about the project

Schools Attuned, developed by All Kinds of Minds, is a comprehensive professional development and service program designed to equip teachers with the knowledge, skills, and tools to meet the diverse learning needs of students. This innovative, neurodevelopmental approach, developed by Mel Levine, intends to improve the academic and social lives of students through focusing on some root causes of academic and behavioral problems that frequently have adverse affects on students, teachers, and schools.

WestEd conducted a quasi-experimental study to examine the affect of Schools Attuned training on students, teachers, and schools, as well as explore the added benefits of associated mentoring programs. The study provided a combination of both breadth and depth, including assessing how different models of implementation have differing impacts.

The study found that Schools Attuned had positive effects on teachers, students, and schools. More specifically, teachers reported increased understanding, awareness, empathy, and sympathy for students struggling to learn, and that Schools Attuned gave them the tools and instructional strategies to better meet the needs of all students. Individual students as well as entire classrooms benefited from Schools Attuned, including reports of improved learning, self-esteem, and self-confidence. School-level findings included building a common vocabulary, increasing parent and community involvement, improving communication and collaboration among teachers, and strengthening the school culture.

In addition to investigating the impact of Schools Attuned, the study also examined how schools and teachers were implementing Schools Attuned, culminating in a redefined conceptual model to more accurately represent the various ways in which Schools Attuned was being implemented. Additionally, WestEd provided formative feedback to All Kinds of Minds for program improvement, explored the added benefit of mentoring programs associated with Schools Attuned, and offered suggestions for future research.