BrightBytes expands their product offering suite to provide insight into social-emotional health and school climate with Research Partner the American Institutes for Research®
San Francisco, Calif., June 18 2019 - BrightBytes, the leading data analytics solution for education organizations, today, announced the launch of the Whole Child module, a new solution that will shift focus from solely-academic achievement and growth to a holistic view of student and teacher perceptions as they relate to peer social and emotional learning, school climate, and culture.
The new module, available both as a standalone product, or nestled within the organization’s Early Insights suite, addresses a growing need for educators to prioritize the whole child approach to education and better understand and foster the interconnected social, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of learning. This shift to promote and nurture a healthy social and emotional student and overall school climate reaches beyond compliance and state standards, and has potential to transform the foundations of education itself. Dr. Lori Nunez, Chief Special Programs Officer at Alvarado ISD, explains, “Our team is dedicated to providing a balanced approach to teaching and learning that fosters both academic skills and social and emotional well being. By adding the BrightBytes Whole Child module to our toolkit next year, we believe we will be able to build strong relationships with students and enhance their opportunities to grow, both in the classroom and beyond.”
Using data captured via research-based psychometrics, combined with individual SIS information, the BrightBytes Whole Child module analyzes areas including SEL, engagement, safety, and environment, and
provides educators with deep insight into the mindset and social and emotional state across individuals, demographic cohorts, and the district itself. BrightBytes CEO, Traci Burgess shares, “We’ve seen more and more correlational and longitudinal research confirming that when students feel safe, engaged, and socially and emotionally supported within their learning environments, there are positive outcomes for academic achievement, as well as positive downstream impact on areas like school safety and school culture. We’ve created the Whole Child module to provide research-based analytics that help educators better evaluate the holistic needs of students and the overall organization. The module will provide the right insight to situate these needs in the context of culture and social-emotional learning.”
An established standard for BrightBytes, the module was developed in partnership with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), an independent, nonpartisan organization that conducts behavioral and social science research across areas of education, health, and workforce productivity. AIR, also a research partner for the BrightBytes Student Success and Intervention modules, believes the work to promote a whole child approach is central to education. “Positive school climate, when combined with intentional instruction that provides opportunities for social, emotional, and academic learning for every student, can contribute to improved individual and school outcomes including equity.” said David Osher, Ph.D., Vice President and Institute Fellow at American Institutes for Research. "Our expanded partnership with BrightBytes will help educators develop and realize a vision for students that encompasses a more holistic approach to learning.”
To date, BrightBytes is impacting students across 42 states, and is used in 1 in 5 schools in the United States.
About BrightBytes: BrightBytes, the leading data analytics solution for education organizations, provides educators with the power to turn big data into big benefits for students. BrightBytes’ decision support platform, Clarity®, analyzes and organizes meaningful data across research-based frameworks to deliver visualized, actionable information that drives student learning.
About AIR: Established in 1946, American Institutes for Research (AIR) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research on important social issues and delivers technical assistance, both domestically and internationally, in the areas of education, health, and workforce productivity.
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