Integrating Social and Emotional Learning throughout the School System

WestEd

Compilation of resources to support system leaders with implementing integrated SEL structures.

When implementing the “Plan, Do, Study, Act” framework, make sure you are including staff, families and especially students in the process.

District Resource Center

Casel

Schoolwide Resource Center

Casel 

Framework with several activities for creating and maintaining a successful SEL foundation within a school. 

Leaders, make sure you are mindful of creating inclusive spaces for staff and students to design and implement  SEL and Whole child practices systematically.

Integrating Social, Emotional and Academic Development  

Aspen

An action guide for school leadership teams that includes research, equity connections,  guiding questions, vignettes, and suggested action steps. 

Leaders, when designing Professional Learning experiences, refer to this guide for headlines of research and equity implications to ground the vision. 

Assembling a Whole Child Team   <Coming soon!> 

ANet

Chart with guidance on building a Whole Child Team, focused on balancing the strengths of each member.  

Leaders, use this chart before the implementation of any plan begins. Different lenses reviewing and influencing the plan will make for a more robust launch. 

SEL for Educators 

TransformEd

Toolkit including a presentation, resources and mini-modules designed to support educators with their own well-being. 

In a PLC, try exploring one mini-module per session allowing a space for teachers to reflect, discuss, and practice with each high leverage element. 

Why does Social Emotional Learning Matter? 

ANet 

Whitepaper outlining  a fully integrated
approach to academic and social-emotional
Development in response to COVID-19. 

Share this paper with your Whole Child Team or your staff as an anchor into the Why of focusing on SEL alongside academics. 

Whole Child Approach to Education

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative 

Framework with videos, case studies and tools to support the creation of a whole child-centered environment.

The graphic provided here can serve as an anchor for the work; it is a great example of the intersections within a whole-child approach. 

From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope

Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development

Report drawing on two years of conversations, meetings, and site visits across the country including detailed recommendations for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers.

Try using this paper as a book study for learning about the “why” and “how” of Whole Child practices. After each chapter, discuss the implications for students. The Recommendations & Executive Summary can lead to deeper discussions around the intersection of policy and instruction. 

Strength-Based 

StaySmart StaySafe 

3 minute animated video reinforcing how and why to focus on positive behaviors, with clear examples. 

This quick video can be used as a Welcoming RItual or Warm Opener as a way for participants to reflect on not only student strengths but also on their own strengths. 

5 Myths About Social-Emotional Learning 

Understood  

Short article to help reground in the facts of SEL. 

This article could be used as pre-work to a PLC, or the opening of a staff conference or professional learning session. Ask staff to share their thinking around SEL and use this article as a place to discuss widely held misconceptions.

Missed Cues: A Reflective Activity

School Reform Initiative

Protocol that helps educators reflect on times when students can be shut down due to time constraints.

Try using this protocol before looking at student work to help participants think expansively about student experiences. 

The UDL Guidelines

CAST

Framework to improve teaching and learning based on the science of how humans learn.

Use these guidelines as you analyze lesson plans or student work.  Ask yourself: “How do our lesson plans value students’ humanity? Does the student work exemplify expert learners who are motivated, knowledgeable, and strategic? How did the design of the lesson or unit lead to these examples of student work?” 

Antiracism and Universal Design for Learners

CAST

1 hour webinar challenging educator mindsets and systems that stifle Black and Brown learners. 

Use this webinar alongside the UDL Guidelines and Whole Child Framework to shift mindsets and reflect on how and when your school system is stifling Black and Brown learners. 

Social Emotional Learning Teacher Practices 

Novo & Education First 

Videos and profiles of three schools currently implementing SEL practices. 

Review these examples prior to analyzing data as a reminder of how SEL can be integrated alongside academics, and how student humanity and identity is at the heart of making academic shifts.