How does the Early Development Instrument (EDI) measure child well-being in British Columbia?

The EDI is a population-level measure completed by kindergarten teachers every three years. It assesses children on five dimensions: physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, and communication skills.

What is the difference between the EDI and the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI)?

The EDI focuses on kindergarten children and uses a vulnerability index. The MDI, for grades 4-8, is strengths-based, collecting student voice data on well-being and assets, including connections to adults, peer relationships, and activities.

Why is population-level data important for supporting children and systems change?

Population-level data provides a comprehensive view of how children are doing across entire communities or provinces. This data can identify areas of well-being and vulnerability, inform policy changes, and serve as a catalyst for systemic improvements and resource allocation.

How can data be more effectively used to drive action in education?

Data should be shared in ways that are understandable and accessible to all, including children. It should be presented in partnership rather than judgment, using visualizations like maps to facilitate community interpretation and locally-driven solutions.

Does academic achievement always correlate with a child's overall well-being?

No, academic achievement does not always align with overall well-being. A child may struggle academically but thrive in social competence, emotional maturity, and engagement in extracurricular activities, indicating the importance of a holistic view.

What is the significance of 'youth development' as a framework?

Youth development work, emphasized by Tiffany Gibson, is anchored in relationships and helps young people co-create their future. It focuses on building competencies, character, and opportunities, viewing young people as having innate strengths and needs.

What role did expanded learning workers play during the pandemic in California?

During the pandemic, expanded learning workers (community educators) were instrumental in maintaining contact with families and students when school districts lost touch. Their community ties and representation of students were crucial for continuity.

What was a startling finding from student surveys in Sonoma County during the pandemic?

A startling finding was that 70% of young people in Sonoma County identified anxiety about their future as the greatest barrier to their learning during the pandemic.

What does it mean to create 'humane, generative, and compassionate' systems?

It means designing systems that center care, support the well-being of all individuals within them (adults and children), and foster an environment where people feel safe, seen, and heard, moving beyond purely technical or deficit-based models.

How can we move beyond a 'zero-sum game' mentality in societal resource allocation?

Recognizing interconnectedness and shared responsibility is key. The belief that one group's gain must be another's loss is toxic; instead, creating generous social fields for everyone to thrive benefits the whole society.

What is the primary goal of the Center for Systems Awareness's webinar series?

The series aims to build a research community of leaders interested in making educational systems more humane, generative, and compassionate, exploring topics like population-level data and systemic change.

Key Moments

Systems Awareness: Population Level Data to Support Well-being & Compassionate Systems Change

MIT OpenCourseWare

Education3 min read74 min video

Apr 20, 2022|179 views|1

Save to Pod

Key Moments

TL;DR

Population data supports well-being and compassionate educational systems change.

Key Insights

Population-level data on child well-being is crucial for systemic change in education.

Measuring social and emotional competence alongside academic achievement provides a more holistic view of child development.

Data visualization, particularly mapping, can catalyze conversations and understanding among diverse community stakeholders.

Expanded learning programs play a vital role in supporting children, especially vulnerable populations, by providing essential connections and care.

A strengths-based approach, focusing on assets and well-being, is more effective than a deficit-based model for fostering child development.

Integrating youth development principles and community educators into traditional schooling enhances the support system for students.

THE IMPERATIVE FOR POPULATION-LEVEL DATA

The conversation emphasizes the critical need to shift focus from purely academic metrics to a broader understanding of child well-being at a population level. This approach, highlighted by initiatives in British Columbia and California, aims to create more humane, generative, and compassionate educational systems. By collecting and analyzing data on social and emotional competencies, alongside academic performance, we can gain a more comprehensive picture of how children are truly faring and identify systemic areas for improvement. This data-driven insight is essential for informing policy and practice.

