Pamela Cantor M.D. Testifies on Whole-Child Approaches to House Appropriations Committee

Turnaround for Children Founder and Senior Science Advisor Pamela Cantor, M.D. testified on Social and Emotional Learning and Whole-Child Approaches in K-12 Education to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee.

Dr. Cantor was joined by LPI‘s Linda Darling-Hammond, CASEL‘s Tim Shriver and AEI‘s Max Eden as witnesses for the hearing with the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. Witnesses outlined why attention and resources from policymakers should be allocated towards designing education systems that address the social, emotional, cognitive and academic needs of students, while offering approaches and strategies that center whole-child education.

“Today we have knowledge about how children learn and develop that we didn’t have when our education system was created. What we know now could not only address the acute needs of children affected by the pandemic, but it could also unlock the talent, skills, and potential that exists in all our young people, providing what each and every student needs to thrive.” – Dr. Pamela Cantor

Dr. Cantor’s testimony covered the scientific basis for whole-child design, explored how current education systems fail to meet to needs of students, and explained the Essential Guiding Principles for Equitable Whole-Child Design and how these principles can be translated into policy pillars to transform education going forward.

Watch a full recording of the session here.

Read a full transcript of Representative Rosa DeLauro’s opening statement here.