Three Cheers To Welcome The New Year And Usher In A Fresh New Focus On Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

By Joyce Whitby

We support #SELDAY 2021 – March 26, 2021 – https://selday.org/

If you are looking for an inspirational mantra for 2021 to guide as an overarching vision for your school, consider adopting this one – SEL for ALL. Never before have we had such a universal need for social emotional learning and a focus on nurturing and strengthening mental health.

It is really a shame that it took a global pandemic to illuminate this need. Perhaps it is one of those silver linings that has emerged? The impact of shuttering schools, locking down states, closing businesses, wearing masks, learning remotely, and watching the daily news track the growing number of Covid-19 cases and deaths, has raised awareness for many that clearly, social emotional learning is not optional this year.

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If you are looking for a mantra for 2021 to guide as an overarching vision for your school, consider adopting this one – SEL for ALL.

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To be clear, SEL should never have been considered optional. When learners are experiencing unbridled stress and trauma, they are not in “learning mode”, they are in “survival mode”. Until we address and help all stakeholders to find balance in their lives emotionally; we cannot begin to address academics.

What’s more, SEL is not just for students. Evidence suggests that we are all in need of mental health support: students of all ages and abilities, their teachers, everyone in the school community, including parents and guardians.

The whole concept of “closing the Covid-19 achievement gap” begins with opening up a dialog about mental health and well-being. Research shows that when students have opportunities for SEL, they have greater academic success, fewer behavior problems, and higher levels of positive social behaviors (Durlak, et al., 2011). So although we can’t control the traumatic circumstances, we can learn how to control our reaction to those circumstances. Once we embrace an attitude and practice of supporting each other through stress and trauma, we will clear the way for growth both from a social maturity perspective and academically.

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Although we can’t control the traumatic circumstances, we can learn how to control our reaction to those circumstances.

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Equity and SEL

You would have to have been living under a rock over the past 12 months to have missed Covid-19 and its impact on just about everything, especially schools. As previously mentioned, all stakeholders in the education community have had exposure to some level of stress, or trauma doled out by Covid-19. There are varying levels of stress and trauma depending on whom you are looking at, during what point of time in 2020, and where those individuals were located. The impact has been global and widespread, but alas not equitable.

Sadly, the disproportionate impact on communities of color and low socioeconomic standings is evident. These communities where subject to more cases of Covid-19 simply because of higher likelihood for underlying conditions, that worsened the impact of the virus, as well as the fact that they were more likely to be “essential workers” who were exposed at a greater rate than typical white collar workers who were asked to “tele-commute”. The fact is that these marginalized communities make up the majority, so it is logical that we should be talking about reaching everyone with SEL programs and resources. There should be no “haves” and “have-nots”. Plans should be all inclusive just because of the nature of the collective injury to us all. However, there is another big reason why we are talking about “SEL for ALL” – and that is because SEL just works better when done on a systemwide level.

Harvard Research shows that when schools implement an SEL focused program on a schoolwide basis, the impact is more visible and lasts for a longer period of time (Schafer, 2016). The findings of their five year study, consistently shows that a truly successful SEL program goes beyond the classroom walls, “all the adults in the building being trained in and familiar with a new vocabulary and practices that they can use in the hallways, in the gym, at recess, in the lunchroom, on the bus — all the times when kids have less structure, and are actually engaging in social interactions, when emotions are more likely to come up”.

Make “SEL for ALL” a Reality in 2021

To borrow a wise saying from Yoda “Do or Do Not, there is no try.” We have a chance, here and now, to commit to making mental health and social emotional well being a priority. Here are some easy suggestions for making “SEL for ALL” a reality in your school community this year:

1. Invest in professional development that provides all members of the school community with better understanding to identify students struggling with stress and trauma, and how to be supportive, and re-engage students with their own learning career. Learn more about Trauma Informed Practices Professional Development –  Click here to request a 30 minute overview video.

