Indicators of Districtwide SEL

District and school staff, board members, students, families, and community partners feel shared ownership over the district’s collaboratively developed vision for SEL and know their role in promoting SEL. District stakeholders use common language to describe SEL competencies and strategies, and explicitly call out SEL as essential to student success.  Read more in Focus Area 1, Key Activity: Shared Vision and Plan.

SEL is woven into district systems and structures, such as instructional frameworks, school improvement initiatives, and student support systems. District policies, including discipline, are aligned with SEL and promote equitable student outcomes. Read more in Focus Area 1, Key Activity: Organizational Structure and Focus Area 3, Key Activity: Integration.

District leaders prioritize SEL in long-term planning and decision-making, and ensure adequate resources to support high-quality implementation. School leaders prioritize and dedicate staff time to SEL implementation in their buildings. Staff at all levels have access to coaching, professional learning and other necessary resources to support their efforts. Read more in Focus Area 1, Key Activity: Aligned Resources.

Staff at all levels feel supported and connected to their colleagues and engage in ongoing reflection and learning around their own social, emotional and cultural competence. School and district staff consistently model SEL in their interactions with students, staff, families, and community members. Read more in Focus Area 2 – Strengthen Adult SEL competencies and capacity.

To promote positive outcomes, evidence-based programs and approaches for explicit SEL instruction are implemented in schools and classrooms as designed, including following a program’s scope, sequence, and frequency of lessons and activities. Staff responsible for implementation have access to necessary support and materials, and feel confident in their ability to facilitate SEL programs and practices. Read more in Focus Area 3, Key Activity: Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.

Hear from El Paso in Practices of Promise: Selecting Evidence-Based Programs Through Meaningful Partnerships (PDF)

SEL language and practices are embedded throughout academic instruction and classroom routines. Teachers across the district foster equitable learning environments and use culturally-responsive, developmentally-appropriate SEL standards or guidelines in their instructional planning and decision-making. Read more in Focus Area 3, Key Activity: Integration.

The district honors and elevates a broad range of student perspectives and experiences by engaging students as leaders, problem solvers, and decision-makers. See Resources for Youth Voice.

Families have regular and meaningful opportunities to collaborate with district and school staff to support students’ social, emotional, and academic development and guide the district’s SEL plan. Read more in Focus Area 3, Key Activity: Family and Community Partnerships.

The district leverages community partners and aligns on common language, strategies, and communication around all SEL-related efforts and initiatives, during school and out-of-school time. Read more in Focus Area 3, Key Activity: Family and Community Partnerships.

The district SEL team collects and regularly reflects on both implementation and outcome data, in order to monitor progress and continuously improve all SEL-related systems, practices, and policies. School teams engage regularly in reflecting on data, sharing learnings and strategies, and developing plans for improving quality of schoolwide SEL implementation. Read more in Focus Area 4: Practice Continuous Improvement.