The application deadline is Friday, August 17, 2021.
The 2020-2021 Texas Whole Child School Award program recognizes schools implementing a culture and approach ensuring each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. This provides every student access to a successful education. The award program increases visibility to the Whole Child philosophy. Texas ASCD believes more schools will transition from a narrowly defined academic focus on achievement as measured by state tests to a focus promoting the development of the whole child. The Texas Whole Child School Award program has two award levels. Texas ASCD recognizes academically successful schools that exemplify all five tenets of the Whole Child philosophy with the Texas Whole Child School Award. The second level recognizes schools implementing most of the tenets with the Texas Whole Child Aspiring School Award.
Recognized schools meet student needs and promote student success through the shared responsibility of students, families, teachers, administrators, and the community. The awards’ criteria set a standard for sustainable school improvement resulting in long-term student success. The result is academically successful children who are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.
Eligible campuses include all Pre-K-12 schools. The school’s principal must be a member of Texas ASCD.
Applicants must provide evidence of how the school’s vision, passion, intentional practices, and commitment meet the Texas Whole Child tenets. Evidence will include assured sustainability and engagement of stakeholders (staff, students, parents, and the community). Applicants for the Texas Whole Child School Award will complete essays for questions on all five Texas Whole Child tenets. Applicants for the Texas Whole Child Aspiring School Award will complete essay questions on any three of the five Texas Whole Child tenets.
Applications must include:
Applications must be submitted electronically. You may use this worksheet (2020WCWorksheet) to view the application questions and prepare your award application draft; however, you will need to copy and paste all responses from the document into the online application. Emailed, mailed, or faxed applications will not be accepted.
Submitted applications will be scored by a committee composed of Texas ASCD leaders, educators, administrators, and community leaders using this scoring rubric. Past winners for the Whole Child Awards were selected based on evidence of the school’s vision, passion, intentional practices, and commitment to meet the Texas Whole Child tenets. Winning applications included evidence of sustainability and engagement of stakeholders for all tenets.The deadline to submit an application is 11:59 p.m., Friday, August 17, 2021. Award recipients will be notified by September 18, 2021.