration-of-poverty grants. The changes will start to alter
mandated education funding in 2022—providing increased per-pupil funding and
targeted aid to meet the state’s goals.
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Maryland House Bill 1287 was enacted in 2017 to
establish the Commission on the School-to-Prison Pipeline and Restorative
Practices to scan school discipline across the state. The commission also
studied national best practices for educator and leader training in
restorative interventions with the goal of eliminating the school-to-prison
pipeline. In December 2018, the commission submitted its recommendations to
the governor.
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Massachusetts created the Department of Early
Education and Care (EEC) to unite early childhood services under one roof.
The EEC oversees child care, Head Start, preschool, early childhood special
education, and family support, which were previously overseen by different
agencies.
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In 2019, Governor Tim Walz relaunched Minnesota’s Children’s Cabinet. This interagency task force is made up of state agencies, including the Department of Administration, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Education, the Department of Employment and Economic Development, the Department of Health, the Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Management and Budget, the Department of Public Safety, and the Department of Transportation. The cabinet has five main focuses: (1) healthy beginnings, (2) child care and early education, (3) mental health and well-being, (4) housing stability, and (5) educational opportunity.
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In 2017, the North Dakota legislature created the Children’s Behavioral Health Task Force to oversee and align different sectors of children’s behavioral health. The task force consists of six members from education, health, human services, corrections, the Indian Affairs Commission, and the Committee on Protection and Advocacy. This interagency task force provides guidance and recommendations in the areas of education, health, welfare, community, and juvenile justice. (For more information about this state example, see Setting a Whole Child Vision.)
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Codified by the governor in 1993, Ohio Family and Children First
(OFCF) streamlines and coordinates state and local government services across
11 state agencies and all 88 counties for children and families. The
county-level Family and Children First Councils (FCFCs) “connect the dots”
for children and families needing multiple services and increases capacity
and effectiveness through service coordination. The state-level OFCF Service
Coordination Committee advises on and assesses local coordination efforts,
reviews service and treatment plans for children upon request, and assists
children and families when county FCFCs are unable to provide adequate
services.
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Due to the high rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) within the state, Senate Bill 1517 (signed into law in 2018) established the Oklahoma Trauma-Informed Care Task Force (TIC-TF) to investigate existing trauma-informed practice across the state. The TIC-TF concluded its work in 2020 by releasing findings and recommendations describing how its member agencies can learn from existing state and local initiatives to develop a coordinated approach to preventing trauma due to ACEs. The report also includes considerations for identifying and ensuring the appropriate interventions. Even though the legislative mandate for the TIC-TF has ended, its members intend to continue building on the report’s recommendations via the Children’s State Advisory Workgroup. (For more information about this state example, see Setting a Whole Child Vision.)
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The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), a collaborative effort between the Pennsylvania’s Department of Education and the Department of Human Services, oversees the majority of the state’s early childhood education (ECE) programs, including child care, home visiting, the Quality Rating and Improvement System, state preschool, early intervention, and ECE workforce development. The consolidated approach has led to more unified workforce policies, including professional development that is aligned across settings. It has also facilitated an integrated data system, PELICAN.
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The Rhode Island Children’s Cabinet was reconvened in 2015 under Governor Gina Raimondo. To improve governance, services, and outcomes, the Cabinet created a strategic plan for 2015–20 that focuses on five main desired outcomes for supporting the holistic development of young people, including a common agenda and coordinated budget development. Since the onset of COVID-19, the group has reported on the use of federal relief funds to support these efforts and meet the needs of vulnerable populations, such as children and families experiencing homelessness. (For more information about this state example, see Setting a Whole Child Vision.)
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The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Building Strong Brains Tennessee project is part of the state’s Commission on Children and Youth and focuses on providing resources, training, and funding on early childhood brain development. Part of the project’s goals are to raise public awareness about ACEs, reduce conditions that contribute to ACEs, support initiatives that reduce toxic stress, seek sustainable funding to reduce ACEs, and foster responsive and coordinated governance to advance child welfare.
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In 2017, Governor Jay Inslee created the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF), a cabinet-level agency that combined services from the Division of Child Care and Early Learning with programs in the Department of Social and Health Services, including child protective services, foster care and adoption support, and juvenile rehabilitation services. DCYF lists three overarching outcome goals: (1) resilience, (2) education, and (3) health. The agency is prioritizing “addressing equity and disproportionality” in the areas of child welfare, early learning, and juvenile justice. (For more information about this state example, see Setting a Whole Child Vision.)
