Marianne Williamson for President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2019
Contact: Patricia Ewing

WILLIAMSON RELEASES “WHOLE STUDENT PLAN” FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION

Marianne Williamson believes the U.S. must implement a “Whole Student” educational system focused not only on a student's intellectual performance and growth but also on developing a student’s cultural, emotional, and psychological well being. She believes this is necessary to develop a complete student who is truly prepared to become a productive member of our society. In a time of rampant bullying and school violence, including the horrors of school shootings, we need to directly meet the needs of this moment in far more fundamental ways.

The Williamson plan will provide more than a healthy, traditional academic environment for students to learn. Not only will math and science be taught, but also ensuring that American History and Civics are taught in order to teach American values. Meaningful life-skills programs and initiatives which focus on essential life skills including, but not limited to, creating and maintaining a budget, understanding personal credit ratings, and choosing a career path that aligns with personal talents, skills, and passions. The Williamson plan will challenge high-performing and gifted students by using them in coaching, tutoring, and mentoring younger students.

Unique to Williamson’s education plan, more beneficial support services and programs will be implemented to help students achieve their greatest potential—no matter what circumstances or obstacles a child has in their life. These programs and services include:


The Department of Children and Youth will work together with the Department of Education to meet our children’s needs. This includes meeting financial requirements to assure that our nation’s children have access to the education they deserve and that we are more than capable of providing in a country as wealthy as the United States. We will be committed to providing financial support to:
 
  • Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) which focuses on teaching self-awareness, empathy, conflict resolution, impulse control, motivation, and social skills. SEL programs are based on the understanding that the best learning emerges in the context of supportive relationships that make learning challenging, engaging, and meaningful.
  • Communication Skills which include a Conflict Resolution Education Curriculum in which teachers, administrators, and students are trained to integrate conflict resolution and management as a life skill into existing curricula and aligning school mission statements, disciplinary procedures, and team-building efforts with conflict resolution concepts and theories.
  • Restorative Circles and Dialogue Programs which include initiatives that require allowing children of elementary age starting the day in a circle with their teacher. During this session, each student gets to see each other and participate in a daily check-in that consist of each sharing what is happening in their lives which may include a death in the family, a new birth of a sibling, a family member hospitalized, divorce, and other issues which may impact academic performance. 
  • Restorative Justice Programs and Initiatives with a trained facilitator, which consist of all parties impacted by an incident or occurrence to come together and work to actually resolve, which includes real accountability for the issue rather than just punishing students. This allows for the incident to better find resolution immediately and has been shown to positively change the entire school culture in the long run. It is important to note that studies show districts and schools that have implemented programs like this have seen up to 65% reduction in violence and disorderly conduct.
  • Mindfulness and Meditation Programs and Practices which underline the whole-student concept. Mindfulness and Meditation practices can be powerful tools in teaching students to focus attention, manage emotions, handle stress, and resolve conflicts.
The Department of Children and Youth will work together with the Department of Education to meet our children’s needs. This includes meeting financial requirements to assure that our nation’s children have access to the education they deserve and that we are more than capable of providing in a country as wealthy as the United States. We will be committed to providing financial support to:

  • Recruit and retain quality teachers, and supporting alternative paths to becoming teachers – working with Education and Teacher groups to achieve this.
  • Improve facilities and the learning environment for all public schools in the U.S.
  • Fully fund IDEA so that students and their families and communities are well served, and so that states and localities don’t have to shoulder the full burden of these investments. 
  • Pre-school Support Programs and Initiatives focused on providing every kid, ages 0-4, in America with quality and affordable educational options with a specific focus placed on economically challenged and rural communities.
There are millions of American children who live with chronic emotional trauma and even PTSD from their homes, communities, and public school settings. This reality leaves far too many students unable to perform and achieve academic success. This wrap-around approach is necessary to develop a whole, well-rounded, and thriving student, which ultimately leads to a positive and productive adult in our society. 