2. Provide a common forum for students to explore and share their feelings. Create a safe zone for learning about and sharing feelings. Find and share common experiences virtually or face-to-face.

3. Legitimize SEL by giving it a space and place in your school culture. Create an SEL committee made up of members which are representative of the greater community. Include administrators, staff, teachers, aids, students and parents on that committee. Carving out time in your calendar and daily schedule not only prioritizes the intent and purpose, but it will free up time lost over more traditional behavior management that takes place after eruptions have occurred.

4. Inform and involve families. Parental support is always a critical factor for student success. Whether we are talking about academics, the arts, sports or social emotional health. Providing common language, skills and best practices completes the circle of support from caregivers for students. It’s the proverbial icing on the cake.

5. Rinse, re-evaluate, tweak and repeat. We are all a work in progress, and the way that you and your team manifest a healthy ecosystem will also be an evolution of thought and practice. You are bound to try some tactics which don’t serve you well. You may also be introduced to new approaches along the path. Carving out time to learn along the way just models what we aspire to impart together, step by step, a future full of possibilities for all.

Schedule a private tour of The Social Express and Cool School

By Joyce Whitby

References

Domitrovich, C. E., Durlak, J., Staley, K. C., & Weissberg, R. P. (2017). Social-emotional competence: An essential factor for promoting positive adjustment and reducing risk and school children. Child Development, 88, 408-416. doi:10.1111/cdev.12739 View the article.

Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D. & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82, 405–432. View the article.

Elias, M. J., O’Brien, M. U., & Weissberg, R. P. (2006). Transformative leadership for social and emotional learning. Principal Leadership, 7, 10-13. View the article.

Greenberg, M. T., Weissberg, R. P., O’Brien, M. U., Zins, J. E., Fredricks, L. et al. (2003). Enhancing school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional, and academic learning. American Psychologist, 58, 466-474. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.58.6-7.466 View the article (log-in required).

Kopershock, H., Harms, T., de Boer, H., van Kuijk, M., & Doolaard, S. (2016). A meta-analysis of the effects of classroom management strategies and classroom management programs on students’ academic, behavioral, emotional, and motivational outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 86, 643-680. DOI: 10.3102/0034654315626799 Article available for purchase.

Miller, J. (2015). The power of parenting with social and emotional learning. Huffington Post, April 15, 2015. View the article.

Oberle, E., Domitrovich, C. E., Meyers, D. C., & Weissberg, R. P. (2016). Establishing systemic social and emotional learning approaches in schools: A framework for schoolwide implementation. Cambridge Journal of Education, 46, 277-297. doi:10.1080/0305764X.2015.1125450 Article available for purchase.

Osher, D., Kidron, Y., Brackett, M., Dymnicki, A., Jones, S., & Weissberg, R. P. (2016). Advancing the science and practice of social and emotional learning: Looking back and moving forward. Review of Research in Education, 40, 644-681. View the article.

Shafer, Leah. (2016) What Makes SEL Work? An effective social-emotional learning program has to be a whole-school initiative. Usable Knowledge Harvard Graduate School of Education. Cambridge, MA. View the article.

Sklad, M., Diekstra, R., Ritter, M. D., Ben, J. & Gravesteijn, C. (2012), Effectiveness of school-based universal social, emotional, and behavioral programs: Do they enhance students’ development in the area of skill, behavior, and adjustment? Psychology in the Schools, 49, 892–909. Article available for purchase.

Teitelbaum, Noah. (2020) Benefits of Schoolwide SEL, Empowering Education Blog post View the post.

Weissberg, R. P., & Cascarino, J. (2013). Academic learning + social-emotional learning = national priority. Phi Delta Kappan, 52, 8-13. View the article.

LEARN MORE about Trauma Informed Practices Professional Development:

• Click here to request a 30 minute overview video
• Click here to schedule a private tour of the Social Express and Cool School