Wellness and Balance
It is essential that schools acknowledge, face, and work to address the many sources of unhealthy and even dangerous stress and anxiety that disrupt and unbalance students', and teachers',  lives.

​Webinars

A Values-Based Learning Culture - Research on our student populations increasingly shows alarming risk factors, both in terms of externalizing (substance abuse, delinquency) and internalizing (anxiety, depression) behaviors. The very latest research, however, shows that increased school engagement, particularly emotional engagement, correlates with decreased levels of these behaviors. How, then, do we shape our community in a way that promotes student well-being? In this hour, we'll propose a model for the value-based learning community, including the component factors to building a school community that promote student engagement and can result in optimal academic and personal outcomes. Presented by Brad Philipson of Fort Worth Country Day.
Teach, Coach, Live: The Viability of the Triple Threat Teaching Model in the 21st Century - Veteran “triple-threat” boarding school educator Greg Martin of Perkiomen School (PA) shares lessons from his doctoral dissertation study of the teacher-coach-dorm parent employment model. Even day schools often ask teachers to perform expertly in multiple roles, but how durable is this conception of “teaching” in a changing economy? The results of this study can be applied to hiring practices in all schools, boarding AND day, in order to create a staffing model that is both good for the students and sustainable for the school.

​Blogs

​Professional Development

Cohort Courses
  • Boys and Belonging: Creating Inclusive and Affirming Schools for Boys: Offered in partnership with the International Boys' Schools Coalition -- More than ever teachers of boys need to foster school environments where belonging is a priority. Get guidance on essential elements of creating a culture of belonging in boys’ schools. 
  • Responsible Sexual Citizenship in Today's World: The Challenges Facing Boys: Offered in partnership with the International Boys' Schools Coalition -- Administrators and teachers in boys’ schools, delve into the challenges boys face in becoming responsible sexual citizens. Based on the latest IBSC research report she led, Ada Sinacore provides guidance on essential elements of improving boys’ understanding of responsible sexual citizenship. 
​On-Demand Programs
  • Engaging Girls in STEM: Tinkering: This program is focused on exposing educators to the world of tinkering and how to develop the proper environment for students to explore tinkering. This includes learning about the gender differences in the field, the importance of making mistakes, and learning about the life skills that come along with tinkering. 
  • Girls and Self-Care: Body Image: Body image is a topic all educators need to feel comfortable to approach when trying to achieve wellness and balance in the classroom. This program is centered around identifying the causes and consequences of dissatisfaction with ones' body and how to approach this topic through an educators lens. 
  • Purpose and Resilience: A teacher can be one of the biggest supporters in a students' life. Purpose and resilience is a program all about understanding the teachers' role in helping a student find their purpose and how to motivate students throughout the process. 
  • Relationships: Girls and Their Peers: This program goes through and analyzes the different aspects of the friendships in a girls' life including stress, popularity, and conflict. 
  • Romantic Relationships, Self-Advocacy and Consent: Not all schools have or are able to have comprehensive sex education, but still need to be able to teach students how to maintain healthy relationships. With this program, educators will go through the limitations of non-comprehensive sex education and how that can affect student relationships, while also being provided school-based approaches to discussing consent and preventing relationship violence.
  • Shielding Students from Stereotype Threat: Guided by Ann Klotz, Head of School at Laurel School and Dr. Lisa Damour, Director of Laurel's Center for Research on Girls, this course will allow educators to gain a conceptual understanding of stereotype threat, learn the conditions necessary to create stereotype threat, understand how stereotype threat interferes with test performance, and learn what educators can do to minimize stereotype threat