Student Readiness, Resilience, and Classroom Success Program
A program-development initiative focused on helping students build the habits, confidence, self-management, and classroom behaviors needed for academic success, with an emphasis on students who may need additional support to fully engage and thrive in school.
Program overview
The Student Readiness, Resilience, and Classroom Success Program is an IUME Foundation initiative focused on helping students build the practical skills and learning behaviors needed to succeed in school.
The program is being developed to support students in grades K–12, with an initial focus on middle school readiness and the transition into 9th grade. These years are especially important because students are navigating greater academic expectations, peer pressure, changing classroom environments, increased independence, and, for 9th graders, the beginning of credit-bearing high school coursework.
The program is designed to help students strengthen skills such as self-management, academic persistence, responsible decision-making, help-seeking, classroom engagement, conflict resolution, and confidence after setbacks.
Purpose
Academic recovery is not only about content. Students also need the habits, confidence, and classroom readiness skills that allow learning to happen.
Many schools are seeing increased needs related to disengagement, stress, peer conflict, attendance, classroom behavior, lack of confidence, and difficulty persisting through challenging work. This program is designed to support schools and teachers with practical, age-appropriate tools that help students become more ready to learn.
The program is not intended to provide clinical counseling or therapy. Instead, it focuses on classroom-ready skills that support learning, engagement, and academic growth.
Program development focus
IUME Foundation is currently seeking educators and professionals with relevant expertise to help develop this program. The program is expected to include three core components:
1. Teacher training curriculum
A practical training curriculum for teachers working with students in grades K–12. The teacher training will focus on strategies that help educators support student readiness, classroom climate, academic persistence, and constructive responses to disengagement or frustration. Possible topics include:
- Understanding learning readiness and student engagement.
- Building classroom routines that support focus and self-management.
- Responding to frustration, shutdown, or disengagement.
- Supporting academic persistence after mistakes or setbacks.
- Managing peer conflict and strengthening classroom climate.
- Encouraging help-seeking and responsible decision-making.
- Using short student-facing microlearning activities effectively.
- Knowing when to refer students to counselors, administrators, or other support staff.
2. Middle school student track: grades 6–8
A student-facing microlearning track designed for middle school students, using age-appropriate scenarios, short activities, reflections, and checks for understanding. Possible focus areas include:
- Getting ready to learn.
- Managing strong emotions.
- Staying focused in class.
- Handling peer conflict.
- Asking for help.
- Building better study habits.
- Making responsible digital choices.
- Bouncing back after mistakes.
- Participating respectfully in classroom activities.
3. 9th grade student track
A separate student-facing microlearning track designed for 9th grade students as they transition into high school. Possible focus areas include:
- Starting high school strong.
- Managing workload and stress.
- Understanding attendance, credits, and staying on track.
- Asking for help before falling behind.
- Building study habits for harder courses.
- Handling peer pressure and conflict.
- Preparing for EOC success.
- Rebuilding confidence after academic setbacks.
- Setting goals for high school success.
Who we are looking for
IUME Foundation is seeking volunteers with expertise or experience in areas such as: social-emotional learning, school counseling, student support services, middle school education, 9th grade transition, classroom management, positive behavior support, youth development, academic intervention, mental health-informed education, teacher professional development, and curriculum development.
Volunteers may include current or former teachers, counselors, school leaders, SEL specialists, psychologists, instructional coaches, youth-development professionals, university faculty, graduate students, nonprofit professionals, or other qualified subject-matter experts.
Volunteer role
Volunteers may help with one or more of the following:
- Reviewing the program framework.
- Advising on age-appropriate student topics.
- Helping design teacher training modules.
- Reviewing and/or developing student-facing microlearning content.
- Suggesting classroom scenarios and discussion prompts.
- Providing feedback on implementation guides.
- Helping define responsible boundaries between classroom support and clinical mental health support.
- Supporting pilot design and measurement planning.
Volunteer participation may vary based on availability, background, and program needs.
Program philosophy
Students are more likely to grow academically when they are engaged, supported, confident, and equipped with practical habits for learning.
IUME Foundation aims to create a program that is practical for teachers, age-appropriate for students, respectful of school context, and focused on measurable classroom and learning-readiness outcomes.
Request to volunteer
IUME Foundation is currently inviting educators and subject-matter experts to express interest in volunteering to help develop the Student Readiness, Resilience, and Classroom Success Program.