Read the entire plan here: Marianne Williamson’s public education plan

 
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“The Whole Student Plan” for Public Education (Pre-K - 12)

Immediate Actions as President

President Williamson will instruct her Department of Education (DOE) and Department of Childhood and Youth (DOCY) to conduct a comprehensive study of every school district and public school in the U.S. with the goal of identifying direct ways the federal government can assist districts in…

  • raising student performance and achievement
  • providing a curriculum and programs based on meaningful Life-Skills
  • improving public school facilities

Policy Plan Mission

Marianne believes the U.S. must implement a “Whole Student Educational System" focused not only a student's intellectual performance and growth but also on developing a student’s cultural, emotional, and psychological well being. She believes this is necessary to develop a complete student and one that is truly prepared to become a productive member of our society. In a time of rampant bullying and school violence, including the horrors of school shootings, we need to directly meet the needs of this moment and far more fundamental ways.

There are millions of American children who live with chronic emotional trauma and even PTSD from their homes, communities, and public school settings. This reality leaves far too many students unable to perform and achieve academic success. A wrap-around approach is necessary to develop a whole, well-rounded and thriving student, which ultimately leads to a positive and productive adult in our society.

Policy Keys

  • Guaranteeing every public school has well trained and adequate number of trained Counselors.
  • Implementing programs and support services focused on…
  • Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) which focuses on teaching self-awareness, empathy, conflict resolution, impulse control, motivation, and social skills. SEL programs are based on the understanding that the best learning emerges in the context of supportive relationships that make learning challenging, engaging and meaningful.
  • Communication Skills which include a Conflict Resolution Education Curriculum in which teachers, administrators, and students are trained to integrate conflict resolution and management as a life skill into existing curricula and aligning school mission statements, disciplinary procedures, and team-building efforts with conflict resolution concepts and theories.
  • Restorative Circles and Dialogue Programs which include initiatives that require allow children of elementary age starting the day in a circle with their teacher.  During this session each student gets to see each other and participate in a daily check-in that consist of each sharing what is happening in their lives which may include a death in the family, a new birth of a sibling, a family member hospitalize, divorce and other issues which may impact academic performance.
  • Restorative Justice Programs and Initiatives with a trained facilitator, which consist of all parties impacted by an incident or occurrence to come together and work to actually resolve, which includes real accountability for the issue rather than just punishing students. This allows for the incident to better find resolution immediately and has been shown to positively change the entire school culture in the long run. It is important to note that studies show district and schools who have implemented programs like this have seen up to 65% reduction in violence and disorderly conduct.
  • Mindfulness and Meditation Programs and Practices which underlines the whole-student concept. Mindfulness and Meditation practices can be powerful tools in teaching students to focus attention, manage emotions, handle stress, and resolve conflicts.
  • Guaranteeing Nutritionist(s) and health and wellness experts in every public-school district with the focus of teaching nutrition, movement and exercise, stress management and other related lifestyle skills to help cultivate long-term health.
  • Guaranteeing Pre-school Support Programs and Initiatives focused on providing every kid 0-4 in America with quality and affordable educational options. Note: a specific focus will be placed on economically challenged and rural communities.
  • Challenging our High-performing and Gifted Students and using them in coaching, tutoring and mentoring younger students.
  • Providing financial support for challenged districts to recruit and retain quality teachers. Also, support alternative paths to becoming teachers – working with Education and Teacher groups to achieve this.
  • Providing federal assistance to improve facilities and the learning environment for all public schools in the U.S.
  • Providing Meaningful Life-skills Programs and Initiatives which focus on essential life skills which include but are not limited to how to create and maintain a budget, understanding personal credit ratings, and choosing a career path which align with personal talents, skills and passions.
  • Restoring the teaching of American History and Civics in order to teach American values and our democratic system of government.
  • Fully fund IDEA so that students and their families and communities are well served, and so that states and localities don’t have to shoulder the full burden of these investments.  Few pieces of federal legislation have had as dramatically positive an impact as IDEA.  Society now has the ability to take better care of people with disabilities than ever before, and our sensitivity to their needs, as well as our response to the challenges that they face, should reflect the full force of our capacity to help.  We are capable of helping people with disabilities better than ever before in our history.‍