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Resources
Below, you’ll find resources to help develop a shared vision and plan for SEL.
See how districts have strategized and planned
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Readiness Considerations for Schoolwide SEL This reflection tool outlines readiness considerations that could benefit a school community embarking on the process of building a schoolwide SEL effort, and can be useful to district leaders preparing to guide a cohort of schools with SEL implementation. Many of these readiness factors can be reinforced over time and/or built while the school community works towards systemic SEL. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Fellowship Spotlight – Finding a Focus for Systemic SEL SEL Fellow and district SEL leader in St. Paul Sara Lein describes their process of developing a shared vision and strategic framework for SEL with more than 400 participants, including students, parents, school district staff, and community members. Visit https://casel.org/series/sel-fellows-briefs/ for more briefs from SEL Fellows. SOURCE: CASEL |
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The Continuous Improvement Journey: Where Are We now and Where Do We Want To Go? This brief offers a case study focused on Guilford County Schools in North Carolina, to illustrate the experience of a research-practice partnership between CASEL researchers and the district and the use of goal-setting, data, and reflection for continuous improvement. SOURCE: CASEL |
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2011 to 2021: 10 Years of SEL in U.S. School Districts Ten years ago, CASEL began collaborating with school district SEL leaders to explore the question - Is it possible to implement SEL systemically to positively impact students across a large urban school district? Not only did districts demonstrate that it was possible, but every district has deepened and expanded SEL implementation since joining the collaborative. This anniversary report details 6 key insights from these districts about how they were able to sustain SEL over the long term, even as the people and contexts within the district changed. SOURCE: CASEL |
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SEL Implementation Guide from Austin ISD In this resource, Austin Independent School District shares an overview of their SEL story, the results they have seen, and tips learned along the way. This presents a detailed and successful model to share with district leaders who are preparing an implementation plan or just beginning to consider investing in SEL. SOURCE: Austin Independent School District |
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Washoe County School District 3 Year Implementation Plan – High School A flow chart from Washoe County School District illustrating the process of schoolwide SEL development over 3 years, with roles for district staff, principal, and SEL Leadership Team members. SOURCE: Washoe County School District |
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Washoe County School District 3 Year Implementation Plan – Middle School A flow chart from Washoe County School District illustrating the process of schoolwide SEL development over 3 years, with roles for district staff, principal, and SEL Leadership Team members. SOURCE: Washoe County School District |
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Thompson School District Strategic Plan Thompson School District in Loveland, Colorado, deeply imbeds SEL throughout their strategic plan, Strive 2025. The plan includes a Portrait of a Graduate, which guides their SEL vision and the development of SEL standards describing what a student should know and be able to do. SOURCE: Thompson School District |
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El Paso SEL Implementation Report This report on El Paso's first year of SEL implementation answers the questions: How was SEL capacity built? How has SEL impacted climate and perception? How has SEL impacted discipline and attendance? and How do school stakeholders view their implementation success? SOURCE: El Paso Independent School District |
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Austin's strategic plan for districtwide SEL implementation includes core beliefs, the district vision, and 5 key priorities for a three year period. SOURCE: Austin Independent School District |
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SEL Trends: Empowering Youth Voice From CASEL's SEL Trends series, this issue describes ways that Chicago, Cleveland and Washoe County school districts have recognized students as experts of the school experience and built structures for students to better influence school and district decisions and practices. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Social and Emotional Learning, Explained (video) Education Week staff writer Evie Blad briefly and humorously explains some of the core ideas of SEL, how districts approach implementation, and the challenge of measuring SEL -- a simple and neutral video summary for district stakeholders beginning to think about SEL implementation. SOURCE: Education Week |
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Sacramento City Districtwide SEL Program Inventory This is an example of a third-party report on SEL programs and practices throughout the district, shared by Sacramento City, including a site level inventory as well as findings and recommendations regarding implementation and monitoring. SOURCE: Sacramento City Unified School District |
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On the Road to Collecting SEL Data This presentation from Keeneyville School District describes their timeline of districtwide SEL implementation, the development of their walk-through protocol, and the way observaton data has been shared and used to drive improvement. SOURCE: Keeneyville School District 20 |
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Washoe County’s 17 Item Student Social and Emotional Competency Self Report Summary of the process of developing a 17 item student self-assessment of SEL used in Washoe, including the use of student focus groups, with results and connection to achievement and behavior outcomes. Item text is included. SOURCE: Washoe County School District |
