Korean Educational Development Institute(KEDI)

A whole child approach to education is one which focuses attention on the social, emotional, mental, physical as well as cognitive development of students. At its core such an approach views the purpose of schooling as developing future citizens and providing the basis for each child to fulfill their potential. In 2007 ASCD (formerly the Association for Curriculum Development and Supervision) outlined a whole child approach to education as its core mission. It developed 5 tenets based upon child development theory, which underpins the approach and states that each child in each school and in each community deserves to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged. This framework has been used as the scaffold in the development of a range of school improvement processes that ensures that the approach is integrated and systemized into the processes and policies of the school, district, and community. The framework does not seek to divorce itself from academic development but it does seek to expand what constitutes academic development in the 21st century and aims to refocus attention on all attributes required for educational and societal success.