Community Partnerships (Aligned Community Partnerships): Schools and community partners aligning on common language, strategies, and communication around all SEL-related efforts and initiatives, including out-of-school time. CASEL - Indicators of Schoolwide SEL
While your team works to align school discipline policies to SEL, it’s important to ensure that all classrooms consistently reinforce a student-centered approach to discipline.
Expand adult learning through structures such as professional learning communities and mentoring opportunities.
Collaboratively develop a shared vision for schoolwide SEL that is communicated to the entire school community, informs planning and implementation, and is revisited regularly.
Focus Area 2: Continuous Improvement Connections
A safe and supportive school climate is an important factor for improving academic, behavioral, and mental health outcomes for students (Thapa, 2013).
Model SEL with Students and Families
When staff model social and emotional competencies in their interactions with students and families, they intentionally embody SEL and set the stage for trusting relationships that catalyze learning and partnership.
Align schoolwide systems, policies, programs, and practices to promote SEL for students.
Support staff in modeling SEL competencies, mindsets, and skills throughout the school community.
Build on Strengths and Experience
Schools, like the greater society, are becoming increasingly more diverse in culture, ethnicity, race, language, values, and beliefs. This diversity has countless positive benefits, but it can also present challenges.
Belonging and Emotional Safety
When teachers build the structures that support belonging and emotional safety, they lay the groundwork for students to focus on learning (Sergiovanni, 1994 in Darling-Hammond et al., 2017).
The CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL provides an intentional and collaborative implementation process. Find out where to begin.