NewRoot Learning Institute

Note: The organization did not respond to this question.

Note: The organization did not respond to this question.

NewRoot applied for and were accepted by IGNITE, the first cohort of a nine-month program — designed to support leaders of nonprofits who are serving primarily Black communities in Chicago — offered business classes led by University of Chiago Chicago Booth School of Business faculty, executive coaching, networking, peer mentorship, and stipends to support capacity-building work. The application process was lengthy as was the time commitment and bandwidth required.

NewRoot's Community of Practice (CoP) creates a safe space for groups of like individuals to reflect, discuss and improve their practices. The CoP facilitates the incubation of new concepts learned via NewRoot or other professional learning experiences and supports the integration of these new practices. Facilitated by NewRoot staff, members of the learning community meet on a monthly basis throughout the school year to celebrate successes while troubleshooting challenges through a wide variety of interactive activities and collaborative protocols. Brought together by their common goal to deepen their professional practice and improve school culture, CoPs are also a meaningful way to create professional and personal bonds among staff.

NewRoot is deeply influenced by and acutely attuned to the evolving needs of our community as indicated by external factors. Recent research tying improved SEL/RJ practices in CPS schools to increased academic performance and decreased suspensions has changed the readiness of educators and school leadership to improve school cultures. Due to NewRoot and other education reform organizations in Chicago, suspensions plummeted from nearly 50,000 to less than 10,000 from school year 2013-14 to 2021-22 (Chalkbeat Chicago, 2023). This 80% drop in annual suspensions over nine years has resulted in a marked shift that has increased demand in our services; many CPS school leaders and educators who were once resistant to RJ/SEL practices have become more open and willing to engage with our in-school Impact Coaches, the individuals embedded within partner schools that work alongside school staff, leadership, security personnel, and students to teach RJ practices and social-emotional skills. Simultaneously, in the aftermath of the pandemic, a nationwide teacher, administrative, and support staff shortage has emerged. This resulted in many Chicago schools broadly cutting enrichment programs and electives, including seminar courses, and reallocating funds to required programming despite the increased interest in our services. To mitigate this challenge and provide schools with the increased RJ/SEL services they are seeking, we have worked with CPS schools to adapt our curriculum so it may be implemented in additional SEL spaces, including Advisory, Academic Labs, study halls, and other learning spaces. This change also underscores a significantly higher level of need for Tier 1 systems of support among partner schools. NewRoot is responding to this external factor by leading and facilitating Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) & School Culture and Climate teams to support a strong Tier 1 system where all students receive social-emotional learning.