Hi there.
I've had a few questions re: funding the $750 enrollment fee for my upcoming train the trainer course. Before I get into the email, let me apologize in advance — it's going to be pretty nuts and bolts reporting, not much feel-goodishness or inspiration. But I do think it's important — funding is just one of those things we need to think about in doing this work sustainably.
Here are ways that I'm hearing about people doing this:
- Self-fund your enrollment, with the goal of offering paid professional development in your district or outside of it on the topic of the five key beliefs.
- The 5 key belief methodology is not a proprietary thing for me — as long as you give credit where it's due, I'm very happy with you seeking to advance the long-term flourishing of colleagues and students by helping them grow in understanding and applying the five key beliefs.
- Ask for funding from the person you report to, and offer to run a PD for your team/school once you've completed the course. Many building leaders see this as win-win: they get to invest in one of their influential staff members (you), and then you share your learning (and further your own learning in the process) with the broader team.
- Link five key beliefs work with Title 1 funding. As I've worked with schools in about every state, it seems that every place has its own norms for allocating Title funds. The most common thread that I see, however, is that Title 1 funds are meant to support achievement for historically under-served populations.
- The five key beliefs methodology is especially important when supporting students from historically under-served groups. While I do not focus my writing or research on any one group of students, much of the research that undergirds the five key beliefs does focus on groups covered by Title 1. Anecdotally, the applicability of this kind of work with these groups is vetted in my own practice — all students benefit from learning environments that are conducive to the five key beliefs.
- Link five key beliefs work with GT funding. This is one of those funding sources that again seems different wherever I go. But, in some places, these programs are robust and so are their budgets. The 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act includes language that links Title 1a to gifted/talented programming. Here's a PDF I found that goes into this in a bit more detail.
- All students benefit from environments conducive to the five key beliefs. One important idea with the 5KB methodology is that a student that “does their work” and “gets good grades” is not necessarily a deeply motivated student. For example, they may view school learning as a worthless thing that must be done nonetheless for the sake of earning acceptable grades. This student does the work — may even do it well — but they do not do it with the level of care that the Value belief produces.
- Link five key beliefs work with ESSER-II funding. The ESSERs are the COVID dollars allocated to education in 2020. In ESSER II, there is language that allows funds to be used for
- “Providing principals and other school leaders with the resources necessary to address the needs of their individual schools.”
- If you are a school leader and you are hearing that student apathy is a large problem in your school, this course will help you to think about that problem with greater effectiveness and agency.
- “Providing mental health services and supports.”
- 5KB-rich learning environments are a boon to mental health. A great, life-giving classroom absolutely is a support to mental health.
- “Implementing evidence-based activities to meet the comprehensive needs of students.”
- In the 5KB methodology, we examine and use rigorously evidence-based activities such as and attributional retraining, building connections. We also examine and use less rigorously examined but widely vetted practices like moments of genuine connection and focused competency-building.
- See pages 2 and 3 of this PDF for the context of these pieces of language.
- “Providing principals and other school leaders with the resources necessary to address the needs of their individual schools.”
- Link the five key beliefs with Title II funding. Title II is all about teacher professional development, new teacher mentoring and onboarding, and teacher retention. All of these are right in line with what we're aiming at in this course — really good, really applicable professional development for all educators.
Got more questions? Just click reply.
Best to you today,
DSJR
PS Important dates:
- Registration opens: 8am EST on February 1
- Course starts: March 7
- Course ends: April 8