Out-of-school time: "A supervised program that young people regularly attend when school is not in session. This can include before- and after- school programs on a school campus or facilities such as academic programs (e.g., reading or math focused programs), specialty programs (e.g., sports teams, STEM, arts enrichment), and multipurpose programs that provide an array of activities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)." https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/ost.htm
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).
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.
Develop a coordinated approach for supporting students’ social and emotional learning across the school, classrooms, homes, and communities.
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).
Reflect on Personal Social and Emotional Skills
Carol Dweck is a psychologist who researches achievement and success. Her major finding is that those who have a “growth mindset”—those who believe that their abilities are developed through dedication and hard work, not innate talent—are more likely to be resilient when things get tough and persevere to achieve goals (Dweck, 2006).
Before launching an SEL action plan, it’s important to take stock of what is going on across your school and previous SEL-related efforts. Build on your strengths and learn from members of your school community who have seen many initiatives come and go by honoring and reflecting on the work that has come before.
Make a plan to evaluate progress
With clear goals in place, determine what data you’ll need to collect throughout the year to measure progress and continuously improve your implementation plan. Consider these questions when planning how to evaluate your SEL efforts: What type of data will help us understand if we are making progress toward our goals? Who will be in […]
If you are new to the CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL, start by getting more familiar with the 10 indicators of schoolwide SEL as this will serve as a reference point as you work with your school community to develop a vision for SEL. You’ll also want to begin recruiting a solid team to distribute […]
Equipped with clear goals, action steps, and a plan to measure progress throughout the year, your SEL team should meet regularly to monitor that action steps are occurring and to reflect on data to see whether the school is achieving desired outcomes and adjust course as needed.
Collaboratively develop a shared vision for schoolwide SEL that is communicated to the entire school community, informs planning and implementation, and is revisited regularly.