School Support Systems Case Study

🏠 17,000 Home Visits. 12 States. One Clear Truth: We've Been Getting School Attendance All Wrong. I'm pleased to share my latest article: "Why Students Miss School, and Why We Miss the Point: Lessons Learned from Concentric Educational Solutions' 17,000+ Home Visits in 2024-2025." As a researcher and a father, this work challenged everything I thought I knew about chronic absenteeism. While my wife Marshella and I struggled with our own "privileged chaos" of getting kids out the door each morning, our team at Concentric Educational Solutions was revolutionizing how we understand attendance challenges by going directly into homes across America, listening to families facing impossible choices with insufficient resources. What Concentric's groundbreaking approach revealed: • Behind every absence statistic is a family story—not a character flaw • Students missing school to care for disabled parents or younger siblings • Families choosing between transportation to school or transportation to work • Children avoiding school due to untreated trauma, bullying, and safety fears • Parents facing truancy court for circumstances completely beyond their control The hard truth: Our punitive approach to attendance—truancy courts, penalties, threatening letters—adds punishment to circumstances that demand support. Concentric's transformative model: Rather than blame families, we provide comprehensive community support that recognizes attendance challenges as symptoms of systemic failures requiring systemic solutions. Our home-visit methodology doesn't just collect data—it builds relationships, identifies real barriers, and connects families to resources that address root causes. The path forward: We need comprehensive community support systems that address housing, healthcare, transportation, and safety as educational issues, not separate concerns. Every child has a story. Every absence has a context. Concentric Educational Solutions is pioneering the compassionate, evidence-based approach our students deserve. Read the full article to understand why attendance challenges are symptoms of systemic failures, not individual shortcomings—and how Concentric's innovative work is showing us what true educational equity looks like. #EducationEquity #StudentAttendance #SystemicChange #CommunitySupport #EducationalResearch #ConcentricEducationalSolutions

🚉 Teacher Development Drives Success: Evidence from Provincial Pilot🚉 This year, 198 schools across all 8 WCED districts piloted Coding & Robotics. We conducted monitoring and evaluation visits to 28 schools representing every context, Q1 to Q5, urban to rural, including LSEN settings. Across these 28 schools alone, over 6,500 learners participated. The findings were clear: teacher engagement in professional learning communities (PLCs) is the strongest predictor of success. Schools where teachers attended 5+ PLC sessions implemented successfully, 100% of them, regardless of quintile or resources. What we learned: When we prioritised under-resourced schools in support design, flexible PLC scheduling, proactive follow-up, engagement increased significantly. (South Africa's quintile system ranks schools by poverty level: Q1 = most under-resourced; Q5 = most resourced) 📌 Schools receiving intentional support attended more sessions 📌 Q1 schools showed particularly strong engagement 📌 100% of high-engagement schools implemented successfully Three examples from site visits: 🦿Botha's Halte (Q1, rural, 178 learners): Now leads a 6-school network, sharing resources across their circuit. 🦿De Doorns Primary (Q1, 1,222 learners): Reached 496 learners, 41% of their school. 🦿Oudtshoorn School of Skills (LSEN, 233 learners): All 233 learners participated using adapted unplugged & plugged methods. The pilot established: ✅ 198 schools implemented across all districts ✅ 17 STEAMAC Hubs as regional training centres ✅ 6,500+ learners documented in M&E sample ✅ World-class outcomes (Erica Primary qualified for FLL Sydney 2026) When support systems are designed with equity at the centre, under-resourced schools don't just participate, they lead. #FutureSkills #WCED #TeacherDevelopment #CodingAndRobotics #EducationEquity #coding #robotics #WCED #DBE Karen Dudley Tiara Pathon Almaret du Toit Anna Burton-Corea Anita Van Vuuren Mathilda Zeeman Alan Winde Brian Schreuder Salie Abrahams Dr Agnetha Arendse Faiq Salie Ian de Vega Heather van Ster Ashley Roman (he/his/him) Wendy Horn Fatima Jakoet Wendy Viljoen Dr Neo Mothobi (PhD) Millicent Merton Marchelle Fester Judi Sandrock Western Cape Education Department Department of Science, Technology and Innovation Department of Basic Education

Support Staff Are the Hidden Infrastructure of Our Schools; and the Data Should Concern Us The Department for Education’s new research report, The role and experience of support staff in schools (Feb 2026), is the most comprehensive study of the support workforce in two decades It confirms something many of us in education already know: Support staff are not peripheral to school success. They are structural to it.A few findings that stood out to me: - Support staff make up over half of the school workforce Nearly half are teaching assistants or learning support staff. They are central to inclusion, particularly for pupils with SEND. - They are deeply mission-driven. 53% joined to work with young people. Only 2% were motivated by salary. - And yet 72% are dissatisfied with their pay. Among TAs, that figure rises to 85%. - One in five are considering leaving the sector within a year, pay, workload, lack of progression and pupil behaviour are key drivers. - Feeling valued matters — enormously (Two-thirds feel valued by teachers. Three in five by senior leaders. Less than half by parents. Just 9% by policymakers.) There is a clear correlation between feeling valued and overall job satisfaction. Here’s the uncomfortable question, how long can a system remain stable when the majority of its operational backbone feels underpaid, under-recognised, and structurally constrained in career progression? Support staff: - Deliver targeted SEND provision - Manage attendance, behaviour, safeguarding and wellbeing - Run exams, finance, HR and estates - Keep ICT and infrastructure operational - Support teachers inside and outside classrooms - Contribute to trips, clubs, enrichment and community engagement They absorb complexity. They provide flexibility. And increasingly, they are doing so beyond their contracted hours. In my view, three shifts are needed: 1️⃣ Professional clarity – Clearer career pathways and role frameworks 2️⃣ Pay transparency and progression – Fewer opaque pay structures 3️⃣ Cultural repositioning – Explicit recognition of support staff as professionals, not auxiliaries The report shows that satisfaction has declined since the DISS study (2004–2008). That should be a flashing warning light for the sector. Schools do not function without support staff. The question now is whether policy, funding and leadership structures will evolve quickly enough to reflect that reality.

