How do teachers know how their students are doing? Grades? Grades measure how much students have learned. Attendance? Attendance measures whether they show up.

But as the Science of Learning and Development shows, how well children learn depends on how well and how safe they feel. So it’s important for educators to have a true picture of the whole child.

And, of course, the urgency and challenge to understanding how children are doing has only increased during the pandemic.

That’s why Turnaround for Children has developed its Well-Being Index. This series of questions helps children describe how they are feeling . By taking these measurements on a regular basis over a period of months, teachers can learn not only what their students might be facing on the inside, but also how to help.

How does the Well-Being Index work?

Dr. Christina Theokas is Turnaround for Children’s Chief Applied Science Officer. She oversees the teams that translate the science of learning and development into resources and tools for educators – including the Well-Being Index and the teams that partner with educators to design schools that are organized to support whole child development and learning.

For more information, go to www.turnaroundusa.org/podcast.