Policy and Practice Brief - Ensuring Whole-Child Well-Being as a Foundation for Learning - Relationships, Routines, and Resilience in the Time of COVID-19 - October 2020

Oct 15, 2026

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Policy and Practice Brief examines how whole-child well-being supports learning and achievement amid COVID-19 school disruptions. It links physical and mental health with social, emotional, and cognitive development, arguing these conditions are necessary for students’ safety, skills, identity, and agency. The brief emphasizes equity, describing how marginalized and underserved groups face barriers that can be addressed through teachable learning mindsets such as self-regulation and growth mindset, alongside resilience and belonging.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Whole-Child Well-Being Is Essential to Life Success

Policy and Practice Brief Ensuring Whole-Child Well-Being as a Foundation for Learning Relationships, Routines, and Resilience in the Time of COVID-19 OCTOBER 2020 Authors Joel Knudson American Institutes for Research Pamela Cantor, M. D. Turnaround for Children About the California Collaborative on District Reform The California Collaborative on District Reform was formed in 2006 to join researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and funders in ongoing, evidence-based dialogue to improve instruction and student learning for all students in California’s urban school systems. Introduction As the COVID-19 pandemic continued into the 2020–21 academic year, schools across California resumed instruction by educating students in their homes. School closures and transitions to distance learning that began in March 2020 have upended teaching and learning as well as relationships, structures, and supports that students depend on. At the same time, a trio of crises—not only the spread of a deadly virus, but also financial instability and racial violence and injustice—have elevated the struggles that students face; consequences from this are felt most acutely by our most vulnerable youth. In the face of these challenges, lessons from the science of learning and development illustrate how strategic attention to supporting social, emotional, and cognitive well-being and growth can light a path forward. Supplementing these contributions, insights from practitioners and other members of the California education community can illuminate the challenges and opportunities students have experienced as they navigate schooling in the middle of a pandemic. Taken together, themes from a June 2020 meeting of the California Collaborative on District Reform highlight what educators have long known—that attention to whole-child health and well-being is essential for success in school and beyond. Insights from science and practice underscore the threats introduced and exacerbated during the time of the pandemic. However, these insights also draw our attention to human resilience and the supports that can enable and empower students and adults to navigate the obstacles in their way. This brief emphasizes key takeaways from the science of learning and development. These lessons serve as a foundation to explore district strategies that can help students and adults thrive despite the struggles they experience during this challenging time. Whole-Child Well-Being Is Essential to Life Success A growing body of evidence supports what many educators have known for years—that physical and mental health and social, emotional, and cognitive development cannot be separated from learning and academic success. A healthy context for learning requires attention to young people’s safety; physical and mental health; social, emotional, and cognitive development; and academic skills, identity, and agency. However, the necessary conditions to support learning and development must be in place for young people to thrive. The context in which students live—especially during the pandemic—is not always conducive to well-being, which underscores the need for skill development in key areas. To succeed academically, students need the social, emotional, and cognitive skills and mindsets to engage productively in learning. These skills can be taught and must become an intentional focus within our education system. An intentional focus on student development is also critical for increasing equity. Students with marginalized identities, especially Black and Latinx youth, students learning English as a second language, and LGBTQ+ students disproportionately experience conditions that can impede their development and readiness for learning. The skills and mindsets for learning, including self-regulation, executive functions, growth mindset, and more, are malleable and can be intentionally taught and developed in an educational setting. Cultivating these skil

FAQs

Why does the brief link whole-child well-being to learning success?

It argues that physical and mental health, along with social, emotional, and cognitive development, cannot be separated from academic success. A supportive learning context is described as requiring safety, development, and academic skills together.

How does the brief address equity during the pandemic?

It highlights that students with marginalized identities experience conditions that can impede readiness for learning. It then frames learning mindsets and skills—such as self-regulation and growth mindset—as teachable and intentionally cultivable in schools.

What skills are emphasized for preparing students for the 21st-century economy?

The brief notes that academic standards increasingly require higher-order skills such as self-direction, curiosity, resilience, growth mindset, and a sense of belonging. It also references collaboration and critical thinking as related to social awareness and problem-solving foundations.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Mia