Classroom Agreements: A consensus formed by a group that frames how members wish to interact and relate with each other. They are enforced by the group, rather than authority figure (Reference: National Equity Project).
Align schoolwide systems, policies, programs, and practices to promote SEL for students.
Schoolwide SEL is evidenced by indicators in the classroom, school, family, and community.
Explicit SEL instruction refers to consistent opportunities for students to cultivate, practice, and reflect on social and emotional competencies in ways that are developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive.
Professional Learning About SEL
As staff use shared agreements to guide their interactions, it’s essential that they also reflect on their own social and emotional growth.
Aligning SEL and Academic Objectives
As your SEL team works with teachers to align SEL and academic objectives, it’s also important to consider how the content is delivered so that it supports the practice of social and emotional competencies.
Create meaningful partnership opportunities and two-way communication that invites families to understand, experience, inform, and support the social and emotional development of their students.
Students have a unique perspective on how high-level decisions impact the day-to-day life of the school, and their voices are critical to quality schoolwide SEL implementation. By listening to students, schools can make informed decisions about the changes that will best support all learners.
Adopt an Evidence-Based Program for SEL
Evidence-based SEL programs are grounded in research and principles of child and adolescent development, and scientifically evaluated and shown to produce positive student outcomes.
Set goals and action steps to promote SEL for students
The core of SEL implementation is promoting students’ social and emotional learning throughout the school day and in partnership with families and communities. Because student learning is influenced by their interactions across many relationships and environments, promoting student SEL requires thoughtful coordination of strategies across the settings where students live and learn.
Just as it’s important to model SEL for students in the classroom, it’s also important for adults to consistently model social-emotional competencies with each other.