SEL in Illinois » CASEL Work » Collaborating Sites

• Catlin School District #5
• Cossitt Elementary School, District #102
• Consolidated School District #181
• Mill Street Elementary School, District #203
• Spry Community School, District #299
• Williams Elementary and Williams Preparatory Academy, District #299

Williams Elementary and Williams Preparatory Academy, District #299
Chicago, IL

Williams Multiplex Mission Statement
The mission of Williams Multiplex is: (1) To cultivate among all students a positive attitude toward self and learning, the motivation and perseverance to achieve their goals, knowledge and skills to participate in a global society, and an ability to resolve conflict without force; and (2) To support the professional development of teachers and teacher assistants working in an urban context so that they may establish trusting relationships with students and parents and work collaboratively to develop curriculum and instructional strategies that complement individual learning styles and facilitate student achievement.

District 299 SEL Policy
In response to the 2003 Illinois Children's Mental Health Act, District 299 adopted the following policy regarding student social and emotional development:

Since children’s social and emotional development is essential underpinnings to school readiness and academic success, the Chicago Public Schools (“CPS”) will incorporate social and emotional development into the CPS educational program. The goals for addressing these student developmental needs through an educational program are to:

• Enhance student school readiness, academic success and use of good citizenship skills;
• Foster a safe, supportive learning environment where students feel respected and valued;
• Teach social and emotional skills to all students; and
• Promote student social and emotional well-being by partnering with families and
  communities.

Click here to view the policy in its entirety.

Williams Multiplex is located on the near-south side of Chicago in what is informally known as the Dearborn Homes Community. It houses four schools: Williams Elementary, Williams Preparatory Academy, the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), and Big Picture High School. Together, these schools serve approximately 500 students from pre-kindergarten through high school. This innovative partnership was created as part of the restructuring that occurred when Williams temporarily was closed in 2002 and reopened in 2003 as part of the Chicago Public Schools Renaissance Initiative. Many new programs have accompanied this reopening. For example, the staff receives weekly professional development, after-school programs provide tutoring and homework help to students, and monthly workshops for parents offer personal and academic assistance.

In order to enhance the school environment and student success, Williams Multiplex is dedicated to promoting the social and emotional well-being and development of its students. For example, the elementary school has begun to integrate the evidence-based SEL program Responsive Classroom into their teaching. (Click here to learn more about the Responsive Classroom program.) This program focuses on creating a caring, respectful learning environment and providing a common language and approach for the promotion of social and emotional development in the classroom.

As a CASEL Collaborating Site, Williams Multiplex has established the following short-term objectives for the expansion of SEL programming in the elementary and middle schools. Specifically, Williams staff are working to:

• Articulate a vision of SEL at Williams Multiplex, and create an action plan to achieve that vision.
• Conduct a resource inventory and needs assessment survey at Williams Elementary and Williams Preparatory Academy to identify current school activities that promote SEL, explore the existing school climate, and identify the needs of students and staff.
• Establish a timeline to review and select additional SEL programming to further support Williams Multiplex in their efforts to meet the new Illinois SEL Learning Standards.
• Establish a plan to align new SEL initiatives with other programs currently being implemented at Williams Multiplex to ensure that the programming is complementary and additive.