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Sacramento City Districtwide SEL Program Inventory This is an example of a third-party report on SEL programs and practices throughout the district, shared by Sacramento City, including a site level inventory as well as findings and recommendations regarding implementation and monitoring. SOURCE: Sacramento City Unified School District |
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Washoe County SEL Needs Assessment Report This baseline report shared by Washoe County includes findings and recommendations from a districtwide program inventory, counselor focus groups, student SEL skills assessments, school climate surveys, and behavior-related data. SOURCE: Washoe County School District |
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Austin's sample process for growing a cohort of SEL leadership schools and expanding the scope of SEL work at each over time. SOURCE: Austin Independent School District |
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Naperville, IL – One District’s Journey from Commitment to Assessment Naperville's presentation sharing their SEL implementation timeline, process of curriculum development, and measurement plan. SOURCE: Naperville Community Unit School District 203 |
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Washoe County 3 Year Implementation Plan – Elementary A flow chart from Washoe County illustrating the process of schoolwide SEL development over 3 years, with roles for district staff, principal, and SEL Leadership Team members. SOURCE: Washoe County School District |
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Find ready-to-use tools
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Systems-Wide Reflection: Indicators of Schoolwide and Districtwide SEL This chart sets CASEL’s Indicators of Districtwide SEL and Indicators of Schoolwide SEL side by side, with links to further information, suggested implementation processes, and examples. District leaders can use this tool to guide reflection, conversation, and planning about how social and emotional learning (SEL) is integrated throughout systems at the school level and at the district level. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Continuous Improvement for Social and Emotional Learning: Establishing Your Goals (video) This video summarizes a process for setting clear, measurable goals for SEL. For more information and tools about goal setting, explore: |
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Districtwide SEL Action Planning Workbook (APW) Once district leaders have built a shared understanding of SEL, teams can use this workbook to organize priorities and goals and build a robust action plan to guide their work and exploration of the District Resource Center. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Develop a Long-term SEL Implementation Roadmap This tool provides a template and step-by-step instructions to help district SEL teams develop a three to five-year roadmap for SEL implementation to achieve the district’s long-term SEL goals and shared vision. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Districtwide SEL Program and Initiative Inventory This tool is designed to help district social and emotional learning (SEL) teams learn about past and current SEL-related work being implemented across the district. In combination with the Districtwide SEL Implementation Rubric, this tool serves as a needs and resources assessment to bridge the gap between the district's shared vision and long-term SEL goals and an implementation plan. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Develop Annual Goals and Action Plan for SEL This tool is designed to help district SEL teams develop goals and an action plan for a single year of districtwide SEL implementation. It builds on a district's shared vision, long-term SEL goals, and SEL implementation roadmap. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Partnering with School Boards to Promote SEL Successful districtwide SEL implementation engages board members as partners in the process. This tool includes five considerations for creating robust district and school board partnerships. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Create a Stakeholder Map to Support a Strategic Plan for SEL This tool was made to help district leaders (in particular superintendents and designated SEL leaders) identify key stakeholders and determine how best to bring in their voice and support in the process of strategic planning and continuous improvement for districtwide SEL implementation. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Using an SEL lens to review the vision and/or mission of a school district or organization This short activity can be led by a superintendent after a presentation about SEL to board members, or by any leader who wants to facilitate a discussion of how/whether SEL is already positioned within the mission and vision of the district, school, or organization. SOURCE: CASEL |
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The District Resource Center: Essentials The DRC Essentials is a mini-book that contains a printable summary of the 4 focus areas and 14 key activities that make up CASEL's District Theory of Action, along with a set of core planning tools to help districts organize priorities and goals and build a robust action plan to guide their work. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Use this worksheet to help develop a districtwide vision that helps establish SEL as integral to high-quality education, and will serve as the basis for the district's SEL goals, plans, allocation of resources, and continuous improvement. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Portrait of a Graduate – Framing a Vision for your School System Battelle for Kids has built out a design process with examples and supporting materials for bringing together stakeholders to co-create a Portrait of a Graduate, i.e. the community's goals for its students. SOURCE: Battelle for Kids |
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Districtwide Indicators of SEL Implementation CASEL’s District Framework identifies key activities for districtwide SEL implementation. When these activities are fully implemented, districts infuse SEL into every aspect of students’ educational experience -- across their classrooms, schools, homes and communities. The indicators below provide evidence of high-quality implementation throughout the district. SOURCE: CASEL |
