District SEL Best Practices: Cultivating Shared Leadership for Schoolwide SEL

A district SEL leader from Austin, TX describes their leadership structure and approach to supporting SEL implementation through district SEL specialists who provide coaching and training for cohorts of school-based SEL leaders who in turn work with an SEL steering committee that is representative of the broader school community. This model has been shown to significantly improve implementation.

TAGS implementation support SEL coaching for staff implementation plan

Technology and Districtwide SEL: Making SEL a Priority

CASEL collaborated with CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) to describe ways school districts can leverage technology resources to implement districtwide SEL. Find more about how technology can support learning and district decision making at https://www.cosn.org/focus-areas/understanding-educational-environment

TAGS distance learning communications data dashboards

Practices of Promise: Selecting Evidence-Based Programs Through Meaningful Partnerships

Peek into El Paso Independent School District's process for engaging staff, families, and communities in examining and selecting evidence-based SEL programs that align with their school communities’ needs and districtwide vision.

TAGS evidence-based programs family and community engagement

Supporting Implementation of Evidence-Based Programs in El Paso and Oakland

In this webinar you will hear from El Paso Independent School District and Oakland Unified School District on their process to support meaningful implementation of SEL programs in their communities. Hear about their lessons learned, what worked well, and the strategies they employed to improve the adult and student experiences of programs.

TAGS implementation support evidence-based programs

Oakland USD Social and Emotional Learning homepage

Oakland Unified School District's SEL homepage features a mission statement, quotes from school leaders, spotlighted SEL strategies with links to tools and templates, and ways to join different SEL-focused communities of practice.

TAGS communications professional learning

What Is SEL? A Two-Page Summary

This example from a school division in southeastern Virginia provides a quick and accessible look at the 5 SEL competencies, benefits of SEL, and ways school staff support SEL.

TAGS communications community relations building buy-in for SEL

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.

TAGS implementation support model SEL schools professional learning

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.

TAGS model SEL schools implementation plan restorative practices advisory/homeroom community relations instructional practices culture and climate building community out of school student discipline

The Positive Impact of Social Emotional Learning for Kindergarten to Eighth-Grade Students: Executive Summary of Three Scientific Reviews

Findings in this summary of 3 large-scale research reviews of K-8 SEL programs show that SEL is among the most impactful youth development support for school-age youth, and it can be incoprorated into routine educational practice.

TAGS journal article reading lists - staff define SEL metrics evidence-based programs out of school district SEL expertise building buy-in for SEL

CASEL Program Guide: Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs

To support educators in selecting a high-quality SEL program, our Program Guide serves as a Consumer report-style product that showcases well-designed, evidence-based SEL programs (pre-kindergarten through high school) and the impact they have on student and/or teacher outcomes.

TAGS evidence-based programs elementary school grades classroom level SEL leadership