It’s hard to believe that we are in March! At YDEKC, we have started to connect with folks across the Road Map region to gather data for regional and district-level SEL landscape scans. We aim to get a better understanding of what practices are in place that support whole child outcomes and what supports are needed so that young people have access to learning environments where every child feels safe, supported, connected, and inspired to learn and thrive. These landscape scans will be a general summary of various interviews and reports such as our
regional SEL Survey from last fall, and will identify opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and alignment.
As part of the landscape scan, we are interested in identifying local bright spots where schools and youth serving organizations are collaborating to support a whole child whole day framework. Does one come to mind? Please let us know by filling out this 3-minute survey. We’d love to connect and learn more about their approach.
Finally, save the date for the 2018 Road Map Region Whole Child/Social Emotional Learning Symposium! We will be returning to Highline College on Friday, August 10 for a day full of cross-sector learning and connection. For more information on past Symposiums, check out resources from 2016 and 2017.
Local News and Resources
Know of local resources geared towards strengthening adult strategies and practices that support social emotional skill development in young people? E-mail
mgrife@ydekc.org.
Local Bright Spot: Boys & Girls Club of King County
As we scan the Road Map region for practices and strategies that support whole child outcomes, we are inspired to see a plethora of organizations building programs intentionally focused on social emotional skill development. Check out our Bright Spot blog post to find out how Boys and Girls Club of King County is embedding SEL in summer programs.
Best Starts for Kids Trauma-Informed and Restorative Practices RFP Due April 9
The Trauma-Informed and Restorative Practices (K-12, early learning and post-secondary) Request for Proposal through Best Starts for Kids focuses on supporting innovative approaches to implement trauma-informed and restorative practices in school environments. The goal of these projects and partnerships is that they will result in reduced use of punitive and exclusionary discipline practices, and in reduced disproportionality in student outcomes, by providing all children with safe, nurturing, environments that support their social, emotional, and academic development. The proposals are for up to $300,000 for 3 year awards to schools and their partners throughout King County. Two information sessions are coming up on March 13 in Kenmore and March 14 in North Bend. The RFP was released on February 9 with a due date of April 9 at 2:00 p.m.
Re-blog: If you could reinvent school what would you do?
This post features two local educators doing great work to transform school culture and climate by using trauma-informed approaches. “It’s subtle. The work is in the little things: seeing kids and allowing them to bring their whole selves to the classroom.”
Highline School District engages families & communities via a Thought Exchange
Highline hosted an online community conversation on social emotional learning and asked questions on how to better support students’ social and emotional wellbeing at school. Check out the themes that emerged from this thought exchange of nearly 300 people.
2018 Regional Teacher of the Year Featured in Golden Apple Moment
This “Golden Apple Moment” features Regional Teacher of the Year Denisha Saucedo, a 6th grade teacher at Kent Elementary who sat on the panel for YDEKC’s Social Emotional Learning Symposium for Practitioners in 2017. She describes creating a classroom where she holds all students to high expectations and challenges them in the way she wanted to be pushed when she was a child. Her expertise in meeting the social emotional and academic needs of her students enables her to do just that.
Mindful Educator Retreat
August 13-15th, Islandwood, Bainbridge Island, WA
This three-day retreat (with clock hours) is led by Space Between, an organization that brings research-based practices in yoga, breathing, and mindfulness to educators, and families across WA State. This retreat focuses on personal exploration and practical application of mindfulness for your classroom or school.
Launch of Laura van Dernoot Lipsky’s New Book
June 10th, 5–6:30 PM, Seattle University
The Trauma Stewardship Institute is celebrating the launch of Laura van Dernoot Lipsky’s “Overwhelmed: Strategies for the Long Haul”. Register for this free event.
SEL and Racial Equity in Washington State’s Public Schools
March 27th, 12:00-1:00 pm. Webinar
The WA Education Ombuds will host a webinar on SEL and Racial Equity. Mary Fertakis, M.Ed., and Rose Spidell, Senior Ombuds, discuss ways to ensure racial equity when implementing social emotional learning programs in Washington State’s public schools. For event and registration info, check out the info here.
Positive Discipline in the Classroom
June 25 & 26, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm. 2100 Building, Seattle
Create a classroom/school environment where students feel encouraged and engaged in learning, solve their own friendship issues, and feel a sense of connection and value. Register here.
SEL for Washington Tracks Legislation Connected to Social Emotional Learning
Check out SEL for Washington’s Bill Tracker to follow the latest legislation that relates to supporting student mental health and wellbeing and improving access and opportunity for student learning ensuring the success of every student in Washington schools.
National News and Resources
Stop Bullying Before It Starts: Giving Kids a Voice
Cartoon Network, working in consultation with the Making Caring Common Project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, commissioned a nationally-representative survey of more than 1,000 9- to 11-year-olds, to hear directly from them about their experiences with bullying, kindness, caring and inclusion. The survey offers insights that can help inform adults’ efforts to stop bullying before it starts. For example, youth say that “it would help if adults could give kids more ideas about what to do or say in tough situations or show kids good ways of dealing with their anger.” Check out the report for other key findings.
Equity and SEL Webinar
The first of several webinars from CASEL focusing on how social and emotional learning can support educational equity. The recording and slides are posted on the CASEL website at https://casel.org/cdi-results/.
CASEL’s Key Implementation Insights from the Collaborating Districts Initiative
Published in June 2017, we were reminded recently of this report on key insights gleaned from a multiyear effort to help school districts integrate social and emotional learning across all aspects of their work. With examples of how SEL is being implemented in districts such as Anchorage and Chicago, CASEL reflects on the learning, impact, and next steps for this work.
The Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development: Survey and Interim Report
The Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, which was launched to “advance a new vision for what constitutes success for our schools and our students,” seeks your input in the process of preparing recommendations for the fall. Submit your feedback here. The Commission recently released their Interim Report to share what they have learned so far, which includes key points such as (a) learning is social and emotional, (b) the interconnectedness of social, emotional, and academic development must be reflected in all aspects of schooling, (c) educators’ social and emotional competence is crucial to this work, and (d) local communities need to shape and drive the process of comprehensively supporting students.
Kernels of Practice for SEL: Low- Cost, Low Burden Strategies
A new brief on social and emotional learning from Stephanie Jones’ EASEL Lab at Harvard University. The brief highlights “low-cost, targeted strategies, or “kernels”, that could be taught quickly and have the potential to build students’ SEL skills in a cohesive and complementary way across settings.
How a District Integrates SEL with Academics
This story, part of a video series produced by Edutopia, takes a look at how Nashville is closing the opportunity gap by integrating SEL across the district. It also includes links to district-wide tools such as a walkthrough implementation rubric that each school uses to integrate social, emotional, and academic development.