Inclusion is never finished — it’s about continually finding ways for children with SEND to thrive. I’m delighted that the work of Star Academies has been featured in the Inclusion in Practice case studies, which showcase approaches making a real difference in schools. Our contribution highlights how embedding trust-wide systems for inclusion — from early identification of need to data-informed decisions and practical strategies for staff — has transformed outcomes. Needs are now identified with greater precision, pupils feel cared for and understood, and staff are empowered to provide the right support. The results speak for themselves: 45% of pupils with SEND achieved the expected standard at KS2 (national 22%), 25% achieved grade 5+ in English and maths at GCSE (national 17%), and over 90% of pupils with an EHCP met their targets. I hope this case study offers both encouragement and practical ideas for colleagues across the sector. Thank you to Inclusion in Practice for creating such a valuable platform for shared learning — and to colleagues across Star Academies for their unwavering commitment to inclusion. Read the full case study here: https://lnkd.in/eirya69Y #InclusionInEducation #SEND #InclusivePractice #EducationLeadership #EveryChildMatters

When a child slows down, most schools move on. At 21K School, we don’t. I built 21K School after watching the same pattern repeat. A child struggles in Chapter 3. The class moves to Chapter 4. The calendar wins. The child adjusts. Not upward. Inward. At 21K, when learning slows, we do three things differently. First: We lower pressure before we increase effort. If a child is stuck, we remove grades temporarily. No performance anxiety. Just understanding. Because fear blocks thinking. Confidence unlocks it. Second: We shrink the task before we question the child. Not a 500-word essay. Three clear ideas. Not “finish the chapter.” Master this concept. Small wins rebuild momentum. Third: We adapt the system to the child. If writing feels heavy, they explain verbally. If energy fades by afternoon, we intervene in the morning. If homework strains the dinner table, we recalibrate. Because protecting confidence and protecting the home are part of the school’s responsibility. At 21K School, support isn’t reactive. It’s designed. When a child slows down, we don’t move on. We move with them. That’s the difference between covering portions and building a school that actually holds a child. Yeshwaanth

Permanent exclusion is one of the most serious punitive disciplinary measures enforced in response to a pupil’s behaviour. The rate of school suspensions and permanent exclusions remains a growing concern in England. A case study design, utilising semi-structured interviews with local authority (LA) staff, school staff and pupils in two LAs, explored how LA and secondary school systems operate to support pupils who have experienced or are at risk of permanent exclusion. Findings demonstrated key areas of support for successful reintegration, including pupil–staff relationships, personalised support, staff approach and understanding of need. https://lnkd.in/g2k_7pb6

The old way to handle behavior referrals? Suspension, isolation, and disengagement. The new way? Community, mentorship, and real connection. Georgia Cyber Academy didn’t just tweak their system. They transformed it. They built immersive mentorship hubs inside SchoolSpace for students to meet mentors in shared, game-like spaces. No lectures. No judgment. Just space to connect and grow. Imagine: - Casual hangouts - Real conversations - Consistent presence The result? ✅ 16x more student participation ✅ 0 repeat referrals for mentored students This is what it looks like when support systems actually meet students where they are. 👏 Huge props to Zalima H., Brian Daughtry, Shanerron Knox and the whole GCA team for rewriting the playbook. 📖 Read the full case study: https://lnkd.in/e7KqpNwQ #VirtualLearning #MentorshipMatters #SchoolSpace #EdTech #StudentSupport

🎯 I’m proud to share our latest case study from Val Verde Unified School District, where teacher utilization of SEL soared from 8% to 75% in just one year after switching to moozoom. Let’s pause on that: 📈 8% → 75% teacher engagement. Not because teachers were told to use it. Because they wanted to. At moozoom, we set out to prove that SEL can be loved by teachers and students. This research confirms: when SEL is easy, engaging, and impactful—everyone leans in. But that’s just part of the story. This case study also shows: ✅ 40% reduction in low-level referrals ✅ 58% fewer office referrals ✅ 11.25% reading score gains ✅ Massive drop in suspensions ✅ Real improvements in conflict resolution and emotional regulation Click this link to read the report: https://lnkd.in/eEGQEUEG #SEL #EducationInnovation #TeacherEngagement #StudentWellbeing #moozoom #EquityInEducation