BRITISH COLUMBIA'S DATA-DRIVEN FRAMEWORK

Kimberly Schonert-Reichl introduced the Human Early Learning Partnership (help) in British Columbia, a model that has been monitoring child development for two decades. Using instruments like the Early Development Instrument (EDI) and the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI), they collect data on kindergarten and middle school students, respectively. The EDI assesses physical health, social competence, emotional maturity, and language development, while the MDI focuses on student well-being and social-emotional competence from a child's perspective. This data is then visualized through GIS mapping to identify areas of vulnerability and strength across the province.

CALIFORNIA'S EXPANDED LEARNING INITIATIVE

California is making a significant investment in expanded learning programs, recognizing their crucial role in supporting students beyond the traditional school day. Michael Funk explained that these programs, encompassing before-school, after-school, and summer activities, are driven by a 'lead with love' philosophy. They bring community educators into schools, fostering strong relationships and providing holistic support. This approach is vital for addressing the multifaceted needs of students, particularly those facing disruptions or trauma, and for integrating community-based strengths with academic learning.

INTEGRATING SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND WELL-BEING

A key insight from the discussion is the disconnect between academic achievement and overall well-being. Participants noted that students struggling academically might be thriving in other areas, such as social connections and emotional maturity. Youth development practitioners, like Tiffany Gibson, emphasized that traditional academic settings often lack the space to nurture these essential life skills. By adopting a strengths-based approach and valuing competencies beyond test scores, educational systems can better equip all students for life's challenges and successes.

THE POWER OF DATA VISUALIZATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The session underscored the transformative power of making data accessible and understandable to all. Maps generated from instruments like the MDI allow communities to see where children are thriving and where support is most needed. Ernesto Duran and Jenny Snyder highlighted that this data serves as a catalyst for dialogue, bringing together educators, policymakers, and community members. Crucially, the interpretation of this data must be a collaborative process, valuing local context and ensuring that those most impacted have a voice in defining measures and solutions.

REIMAGINING SYSTEMS FOR CARE AND COMPASSION

Mentioned in This Episode

●Software & Apps

●Organizations

●Concepts

●People Referenced

Key Takeaways for Compassionate Systems Change in Education

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Lead with love by seeing, knowing, supporting, and preparing every child.

Incorporate community educators and diverse perspectives into the learning environment.

Focus on strengths and assets, not just deficits, when analyzing data.

Utilize population-level data to understand and monitor child well-being and community assets.

Make data understandable and accessible to all stakeholders, including children.

Engage everyone affected by change in the conversation to increase the chance of success.

Create conditions for adults in the system to attend to their own needs and well-being.

Build caring spaces and relationships with caring adults as foundational elements.

Consider the context and lived experiences when interpreting data.

Avoid This

Rely solely on academic achievement as the measure of a child's success or potential.

Approach data with judgment; share it in partnership and with context.

Isolate academic learning from social-emotional well-being and life skills.

Separate the school day from after-school and community learning opportunities.

Allow systems to force children and families to adapt; redesign systems to nourish and care for them.

Population-Level Developmental Instruments in British Columbia

Data extracted from this episode

Instrument Name	Target Age Group	Primary Focus	Data Collection Frequency	Key Dimensions
Toddler Development Instrument	Toddlers	Development	Unspecified	Unspecified
Childhood Experiences Questionnaire	Kindergarten Children	Experiences	Unspecified	Unspecified
Early Development Instrument (EDI)	Kindergarten Children	Readiness for School	Every 3 years	Physical Health, Social Competence, Emotional Maturity, Language & Cog. Development, Communication Skills
Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI)	Grades 4-8	Well-being and Assets	Unspecified (data collection completed annually in recent years)	Well-being Index (optimism, self-esteem, happiness, absence of sadness, general health), Adult Relationships, Nutrition & Sleep, Peer Relationships, After-school Activities
Youth Development Instrument	Youth	Development	Unspecified	Unspecified

Common Questions

Expanded learning refers to programs that occur before school, after school, and during the summer. It acknowledges that children learn all the time and everywhere, bringing together community educators and fostering learning outside the traditional school day.

