 …some
poems don't rhyme, and
some stories don't have a clear
beginning, middle, and end. Life
is about not knowing, having to
change, taking the moment and
making the best of it, without
knowing what's going to happen
next. ~Gilda Radner
Perhaps someone bound for greatness
is sitting in one of our classes…

Agatha Christie had a writing disability so severe that
she had to dictate her mystery novels to others to type.

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball
team.

Winston Churchill failed a grade in elementary school.

Werner Von Braun flunked ninth grade algebra.
Fostering ResiliencyFoundation for Success
May 26, 2010
Maureen Siwik, Joanne Oxenford
Linda Feldstein, Marilee Cassidy
A bit of background…

2007—Pupil Services Annual Conference

2007-08—colloquium: Resiliency in Action, Nan Henderson

2008—Student Services Symposium

2008-09—colloquium: The Resilience Revolution, Larry Brendtro &
Scott Larson

2009—PSCA conference

2009—Student Services Symposium

2009-10—Promoting Student Success through Resiliency, PDE online course
Focus

Definition of resiliency
 Importance of a resiliency focus
 Creating a culture of resilience
 Administrative role
Reframing our thinking:
from ‘fluff’ to FOUNDATION
The Deal of Your Life
Diamonds=Money/Income
 Clubs=Social Life/Friends
 Spades=Education/School
 Hearts=Family/Support

Group according to suit; rank order the of importance of each suit.
Share your hand and discuss:
1.
2.
3.
Were you dealt a balanced life?
What cards would help you increase the balance of your life?
What cards are not helping you?
Determine the positive and negative factors associated with the “hand you were dealt.”
1.
2.
3.
What’s missing?
What is there too much of?
What are the consequences of imbalance?
Protective factors
Nan Henderson’s definition:
Qualities within an individual and environmental
supports that help an individual bounce back from
adversity.

Internal – Individual personality attributes or
dispositions

Environmental – Resiliency builders in family,
school, community, peer groups
Internal Protective Factors

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
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










Relationships – Ability to be a friend & to form positive relationships
Service – Gives of self in service to others and/or a cause
Humor – Has a good sense of humor
Inner Direction – Bases choices/decisions on internal evaluation
Perceptiveness – Insightful understanding of people and situations
Independence – “Adaptive” distancing from unhealthy people and situations
Positive View of Personal Future – Expects a positive future
Flexibility – Can adjust to change
Love of Learning – Capacity for and connection to learning
Self-motivation – Internal initiative and positive motivation
Competence – Is good at something
Self-Worth – Self-confidence
Spirituality – Personal faith in something greater
Perseverance – Doesn’t give up
Creativity – Uses creative imagination, thinking, or other processes
From Nan Henderson presentation, PSEA Dept. of Pupil Services Annual Conference, August 2007
Environmental Protective Factors





