This month in SEL: CASEL hosts the inaugural SEL Exchange conference, a new RAND report explores teachers’ opinions on the importance of social and emotional learning, CASEL publishes findings from a nationwide survey of 700+ principals about their views on SEL, TransformEd releases a three-part series on fostering strong relationships in schools… and more!
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CASEL Hosts Inaugural SEL Exchange Conference in Chicago
On October 2-4, more than 1,500 educators, researchers, policymakers, advocates, philanthropists, and national and global leaders gathered for the inaugural Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Exchange, hosted by CASEL in Chicago. CASEL brought together this wide range of SEL stakeholders to share cutting-edge research, innovative insights, and best practices to support their overarching goal: all students benefit from high-quality, effective, systemic SEL implementation. Sessions throughout the conference covered topics such as:
- The importance of youth voice
- Equity and diversity in SEL
- Adult SEL as a key foundational element to SEL implementation in schools
- The benefits of including community partners and families in SEL work
- SEL and the future of work
Teacher Perspectives on Social and Emotional Learning in Massachusetts
This RAND report presents American Teacher Panel survey results on teachers’ perspectives about social and emotional learning. It analyzes results from teachers in Massachusetts and how they compare to their peers in the rest of the nation on three topics: (1) teachers’ opinions about SEL, (2) their approaches to promoting students’ social and emotional development, (3) and their perceptions of supports that would help them do this more effectively.
One key finding: large majorities of teachers in both Massachusetts and the rest of the nation recognize the importance of SEL and believe that SEL can affect other domains of student development and achievement.
New Research: Principals’ Perspectives on SEL
A new survey of 700+ principals across the nation explored how these influential school leaders view social and emotional learning. Adminstered by CASEL, the key findings of this report indicate that:
- Principals have made progress in implementing SEL. The majority now have a long-term plan (up 12 percentage points from 2017), an SEL vision (up 10 percentage points), and are using an evidence-based SEL program (up 13 percentage points).
- Suburban and urban schools have made a great deal of progress implementing SEL, but small town and rural schools lag significantly behind the rest of the country.
- Nearly seven in ten principals believe SEL skills should be assessed, up from 58 percent in 2017.
- The percentage of principals who believe social and emotional skills should be included in state education standards and guidance has nearly doubled (from 25% to 49%).
Transforming Education Publishes Three-Part Series on Fostering Strong Relationships in Schools
Throughout the month of October, Transforming Education released a series of briefs that highlight students’ and educators’ perspectives about developing and sustaining strong relationships in school. These perspectives were collected during a series of visits they conducted to school campuses across the country in which students reported strong social-emotional skills and favorable perceptions of their school environments. Each brief summarizes the latest research on building strong relatoinships in schools and provides additional resources that teachers and leaders can use to foster strong relationships in schools.
Other Headlines:
- More schools are teaching kids how to cope with emotions. Which programs actually work? (via PBS News Hour)
- Unpacking EdSurge’s “Stories of Change” Report (via Inside SEL)
- Identity-Affirming Schools Need Race-Conscious Educators (via ASCD)
- Academic, health disparities linked (via Education Dive)
- PODCAST: Teacher Mindsets and Student Success (via FutureEd)
- What’s the connection between SEL and Workforce Development? (via Love in a Big World)
- The Incredible Benefits of Letting Students Drive Their Own Learning (via EdSurge)
- Helping Students Peacefully Engage with Emotions (via ASCD)
- SEL Toolkit: Engaging Families (via Move This World)
- A Case Study on Conflict: Restoring Safety in Student Relationships (via ASCD)
- Preparing the Future Workforce of Western Massachusetts (via Rennie Center)
- Persistence Is Not Always Productive: How to Stop Students from Spinning Their Wheels (via EdSurge)
- Responding with Care to Students Facing Trauma (via ASCD)
This Month in SEL | October, 2019
Social emotional learning - Inside SEL 