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In 2019, Washington passed Senate Bill 5082 to create a workgroup to promote and expand social and emotional learning (SEL). The committee is tasked with developing and implementing a statewide k–12 framework for SEL, reviewing and updating state SEL standards, aligning SEL standards and benchmarks with other standards and guidelines, advising the office of the superintendent of public instruction, identifying best practices and professional development opportunities, considering data collection systems for monitoring SEL implementation, and identifying strategies to improve coordination of SEL-related services.
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Transforming Learning Environments
Support Relationship-Centered Learning Environments
In 2009, the Colorado General Assembly created the State Advisory Council for Parent Involvement in Education (SACPIE), a council composed of parents and statewide organizational representatives, to offer best practices and recommendations to policymakers and educators on ways to increase parent involvement. In 2013, Colorado increased its focus on family engagement by passing Senate Bill 13-193, a bill requiring school districts to appoint a parent engagement liaison as a point of contact with the Colorado Department of Education, engage with parents to serve on district and school accountability committees, and involve parents in developing school turnaround plans. (For more information about this state example, see Transforming Learning Environments.)
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In 2017, the Kansas State Department of Education launched the Kansans Can School Redesign Project. As a part of the redesign project, participating districts work on accomplishing goals at key stages of student transition, including ensuring students enter kindergarten socially, emotionally, and academically prepared; providing individual plans of study for each student starting in middle school; and tracking student success after high school. (For more information about this state example, see Transforming Learning Environments.)
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Transforming Learning Environments
Foster Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments
In 2021, California invested $1.5 billion to establish the Educator Effectiveness Block Grant, which issues funds to districts to provide professional learning to school staff who interact with students, including teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals. Training can focus on specified topics, including strategies to implement social and emotional learning (SEL) and trauma-informed practices, as well as practices to create a positive school climate, including restorative justice and implicit bias training. (For more information about this state example, see Building Adult Capacity and Expertise.)
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The Connecticut Department of Education provides school climate guidance and resources aligned with its 2011 anti-bullying policy and other measures of positive school climate, such as student attendance.
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The Hawaii Department of Education has developed a culturally responsive framework based in HĀ, the unique values and qualities of the Indigenous Hawaiian culture and language. HĀ outcomes include strengthened senses of belonging, responsibility, excellence, aloha (empathy and appreciation), and total well-being, as well as an understanding of Hawaii's history, culture, and language. In 2016, the Department of Education was awarded an Assessment for Learning grant to develop key indicators of success and related assessment practices as part of a new, culturally responsive assessment framework that measures both student outcomes and their learning environments. Developed through inclusive processes at pilot school sites, the new framework requires students and communities to assess their learning environments and better understand the conditions that will lead to strengthened HĀ outcomes.
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The 5Essentials Survey, first administered during the 2013–14 school year, identifies and gathers data from schools on five areas that can lead to school improvement: (1) effective leaders, (2) collaborative teachers, (3) involved families, (4) supportive environments, and (5) ambitious instruction. The state also has a companion Early Education Essential 0–5 Survey to measure school climate in early childhood education schools and centers.
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Illinois House Bill 355 went into effect in
January 2020, creating new requirements for renewing a professional teaching
license in Illinois. Among other changes, the bill expands teacher
professional development activities for social and emotional learning. For
example, during each 5-year renewal period, the bill allows professional
development providers to include training on inclusive practices that improve
students’ academic and social-emotional outcomes. In addition,
social-emotional achievement and student well-being are highlighted in one of
the five focus areas for licensure renewal.
IL
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Illinois Public Act 100-1139 was enacted in 2019 to create the Emotional Intelligence and Social and Emotional Learning Task Force and to develop curriculum and assessment guidelines and best practices. The task force divided into four workgroups on social and emotional learning (SEL) standards, screeners, support and resources, and partnerships and issued a final report and recommendations in 2021. The report includes an SEL support guide with resources for districts to integrate SEL into their multi-tiered systems of support framework, statewide SEL partnerships, an implementation timeline, and funding sources. Recommendations include updating the state SEL standards and creating supports to implement universal SEL screening.
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Since 1999, the Iowa Department of Public Health’s Division of Behavioral Health, in collaboration with the Iowa Departments of Education, Human Services, and Human Rights, has measured school climate for students in grades 6, 8, and 11 through the Iowa Youth Survey. This long-standing survey has been used by state- and community-level policymakers to understand youth across the state and how best to support them. (For more information about this state example, see Transforming Learning Environments.)
