Social & Emotional Learning

Talking Circles: for Restorative Justice and Beyond

Learn how talking circles can serve other purposes beyond restorative justice, such as creating safe spaces, building connections and offering teachers a unique means of formative assessment. The article addresses four main areas of concern by providing background context and filling readers in on where the SEL movement has been, the strategic thinking that has guided CASEL field leaders and collaborators, and the possibilities for the future.

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Social and emotional learning is hegemonic miseducation: students deserve humanization instead

This article examines the pedagogy and psychology of humanization as a viable framework to confront systemically imposed self-hate, divide and conquer, and sub oppression if it teaches students knowledge (and love) of self, solidarity, and self-determination. The ahistorical objectives of social and emotional learning fall short of repairing the cultural contempt of hegemonic miseducation and does not address the primary social forces negatively impacting the health and wellness of communities of color – their colonial relationship with inequitable social systems. In this article, it is posited that humanization be put in place of social and emotional learning because SEL’s inadequate analysis of intersecting oppressions justifies existing power relations in communities and schools.

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6 Ways to Sustain SEL in Schools

Sustaining SEL efforts over the long term is crucial to allow children to adequately develop these skills. But that sustainability faces barriers in the form of staff turnover, limitations on resources, and competing for precious classroom time against other programs and initiatives. This article provides six key ways to support sustaining SEL PreK–12 efforts districtwide.

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From a Nation of Risk to a Nation of Hope

This report explores how the promotion of social, emotional, and academic learning is not a shifting educational fad; it is the substance of education itself. A solid body of scientific evidence confirms that learning has social, emotional, and cognitive dimensions that are inextricably linked. It is not a distraction from the “real work” of math and English instruction; it is how instruction can succeed. And it is not another reason for political polarization. It brings together a traditionally conservative emphasis on local control and on the character of all students, and a historically progressive emphasis on the creative and challenging art of teaching and the social and emotional needs of all students, especially those who have experienced the greatest challenges. Based on conversations with hundreds of people across the nation over the past two years, including students and their families, the report’s recommendations describe strategies that can help local communities address young people’s comprehensive development, including illustrative examples from the field.

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Building a Culture of Joyful Learning

Research shows that students who feel known and valued are more prepared to meaningfully engage in learning. Students who experience a sense of belonging have better self-esteem, higher rates of classroom participation, and higher academic achievement (Korpershoek, 2018). As a result of creating a positive school climate for both students and educators, the elementary school featured in this report had the conditions in place to make rapid academic gains. When educators implemented the instructional improvements described in this case study, student proficiency improved dramatically because children were in the right mindset for learning.

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Connecting Schoolwide SEL with Other School-Based Frameworks

Some of the most common frameworks for organizing student supports are Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Adopting schoolwide SEL does not mean that a school must abandon these existing frameworks. Rather, schoolwide SEL offers an opportunity to enhance or refine existing systems of support. This guide from CASEL defines Schoolwide SEL, MTSS, and PBIS, then describes how these frameworks can align with and complement one another.

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