National News and ResourcesUsing SEL Frameworks to Improve Implementation
Webinar, 5/29/2019, 10:00AM-4:00PM
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a field with a growing number of different frameworks, tools that help organize ideas and provide a foundation for thinking, communicating, and acting. Having so many frameworks can be confusing, and selecting a framework can be difficult. CASEL’s Assessment Work Group (AWG) has published a series of briefs to address this challenge. Register for this webinar to better understand and grapple with the challenges and opportunities multiple SEL frameworks can present.Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Call for Proposals
Deadline June 6th for Proposals: 150K for Partnerships with Systems to Disrupt Dehumanization Forward Promise aims to seed new approaches to support boys and young men of color to heal, grow and thrive. Selected organizations will receive up to $150,000 to support the planning, implementation and evaluation of partnership efforts between community-based organizations and youth-serving systems such as education, housing, health and more. Check out more info at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Social Emotional Learning and Equity: Potential Pitfalls and Recommendations
The National Equity Project reminds us that, “The promise of social and emotional development as a lever for increasing educational equity rests on the capacity of educators to understand that all learning is social and emotional and all learning is mediated by relationships that sit in a sociopolitical, racialized context – for all children, not just those who are black and brown.” How are you talking about social and emotional learning within your organization, and how are you putting it into practice? Are you experiencing any of the pitfalls that may occur when we say we’re implementing SEL in order to make progress on equity and inclusion? The National Equity Project outlines common pitfalls, and recommendations to guide us in our pursuit of educational equity.
Dena Simmons: Without Context, Social-Emotional Learning Can Backfire
Dena Simmons, assistant director at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, warns of the ways social and emotional learning can be used to reinforce a false and harmful narrative about children of color. In this article, she addresses this challenge: “At the heart of this all, however, is a need for educators—those folks ultimately in charge of the SEL instruction—to recognize and confront their own internalized racism and sexism, defensiveness and lack of true SEL understanding as it applies to their own awareness and biases.”
Ready by 21 National Meeting
Every year, the Ready by 21 National Meeting brings together hundreds of leaders from around the country who are working to get all young people ready by 21 – for college, work and life. We were excited the 8th annual Ready by 21 National Meeting took place this year in Seattle, with School’s Out Washington playing the role of Lead Local Partner. Over 650 leaders convened April 23-25 to hear strategies, research and stories about partnering for better impact, aligning policies, improving program quality and performance, and embracing readiness in the pursuit of equity. Check out videos of keynote presentations and find materials and resources from workshop presenters.
Get the SEL Game Guide from Playworks
Download a new guide to more than 150 games that will help kids practice social and emotional skills, with facilitation tips to make playtime safe and inclusive. Find games by skill, grade level, time and space available, and more.
Social and Emotional Learning in Practice: A Toolkit and Online Trainings
Check out University of Minnesota’s SEL toolkit and online workshops. Their SEL training suite will help you design programs to support SEL, recognize and respond to unexpected opportunities to learn and practice SEL skills, and apply resources and activities from their recently updated SEL Toolkit.
SEL as a Lever for Equity
CASEL has updated and expanded many of their resources online. Check out this tool on how to center Equity in your districtwide SEL implementation. The tool provides questions for your consideration, from “Have we organized fiscal and human resources to support efforts around SEL and equity?” to “Do we provide supports necessary for educators to recognize and assess the impact of their own beliefs, perspectives, and biases?”
Integrating SEAD: An Action Guide for School Leadership Teams
This Action Guide from the Aspen Institute was developed to help school leadership teams integrate the social, emotional, and academic needs of young people into the daily student experience. The guide has five sections: Vision of Student Success, Student Learning Experience, Adult Learning in Support of Student Success, Learning Environment and School Climate, and Asset Mapping and Resource Allocation. |