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SEL: Creating Safe & Supportive Learning Environments (video) Creating a safe, supportive environment for social and emotional learning (SEL) has been, and remains, a high priority for CASEL. It is inherent in our focus on integrating SEL into all aspects of school and district practice through a systemic approach. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Logic Model Template and Example Your strategic plan is intended to move your district from its current state to where you want to be. It’s helpful to begin your strategic plan with a logic model to create a clear connection between your implementation strategies and your ultimate goals. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Districtwide SEL Needs and Resources Assessment Before, during, or after completing the Districtwide SEL Implementation Rubric, use this template as note-taking space to examine existing needs and resources around SEL implementation. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Track Your School’s Progress Toward Implementing Schoolwide SEL Part of CASEL's Guide to Schoolwide SEL, this page includes a rubric and planner, a walkthrough protocol to look for signs of high-quality implementation, and a staff survey to gather staff perceptions to inform decisions and next steps. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Multi-year Plan for Districtwide SEL Template to accompany the CASEL Theory of Action to reflect on current strengths and challenges and set short and long term goals for districtwide SEL implementation. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Develop Long-Term Goals for Districtwide SEL This tool explains how to set long-term SMARTIE-style goals for districtwide SEL implementation. Provides guidelines to get the committee started, step-by-step instructions for defining goals that reflect the district's shared vision, and examples. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Data Sources to Analyze SEL Implementation and Outcomes Use this tool as you consider what kind of data you will need and find data sources you can use to assess progress toward your SEL goals. SOURCE: CASEL |
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SEL Inventory – Secondary Interview This interview protocol was used by evaluators at secondary school sites in Sacramento City to gather baseline data on the implementation of SEL programs and practices. Includes handouts that were provided to interviewees. SOURCE: Sacramento City Unified School District |
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SEL Inventory – Elementary Interview This interview protocol was used by evaluators at elementary school sites in Sacramento City to gather baseline data on the implementation of SEL programs and practices. Includes handouts that were provided to interviewees. SOURCE: Sacramento City Unified School District |
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This strengths inventory will help a school-based SEL team determine which strategies are being used at all levels of schoolwide SEL: SEL curriculum & instruction, schoolwide practice & policies, and family & community-level partnerships. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Key Stakeholders for an SEL Vision This chart lists participants to involve in the drafting of a district vision for SEL. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Vision Statement 3 Step Process A 3 step process for developing an SEL vision statement with input from a diverse group of stakeholders. SOURCE: CASEL |
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See artifacts shared by districts and schools
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Fellowship Spotlight – Finding a Focus for Systemic SEL SEL Fellow and district SEL leader in St. Paul Sara Lein describes their process of developing a shared vision and strategic framework for SEL with more than 400 participants, including students, parents, school district staff, and community members. Visit https://casel.org/series/sel-fellows-briefs/ for more briefs from SEL Fellows. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Austin ISD – Statement of Purpose This statement from Austin ISD's Social & Emotional Learning and Cultural Proficiency & Inclusiveness department describes a guiding vision and defines the role of the department. SOURCE: Austin Independent School District |
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Baltimore City Public Schools SEL Evaluation Framework Developed with evaluation partner Hanover Research, this document provides a framework for the evaluation of Baltimore's social and emotional learning programming. SOURCE: Baltimore City Public Schools |
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Thompson School District Strategic Plan Thompson School District in Loveland, Colorado, deeply imbeds SEL throughout their strategic plan, Strive 2025. The plan includes a Portrait of a Graduate, which guides their SEL vision and the development of SEL standards describing what a student should know and be able to do. SOURCE: Thompson School District |
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Sacramento City Unified School District Strategic Plan Sac City's strategic plan integrates SEL and equity objectives throughout and is built around goals of college and career readiness, safety and emotional health, and family and community empowerment. SOURCE: Sacramento City Unified School District |
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Chicago School Climate Standards and Self-Assessment The Chicago Public Schools' School Climate Standards includes 17 key indicators organized into four domains: School-wide Environment and Leadership, Physical and Emotional Safety, Relational Trust, and Teaching and Learning. This document also includes a self-assessment to support school-level continuous improvement and resources to include student voice assessing school climate. SOURCE: Chicago Public Schools |
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Chicago Public Schools Three-Year Vision Chicago's vision and plan integrates SEL throughout its priorities, highlighted best in the section on safe and supportive learning environments. SOURCE: Chicago Public Schools |