IA
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Maine’s SEL4ME and
Supporting Our Staff (SOS) programs combine pre-k–12 online social and
emotional learning (SEL) curricula and resources for educators to support
both their instructional practice and their well-being. Designed by the Maine
Department of Education, SEL4ME includes over 450 grade-specific modules,
developed by Maine experts and stakeholders, to support students’
social-emotional development. SOS provides free online professional
development resources to support educators on social-emotional intelligence,
school safety and prevention, and equity and inclusion.
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Massachusetts supports social and emotional
learning (SEL) through a range of supports and resources organized by the
state’s Office of Student and Family Support. The state has worked with the
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning through its
collaborating states initiative to integrate SEL principles with the state’s
existing initiatives, such as its multi-tiered systems of support framework.
In addition, the state worked with educators to develop a guidance document
titled SEL for All: Access, Cultural Proficiency, and Cultural
Responsiveness, which includes curriculum
frameworks and guiding principles to inform equity-focused SEL
instruction. Finally, Massachusetts integrated SEL competencies into the
state’s 2017 revisions of its math and reading frameworks. The state intends
to continue this practice when it revises other subject area standards, with
the explicit purpose being “to clarify the expectation that all students
deserve access to SEL.”
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Nebraska is one of five states with a “birth mandate” law, which means that free and appropriate public education is provided to children from birth to age 21. The law creates an aligned birth-to-age-5 system in which all children eligible for Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Part C early intervention are automatically eligible at age 3 for the state’s Part B special education and related services. The Nebraska Early Development Network provides early intervention services for families of young children with developmental delays and connects families to appropriate services. As a result, Nebraska has some of the highest rates of inclusion for preschool special education children in the country.
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In 2019, Pennsylvania Senate Bill (S.B.) 144 required school districts to provide training on trauma-informed approaches for school board directors, as well as requiring each public school to include at least 1 hour of trauma-informed professional development in its professional education plan. The legislation requires the Pennsylvania School Leadership Standards to include information on trauma-informed approaches for school leaders. S.B. 144 also adds trauma-informed approaches to the list of school safety training topics that schools must provide teachers and staff, and it adds trauma-informed approaches to the list of duties required by school safety and security coordinators.
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Washington’s Compassionate Schools Initiative, started in 2009 and updated in 2016, is part of the Student Engagement and Support office within the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. The initiative provides resources—including a handbook and training materials—to schools that help provide a trauma-responsive infrastructure centered on 10 principles. (For more information about this state example, see Transforming Learning Environments.)
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Transforming Learning Environments
Adopt Restorative Approaches to Discipline
Over time, California has invested in improving climate and culture and worked to repeal its zero-tolerance policies and replace them with policies that encourage restorative practices. In 2013, California lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 420 to limit suspensions and expulsions for disruptive behavior in grades k–3. California also includes suspension rates in its statewide school accountability and improvement system under the Every Student Succeeds Act. (For more information about this state example, see Transforming Learning Environments.)
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Maryland House Bill 1287 was enacted in 2017 to
establish the Commission on the School-to-Prison Pipeline and Restorative
Practices to scan school discipline across the state. The commission also
studied national best practices for educator and leader training in
restorative interventions with the goal of eliminating the school-to-prison
pipeline. In December 2018, the commission submitted its recommendations to
the governor.
MD
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The Massachusetts MTSS Blueprint (that is, a multi-tiered system of support blueprint) was updated in 2018 to center on concepts of equitable access and the Universal Design for Learning framework. This evidence-based framework includes a mobilization guide to help schools and districts diagnose the needs of their students and implement a plan to meet those needs.
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In December 2016, Governor Rick Snyder signed House Bill 5619 requiring all Michigan school boards to “consider using restorative practices as an alternative to zero-tolerance policies like suspension or expulsion.” The Michigan Department of Education provides resources on implementing restorative justice and lists seven factors to consider before resorting to suspension or expulsion, including student age, disability status, and disciplinary history. (For more information about this state example, see Transforming Learning Environments.)
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Minnesota has developed a suite of resources,
including key principles to guide restorative practices in schools and
implementation guidance to provide school districts, administrators, and
educators with resources to integrate restorative practice into schoolwide
climate, discipline, and teaching and learning.
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In 2015, Nevada created the Office for a Safe and
Respectful Learning Environment. It has supported the use of school climate
surveys, provided funding for a “safe school professional” in every school,
and focused on social and emotional learning and student mental health.
