Webcast Details
Aired on: March 4th, 2014
3:30–4:30 p.m. (ET)
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Our Guest(s) This Week
Erin Capone
An expert in child and adolescent development, Erin Capone serves as executive director of Community for Education Foundation, which was founded in 1992 to bring life skills instruction to every child. The organization’s Overcoming Obstacles Life Skills Program is an award-winning program used by tens of thousands of educators across the country to improve the lives of millions of students. Before joining Community for Education Foundation in 2007, Erin was a children’s social worker for the Hoboken Community Mental Health Center and later Catholic Charities, where she worked to help marginalized young people, including sex offenders, fire setters, and children in the juvenile justice system. She graduated summa cum laude with a Master of Social Work from New York University and magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Rutgers University.
This Week's Topic
Research continually shows that life skills instruction is critical to dropout prevention and to ensuring our young people’s success. Without knowing how to communicate effectively, set and achieve goals, and make sound decisions, our children cannot realize their potential, achieve academically, or find meaningful careers. Fortunately, there are tools out there to bring these skills into the classroom and help students graduate. In this webcast, we will cover:
- The importance of life skills instruction and the benefits it offers students and schools
- Best practices for implementing life skills instruction
- Resources for bringing life skills instruction to young people
Tim Hudson’s Public Service Announcement.
Resources:
(2009). A Developmental Perspective on Workplace Readiness: Preparing High School Students for Success. Child Trends 
.
(2013). Character Education, Prevention, and Positive Youth Development . Character Education Partnership.
Encouraging the Development of Key Life Skills In Elementary School-Age Children . (2012).
Overcoming Obstacles and the Common Core State Standards . (2013). New York City.
Overcoming Obstacles Life Skills Program. (2013).
Sample Overcoming Obstacles Lessons. (2013).
(2012). School Dropout Indicators, Trends, and Interventions for School Counselors .
(2006). The Connection Between Academic and Social-Emotional Learning . In H. Arnold & M. J. Elias (Eds.), The Educator’s Guide to Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement: Social-Emotional Learning in the Classroom. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
What Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for America 2000 . (1991). US Department of Labor.