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
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Promotes close bonds
Values and encourages education
Uses high warmth/low criticism style of interaction
Sets and enforces clear boundaries (rules, etc.)
Encourages supportive relationships with many caring others
Promotes sharing of responsibilities, service to others
Provides access to resources for meeting basic needs of housing,
employment, health care, etc.
Expresses high, and realistic, expectations for success
Encourages goal-setting and mastery
Encourages pro-social development of values and life skills
Provides leadership, decision-making, and other opportunities for
meaningful participation
Appreciates, develops, and offers opportunity to share the unique talents of
each individual
From Nan Henderson presentation, PSEA Dept. of Pupil Services Annual Conference, August 2007
KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE RESILIENT SCHOOL
 Caring
 High
and Support
Expectations
 Youth
Participation and Involvement
“Fostering Resiliency in Kids: Protective Factors in the Family, School and Community” Bonnie
Bernard, August 1991
Search Institute
40 Developmental Assets
 External
 40
Assets & Internal Assets
opportunities, skills, relationships,
values and self-perceptions that all young
people need to succeed.
Resilient Person
Researchers Werner and Smith developed a simple
way to define a resilient person. They say that a
resilient person loves well, works well, plays well, and expects
well. What they mean is that resilient people have
some loving/caring relationships in their lives, are
successfully working on a job or in school, have
fun (play) utilizing hobbies and positive leisuretime interests, and expect a positive future for their
lives.
Resiliency Quiz
 Are
you a resilient person?
 What
conditions in your life have helped
you to be resilient?
 What
internal qualities have helped you to
deal with major stressors?
PA Dept of Education defines
resiliency as…
 The
capacity to overcome risk factors to
move toward positive development
(Bernard, 2004)
 To
spring back , rebound, and successfully
adapt in the face of adversity (Henderson
and Milstein, 2003)
The PDE Resiliency Wheel
High
Expectations
Unconditional
Support
Clear and
Consistent
Boundaries
Meaningful
Student
Engagement
Strong
Results
for
Students
Connectedness
& Bonding
Skills for Life
Here’s what the research tells
us…
A protective factor is a process that
interacts with a risk factor in reducing the
probability of a negative outcome. (Brook,
Nomura, & Cohen, 1989; Cowen and
Work, 1988; Werner & Smith, 1989)
The Power of Assets to Protect
0–10 Assets
11–20 Assets
21–30 Assets
31–40 Assets
61%
48%
42%
38%
32%
25%
22%
21%
19%
14%
11%
3%
5%
7%
7%
2%
Sexual Intercourse Depression/Suicide Anti-Social Behavior
Violence
The Power of Assets to Prevent
49%
0–10 Assets
11–20 Assets
21–30 Assets
31–40 Assets
39%
35%
31%
27%
19%
18%
14%
11%
3%
Alcohol Use
9%
4%
1%
Tobacco
Use
6%
1%
Illicit Drug
Use
3%
Driving and
Alcohol
Werner and Smith comment,
“Buffers (protective factors) make a more
profound impact on the life course of children
who grow up under adverse conditions than
do specific risk factors of stressful life events.
The also appear to transcend ethnic, social
class, geographical, and historic boundaries.
(1996, p. 202)
The Power of Assets to Protect
for All Kids
Number of Assets
30
American Indian
Asian American
African American
Latino/Latina
White
Multiracial
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Number of High-Risk Behaviors
10
“Intentional efforts to change contexts to
improve developmental success among
young people can work. Researchers
consistently find that a cluster of intervention
components makes a difference.” (Benson et
al, 2006)
The Power of Assets to Promote
89%
88%
0–10 Assets
11–20 Assets
21–30 Assets
31–40 Assets
85%
77%
74%
69%
65%
57%
47%
47%
50%
36%
30%
26%
17%
8%
Succeeds in
School
Values
Diversity
Maintains
Good Health
Exhibits
Leadership
Rutter (1987) suggests that schools can be
protective because they can promote selfesteem and self-efficacy by providing
opportunities for students to experience
success and enabling them to develop
important social and problem solving skills.
http://www.pdesas.org/default.aspx
Strengths based approach
 Resiliency
Immersion- mindset, attitude,
empowering.
 Explicit
Instruction - identify strengths.
 Patience
up!
– focus on the positive, don’t give
Who and what made me
resilient?
 Who
and what made me resilient?
 How
did they do it?
 Who
and what keeps me resilient now?
How?
Resiliency Blizzard
 On
paper write what you would like to
receive more often that would help you
feel more resilient.
 Crumple the paper and toss into the
basket as it’s passed from table to table.
 Pick a paper that is not your own and read
it to the group.
 Are there common themes?
Change the Culture
 Power
 Use
of one person
resiliency resources
 School
Connectedness is key
What can we learn from studies on school
violence? Margaret Mary Kerr, UPMC Star Center Link, Jan. 2002

“Adolescents who feel closely connected to their school
…are emotionally healthier, and far less likely to engage
in risky behavior than their counterparts who feel no
sense of community in their school…it is the formation of
friendship networks within the school that help to provide
that sense of community, along with the perception that
teachers care, that teachers are fair, and that school is a
place where one belongs.” (Resnick, 1999)

Implication for schools:
Create schools
where no student is anonymous.

“In well over ¾ of incidents, the attackers had difficulty
coping with a major change to a significant relationship or a
loss of status (e.g., a personal failure), prior to their school
attack.”

Implication for schools: Implement
programs that
foster resilience.



Caring relationships
Opportunities for students to participate
High expectations
Tools
(there’s an app for that…)
 Save
Your Voice for Teaching
 Tools & Tips for Fostering Resiliency in
your School
 “Checklist for Turnaround Teachers”
 Bully-prevention brochures
What can I do to foster
resiliency in my building?
 Start
with what is right rather than
what is acceptable.
~Peter F. Drucker
“A Checklist for Turnaround
Teachers”
The beauty of a resiliency focus…
 It
is not a program.
 It is not something to ‘add on.’
 It is not ‘more to do.’
 It does not cost anything.

It is good for everyone!
In conclusion
 “The
nature of the relationships among the
adults who inhabit a school has more to do
with the school’s quality and character and
the accomplishments of its pupils than any
other factor.”
Roland S. Barth