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Washoe County School District 4 Fundamentals A summarized view of the district vision (curriculum & instruction, inclusive practice, climate & engagement, and multi-tiered systems of support). SOURCE: Washoe County School District |
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Baltimore City Schools’ Blueprint for Success Baltimore City Schools' vision lays out the district's priorities around SEL, literacy, and leadership. SOURCE: Baltimore City Public Schools |
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El Paso SEL Implementation Plan El Paso's plan lays out a map for rolling out SEL to Central Office and in all schools over a 6 year period, with differentiated goals and support planned for each of 5 school cohorts. SOURCE: El Paso Independent School District |
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Chicago Public Schools Districtwide Vision – Safe and Supportive Schools Chicago's vision and plan integrates SEL throughout its priorities and core values, highlighted best in the section on Safety and Support. SOURCE: Chicago Public Schools |
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Sacramento City Strategic Plan and Core Values Sacramento's strategic plan prominently features and integrates equity and social emotional health throughout and states clear actions and proposed services. SOURCE: Sacramento City Unified School District |
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Sacramento City Districtwide SEL Program Inventory This is an example of a third-party report on SEL programs and practices throughout the district, shared by Sacramento City, including a site level inventory as well as findings and recommendations regarding implementation and monitoring. SOURCE: Sacramento City Unified School District |
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School and Classroom Walkthrough Rubric (Nashville) Nashville's clear, succinct yet detailed rubric collects data on schoolwide environment, community gatherings, classroom instruction, classroom environment & discipline in order to provide rich, actionable feedback to schools. SOURCE: Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools |
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Nashville’s Strategic Plan for High Schools Nashville's 3 year plan for high schools includes strategies, action steps, and yearly goals for leadership, teaching, and curriculum with highlighted connections to social and emotional learning throughout. SOURCE: Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools |
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Oakland Academic Social Emotional Learning Guidance Document Oakland's guidance document for school leaders describes the district's mission, vision, and tools for measuring success and describes how SEL is part of instructional priorities and multi-tiered systems of support. SOURCE: Oakland Unified School District |
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The El Paso Independent School District strategic plan highlights SEL within its strategic priorities ad learning goals, and as a key initiative within the umbrella of providing engaging and challenging learning. SOURCE: El Paso Independent School District |
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Find resources to help you learn more on this topic
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From EdTrust, this guide offers essential questions to consider when considering how a SEAD assessment fits your local context and purpose, and applies these questions to 11 commonly used assessments (most of which are open-access). SOURCE: EdTrust |
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Continuous Improvement for Social and Emotional Learning: Establishing Your Goals (video) This video summarizes a process for setting clear, measurable goals for SEL. For more information and tools about goal setting, explore: |
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Refocus on the SEL Roadmap: Actions for a Successful Second Semester CASEL offers 3 strategies for a successful second semester amid the coronavirus pandemic, with action steps, tools, and case examples from our partner school districts. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Districtwide SEL Action Planning Workbook (APW) Once district leaders have built a shared understanding of SEL, teams can use this workbook to organize priorities and goals and build a robust action plan to guide their work and exploration of the District Resource Center. SOURCE: CASEL |
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The guide provides practical advice, curated resources, and action steps for school leaders to improve the student experience, calling out specific equity implications in every section to give these issues priority in planning. SOURCE: The Aspen Institute |
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Partnering with School Boards to Promote SEL Successful districtwide SEL implementation engages board members as partners in the process. This tool includes five considerations for creating robust district and school board partnerships. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Are You Ready to Assess Social and Emotional Development? Toolkit from AIR providing key background information about SEL assessment to weigh risks and benefits, a decision tree, and a comprehensive index of validated tools for measuring SEL outcomes. SOURCE: AIR |
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Key Insights from the Collaborating Districts Initiative This CASEL report based on 6 years of the CDI initiative includes insights on what makes implementation work, how districtwide SEL has impacted achievement, and how to scale up successful SEL work. SOURCE: CASEL |
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Enacting Social-Emotional Learning: Lessons from “Outlier Schools” in California’s CORE Districts This research brief looks at the commonalities among California middle schools that reported stronger-than-typical social emotional learning outcomes. These 6 characteristics are elaborated into recommendations for school districts supporting SEL at scale. SOURCE: California CORE Districts |
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