Evidence-based SEL program: Programs grounded in research and principles of child and adolescent development, and scientifically evaluated and shown to produce positive student outcomes. CASEL identifies high-quality evidence-based programs as those that are well-designed to systematically promote students’ social and emotional competence, provide opportunities for practice, offer multi-year programming, and provide high-quality training and ongoing implementation support. School Guide + Program Guide
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.
Peer Mentoring and Partnership
Mentoring programs can help teachers improve their professional relationships while enhancing their SEL and instructional practice.
Build foundational support by establishing an SEL team, fostering SEL awareness, and developing a shared vision.
Review your current level of implementation, identify needs and resources, set goals, and develop concrete action steps for SEL implementation.
Establish a highly-functioning SEL team that’s representative of the school community and includes students, families, and community groups in decision-making processes.
Engage all members of the school community in foundational learning opportunities to help them understand their role in schoolwide SEL.
Collaboratively develop a shared vision for schoolwide SEL that is communicated to the entire school community, informs planning and implementation, and is revisited regularly.
By building an SEL team that reflects the school community and incorporates many points of view, the school will be better able to meet its needs and build commitment to SEL.
Expand adult learning through structures such as professional learning communities and mentoring opportunities.
Focus Area 1b: Continuous Improvement Connections
The core tool used in this guide is the Schoolwide SEL Implementation Rubric. The rubric provides an overview of a systemic approach to schoolwide SEL, and teams can review it to get a sense of what SEL looks like when it is coordinated across classrooms, the school, homes, and the community.