WASHINGTON — Dan D. Rogers Elementary School in Dallas has been named the 2017 winner of the Golden Psi Award by the Board of Educational Affairs of the American Psychological Association.
“The committee was most impressed by Rogers’ attention to promoting a positive social environment — mindfulness, social skill development and good decision making — all of which supports child and academic development,” said Tammy Hughes, PhD, chair of the Golden Psi Award selection committee.
Rogers was selected in part for its emphasis on positive discipline and encouraging students, teachers and parents to address conflict in a healthy and productive manner. Rogers’ focus on school safety promotes community development and support, according to the selection committee.
Mindfulness practices, including deep breathing, focus techniques and yoga were added into the curriculum last year to help students cope with negative emotions, according to Jeanne Juneau, counselor at Rogers Elementary School. Activities from identifying sounds to writing feelings down have helped teachers and students better reflect on their emotions.
“The ultimate goal of our mindfulness implementation is for the students to better self-regulate their emotions,” Juneau said. “This has resulted in fewer reported cases of negative behavior, such as bullying.”
A public urban school, Rogers offers instruction for grades pre-K through 5th grade with 493 students enrolled in the 2016-17 academic year. Approximately 85 percent of the students receive free and reduced-price lunch and 61.4 percent are English language learners.
“The traditional forms of student discipline such as detention do not apply to Rogers,” Hughes said. “At Rogers, discipline is about teaching students, teachers and parents how to communicate their needs to each other properly.”
The Golden Psi Award is based on factors that include educational adaptations shown to be appropriate for a school’s demographic makeup, the use of evidence-based interventions, measureable academic and /or social-emotional growth and monitoring of an individual’s or group’s progress.
Rogers Elementary School received an award trophy and a check for $1,000, presented by APA member Ronald Palomares, PhD. Rogers also will earn recognition at the American Psychological Association convention, on the APA Education Directorate webpage, and in the APA Monitor.
The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA's membership includes nearly 115,700 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.