This month in SEL: the second annual International SEL Day is less than a month away, CASEL releases a new brief focused on a successful second semester, how the pandemic has changed the role of school counselors… and more!
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2nd Annual International SEL Day is March 26
The Urban Assembly and SEL4US invite communities across the globe to celebrate the importance of social emotional learning (SEL) on the second annual International SEL Day on March 26, 2021. The theme for this year’s event: Building Bonds, Reimagining Community.
On March 26, 2021, the SEL community will come together to showcase SEL in our communities across the globe, promote SEL to our personal and professional networks, advocate SEL with our policymakers, and support SEL in our schools, organizations and communities.
To learn more about how to get involved as a participant or sponsor, visit the SEL Day website.
CASEL Releases a Brief Focused on SEL Strategies for a Successful Second Semester
With the second half of the 2020-21 academic year upon us, prioritizing student and adult social-emotional learning remains as important as ever.
In a new brief released by CASEL—called “Refocus on the SEL Roadmap: Actions for a Successful Second Semester”—district and school leadership teams can explore three social-emotional learning strategies to prepare for a successful second semester. This resource builds on the SEL Critical Practices outlined in CASEL’s July 2020 “Roadmap for Reopening Schools.”
The Pandemic’s Impact on the Role of School Counselors
A recent study from the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) found that the day-to-day challenges of school counselors have shifted significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Getting access to students in a virtual environment (cited by 68 percent of respondents) and providing counseling to students in a virtual environment (mentioned by 62 percent) include new obstacles. Just a little over half (53 percent) said managing a high caseload was either “challenging” or “extremely challenging.” And 51 percent said it was a continual challenge to close “opportunity and achievement gaps.”
The number of students being advised by each counselor continued to decline, from 455 students for every one counselor, reported in 2019 by the organization, to 430:1 in the latest survey. The optimal ratio recommended by the ASCA is 250:1. Just a quarter of counselors reported that they were responsible for 250 or fewer students.
7 Social-Emotional Learning Jobs Your District Needs to Hire for in 2021
This resource from Panorama Education includes an overview of seven different SEL-related positions that school districts around the country are hiring for, including two emerging roles that are new in 2021.
In addition to a downloadable toolkit with pre-written job descriptions, this article can offer insight into the SEL job market and common titles, roles, and responsibilities that are most trending in districts right now.
Other Headlines:
- Child Psychiatrists Warn That The Pandemic May Be Driving Up Kids’ Suicide Risk
- Why we need to rebuild our schools with empathy and equity
- 6 Strategies to Increase Parent Engagement in SEL
- Coping with anxiety: How to help students (and yourself)
- Selecting and implementing a social and emotional learning curriculum
- SEL at Home: Top Resources to Share with Families
- Remote students are more stressed than their peers in the classroom, study shows
- The Key to Better Student Engagement Is Letting Them Show You How They Learn
- 10 Trending SEL Podcasts for District Leaders and Educators
This Month in SEL | February, 2021
Social emotional learning - Inside SEL 