State and district partnerships accelerate Wayfinder expansion

Leading school districts implement curriculum to improve students’ sense of purpose, connectedness and future-ready skills

BEND, OR / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Wayfinder, a leading provider of social-emotional and future-ready learning materials, is proud to announce that it will be expanding to four leading school districts in the US for the upcoming school year.

“We believe schools can play a critical role in nurturing every student’s sense of meaning, purpose and belonging,” said Patrick Cook-Deegan, Wayfinder founder and CEO. “The 300% increase in teacher engagement in our classrooms this year underscores the urgent need for purposeful education. Our partnerships with these exceptional school districts are a powerful response to the mental health challenges facing our youth. Together, we are addressing critical issues like absenteeism and digital citizenship, and ensuring every student feels valued and empowered to navigate their future.”

Wayfinder’s continued growth also includes partnerships with the four school districts highlighted below.

Hawaii Department of Education, HI – Hawaiʻi DOE is sponsoring a statewide effort to provide a customized version of Wayfinder that is accessible to all 55 of Hawaiʻi’s high schools and alternative learning programs. DOE is also supporting schools that have existing Wayfinder implementations for various grade levels. Inspired by the traditional art, science, and practice of Polynesian wayfinding and developed in partnership with the Hawaiʻi nonprofit Education Incubator, Wayfinder offers a Hawaiʻi-focused version of its curriculum that brings together purpose development, future-proofing, and local context. Wayfinder aligns with Nā Hopena Aʻo, a statewide framework of six core values ​​often abbreviated as BREATH: Belonging, Responsibility, Excellence, Aloha, Total Well-Being, and Hawaiʻi. Wayfinder is especially proud to support Hawaiʻi educators in preserving, honoring, and elevating Hawaiʻi’s unique qualities.

Des Moines Public Schools, Des Moines, IA – Des Moines issued a request for proposals and reviewed many programs before ultimately selecting Wayfinder. District leaders cited the quality of ongoing support and the resonance of the curriculum as key factors in their selection of Wayfinder. Five thousand teachers and 33,000 students in the district’s 65 schools will experience Wayfinder in the coming school year. The district also will use Wayfinder’s Education on Purpose professional learning series to help district leaders focus on facilitation capacity and social-emotional learning skills.

Minneapolis Public Schools, Minneapolis, MN – Minneapolis is implementing Wayfinder’s comprehensive offerings in more than 80 K-12 schools with 30,000 students. The district selected Wayfinder because its curriculum aligns with its values, including emotional well-being, relationships, trust, communication, and evidence-based strategies. Flexibility and resonance were also cited as primary factors in the decision. All district counselors have access to Wayfinder’s assessment tools and lessons, particularly for targeted and intensive student interventions. The district is planning a multi-phase rollout strategy over two years to maximize student support and teacher skill development, carefully monitor usage and assessment data, and provide targeted support to counselor caseloads.

Cumberland County Schools, Fayetteville, NC – Cumberland County Schools serves the third-largest concentration of military-connected students in the world. The district offers military family life counselors, Student-2-Student programs, and military family and youth liaisons. Wayfinder’s expanded programming will reach 25,000 students in 51 elementary schools. All students will experience Wayfinder’s core curriculum, and counselors will use additional resources for small-group and individual interventions. Two Cumberland high schools will also pilot Wayfinder.

Alyson Finley, Director of Student Services at Des Moines Public Schools, said, “Our district chose Wayfinder because we believe the curriculum makes all students, regardless of background, feel seen and valued. The materials require minimal preparation time and allow teachers to focus on what matters most: our students. When we met with Wayfinder staff, we could sense their genuine commitment to our district’s success. They’re not just selling a product; they’re true partners in our educational journey. They’ve allowed us to customize the scope and sequence to meet the needs of our diverse district, and they’ve worked with us to create a solution that truly and authentically serves our students and staff.”

The districts above are just a few of the many additions to Wayfinder’s list of schools and districts. Wayfinder’s presence has grown significantly from coast to coast over the past two years. During the 2022-23 school year, 34 Oregon districts were using the curriculum — in 2023-24, that number will more than double to 75 districts.

Dawn White, Ed.D., a Content Lead for Minneapolis Public Schools, shared why her district chose Wayfinder after a lengthy decision-making process: “Wayfinder provides continuity of learning across all schools and grade levels in our district. As we looked at different options, we appreciated that Wayfinder’s lessons were age-appropriate and relevant at every stage of development. The tools met the needs of our tiered system of support (MTSS) structure, and we felt that this was a culturally responsive social-emotional learning curriculum for K-12. Our students speak over 100 different languages ​​and represent rich cultural backgrounds. This curriculum promotes a student’s sense of belonging and purpose through a culturally responsive lens.”

Kristy Newitt, Counselor Coordinator for Cumberland County Schools, said Cumberland is excited to move forward with Wayfinder. “We recognize the importance of social-emotional learning being used across the school, not just within Student Services. The Wayfinder platform makes that possible. Our teachers are now being taught directly at Level 1 through morning meetings, which allows for stronger relationships to be built between students and teachers, and students and students. Additionally, by using their Waypoints data, our school counselors and school social workers are able to provide data-driven small groups.”

Wayfinder has served students in over 65 countries around the world, including large U.S. districts such as Omaha Public Schools, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Portland Public Schools, and The School District of Philadelphia. This year, they received the highest possible program designation from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and the highest possible Learning Rating from Common Sense Education.

The Wayfinder team looks forward to helping hundreds of thousands more students this school year.

If your state or district is interested in partnering with Wayfinder, please contact the team to schedule a conversation.

Contact details

Cat Clark
Senior Marketing Director
[email protected]

SOURCE: Signpost

View the original press release on newswire.com.