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The Ohio legislature passed House Bill 318 in 2018, banning out-of-school suspensions for minor misbehavior for pre-k through 3rd grade, requiring specified training and memorandums of understanding for school resource officers, and providing grant funding for schools to implement Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. (For more information about this state example, see Transforming Learning Environments.)
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Transforming Learning Environments
Establish Integrated Support Systems
Medi-Cal, the Medicaid health care program of California, helps students and families with limited incomes to pay for a variety of health- and mental health–related services. This federally funded state service has helped support schools in California by reimbursing services such as dental care, eye exams, counseling, and therapists. The state also has a billing option for districts, county offices of education, and charter schools, which reimburses them the federal share of the maximum allowable rate for approved health-related services provided by qualified health service practitioners. Under a 2019 state law, the California Departments of Education and Health Care Services formed a workgroup tasked with identifying the program requirements and support services needed to improve coordination and expansion of access to available federal funds. (For more information about this state example, see Investing Resources Equitably and Efficiently.)
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California’s Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is “a comprehensive framework that aligns academic, behavioral, and social-emotional learning in a fully integrated system of support for all students.” The framework provides a three-tiered continuum of these supports (universal, supplemental, and intensified) to ensure students with the greatest needs, often those who are historically underserved and marginalized, receive the most targeted interventions. In 2021, the state appropriated $50 million to scale up statewide implementation of the MTSS framework. (For more information about this state example, see Investing Resources Equitably and Efficiently.)
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Enacted in 2018, Colorado Senate Bill 272 created
the Crisis and Suicide Prevention Training Grant Program to assist schools in
providing professional development to teachers, administrators, and staff
around mental health crisis and suicide prevention. The program is authorized
to provide up to $400,000 in grants per year to schools, with a priority to
expand training to those who have not previously received training in crisis
and suicide prevention.
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Iowa Senate Bill 2113, enacted in 2018, requires
school districts to provide annual training on preventing youth suicide, addressing
adverse childhood experiences, and recognizing unhealthy stress. The bill
instructed school districts to provide this training for all school personnel
annually starting in July 2019.
IA
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For the last 3 decades, Kentucky has been building its state infrastructure to provide integrated supports to students and families. In 1990, the state passed the Education Reform Act, which paved the way for sustained funding for Family Resource and Youth Services Centers (FRYSCs). These centers are supported through Kentucky’s funding formula so that schools with at least 20% of students receiving free or reduced-price meals are eligible to apply. In 2017, FRYSCs received $51.5 million in funding. Currently 642,156 middle and high school students are served by FRYSCs. (For more information about this state example, see Investing Resources Equitably and Efficiently.)
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Maryland House Bill 277 established the
Trauma-Informed Schools Initiative in 2020, which requires the development of
guidelines and training for schools around trauma-informed practices.
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The Massachusetts Wraparound Zones (WAZ) initiative,
from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, was
an integrated student supports approach that encouraged schools to take on
the needs of students by systematically addressing climate and culture. The
initiative did this by providing state grant funds to implement needs
assessments in key areas; integrate tailored resources to address individual
students’ needs; and develop districtwide support systems to ensure
communication, collaboration, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
MA
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The North Dakota Multi-Tier System of Support protocol has five key components: (1) assessments, (2) data-based decision-making, (3) multi-tier instruction, (4) infrastructure and supports, and (5) fidelity and evaluation. These five components address the academic, behavioral, and social needs of students to target interventions and supports. Professional training, guidance, and resources are provided for each one of these five components to schools and educators. (For more information about this state example, see Transforming Learning Environments.)
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In 2018, the South Dakota Department of Education (SD DOE) and the Behavioral Health Division of the South Dakota Department of Social Services (DBH-DSS) received a federal Project AWARE grant to achieve two goals: (1) improve access to mental health supports and services through enhanced partnerships and (2) equip educators with appropriate tools to recognize and respond to students’ behavioral health needs through a tiered systems framework. The framework, based on research from Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports, is based in home and community awareness to create trauma-informed communities and outlines three tiers—universal prevention, targeted interventions, and wraparound services for students—to help schools and community partners identify and address students’ mental health issues. Since receiving the grant, the SD DOE and DBH-DSS has convened and sustained a statewide advisory group and established local implementation teams consisting of local education agencies and community health centers at pilot school and district sites. The SD Project AWARE team has also identified practices and programming aligned to the tiered systems framework that are accessible to all South Dakota schools and partnered with SD State University to develop a 3-part video series on child and adolescent development and mental health for parents and caregivers.
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