Topics

Health & Longevity Society & Philosophy Educational Equity Systems Thinking Social Emotional Learning Community Engagement Data Visualization Child Well-being Population Health Expanded Learning Programs

Mentioned in this video

Organizations

Center for Systems Awareness

An organization at MIT focused on systems awareness research.

J-WEL

Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab at MIT, a co-organizer.

Carnegie Corporation of New York

Provided generous support for the webinar series and research community at MIT.

American Institute for Research

Conducted a study on the 'Summer Matters' campaign in California.

MIT

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, co-organizer of the webinar series.

Policy Link

An organization represented by Michael McAfee, discussed in relation to public policies for poverty reduction.

California After School Network

A non-profit working with expanded learning programs in California.

Ventura County Office of Education

The educational office where Ernesto Duran directs regional and expanded learning services.

Human Early Learning Partnership

An interdisciplinary research institute at UBC focused on children's well-being and thriving societies.

Open Learning

MIT co-organizer for the webinar series.

Comparative Media Studies/Writing

A department at MIT's School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, a co-organizer.

Stewart Foundation

Provided generous support for the webinar series and research community at MIT.

Sonoma County Office of Education

The educational office where Jenny Snyder serves as Deputy Superintendent.

California Department of Education

The state agency where Michael Funk directs the Expanded Learning Division.

University of British Columbia

University where Kimberly Schonart Reichel previously worked and initiated population-level data work.

People

Larissa Duncan

Speaker in a previous webinar, conducting research on mindfulness and compassion in parenting and families.

Kimberly Schonart Reichel

Initiator of population-level data work in British Columbia and a speaker at the webinar.

Alan Crawford

Participant in the breakout group discussion, raising questions about focusing attention beyond academic learning.

Laura Lopez

Participant asking for contact information for Dr. Kim Reichel and information on the HELP program.

Eric Klopper

An MIT partner who spoke in a previous webinar about their work.

Tiffany Gibson

Program Director for Equity and Quality Initiatives at the California After School Network.

Ernesto Duran

Director of Regional and Expanded Learning Services at the Ventura County Office of Education.

Seymour Sarason

A Yale professor described as an 'optimistic curmudgeon' whose ideas on engagement are referenced.

Tia Martinez

Developer of the Life Course Framework, which analyzes pathways like the school-to-prison pipeline.

Jenny Snyder

Deputy Superintendent of the Instructional Services Division at the Sonoma County Office of Education.

Metteo Meta

Co-host and contributor, reflecting on the importance of shared responsibility and de-politicizing well-being.

Diana Chapman Walsh

Advisor to the Center for Systems Awareness at MIT and host of the webinar.

Peter Senge

Co-host and contributor, reflecting on the current moment and the potential for mainstreaming core ideas.

Michael McAfee

Speaker in a previous webinar, from Policy Link, discussed public policies for poverty reduction.

Michael Funk

Director of the Expanded Learning Division of the California Department of Education.

John Dewey

Mentioned for his earlier emphasis on human and social development as a goal of education.

Clyde Hertzman

Founder of the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP), an MD epidemiologist.

Roger Hackett

Participant in the breakout group discussion, asking about systems mapping for feedback loops.

Bobby McDonald

Participant in a breakout group, discussing the power of data paired with local solutions and defining meaningful data.

Concepts

Life Course Framework

A framework used to analyze developmental pathways, including the school-to-prison pipeline, and to build asset-based models.

Locations

California

A state with significant initiatives in expanded learning programs and population-level data for children.

British Columbia

A province in Canada where initiatives on child well-being and population data were initiated.

Software & Apps

Early Development Instrument

A population-level measure for kindergarten children assessing physical health, social competence, emotional maturity, language, and communication skills.

Middle Years Development Instrument

A student voice measure for grades 4-8 assessing well-being, strengths, and social-emotional competence.

Legislation & Policy

No Child Left Behind

US federal law that influenced school district focus on test scores.