Newsletter Archive: October 2020

Registered users of the District Resource Center and the Guide to Schoolwide SEL receive quarterly newsletters from CASEL with featured tools and learning opportunities. This issue focuses on sustaining SEL efforts throughout the school year.

TAGS newsletter

Fostering Mental Health and Wellness with Universal Social-Emotional and Behavioral Supports

A concise document describing how SEL supports mental health and academic performance, featuring the work of CASEL partner the School District of Palm Beach county to develop a Tier 1 approach to SEL to support the mental health of all students and staff. Includes links to the resources and tools the district provided to all schools.

TAGS mental health MTSS

Create an SEL Communication Strategy

From the CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL, school-based or district SEL teams can use this tool to plan communications so that all stakeholders are kept abreast of the work and how they can be involved.

TAGS communications community relations

Rapid Learning Cycles for Continuous Improvement

This tool helps a team learn about the effectiveness of their SEL strategies and decide whether they should adjust implementation practices to move closer to their SEL goals.

TAGS continuous improvement implementation monitoring implementation evaluation

Plan SEL Foundational Learning for your School District

This tool can help SEL leaders prepare a broad plan to provide learning experiences for all stakeholders in the school district community, and access resources to support foundational learning about SEL.

TAGS teacher training professional learning family and community engagement

Districts in Action – Promote SEL for Students

This brief spotlights SEL leaders in California, Virginia, and Texas as they share their stories about how their approach to promoting SEL for students took shape and integrated with stakeholder needs related to inclusion, discipline, and tiered supports.

TAGS restorative practices MTSS family and community engagement

SEL Communications Toolkit for School and District Leaders

Extensive focus groups and surveys have shown that the more people know about SEL, the more supportive they become. This toolkit shares five clear actions for a proactive communications strategy for SEL, including examples of effective messages, cautions, and guidance for developing your own materials.

TAGS communications community relations

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

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.

TAGS assessment evidence-based programs data dashboards conducting local SEL research implementation monitoring implementation evaluation

Oakland SEL Journey Map (infographic)

This infographic from Oakland presents the district's SEL starting point and vision for transformation.

TAGS equity SEL overview implementation plan communications youth voice