Newsletter Archive: May 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 building relationships and staying connected with staff and students during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

TAGS newsletter

Guiding Questions for Educators: Promoting Equity Using SEL in your School

When social and emotional learning (SEL) is implemented with a culturally responsive lens, educators can use SEL to cultivate equitable learning opportunities, responsive relationships, and inclusive practices. This resources features reflection questions for school-level educators to explore the CASEL core competencies through an equity lens.

See also: Guiding Questions for Educators: Promote Equity Using SEL in your District

TAGS cultural competence Adult SEL equity culturally responsive

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.

TAGS human and financial resource alignment counselors parent leadership student leadership assessment evidence-based programs data dashboards conducting local SEL research PK-12 implementation monitoring implementation evaluation MTSS student discipline youth voice

Coordinator SEL Parent Outreach Job Description

El Paso's job posting for a coordinator for SEL-focused family outreach, including key knowledge, skills, and responsibilities.

TAGS job descriptions hiring practices implementation support human and financial resource alignment SEL leadership

The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions

Meta-analysis showing that compared to controls, participants in school-based SEL programs demonstrated improved skills and an 11 percentile point gain in achievement.

TAGS journal article reading lists - staff SEL competence evidence-based programs district SEL expertise building buy-in for SEL

Ideas and Tools for Working with Parents and Families

Packet describing benefits and strategies for school-family partnerships in developing social and emotional skills; includes handouts for families and overviews of SEL programs that incorporate activities for families.

TAGS reading lists - parents SEL partnerships toolkit community relations family and community engagement

American Institutes for Research Conditions for Learning Survey

Contact information to use this no-cost survey, appropriate for grades 2-12. It gathers students' views on climate, support, challenge and expectations, and social and emotional skills.

TAGS student assessment define SEL metrics assessment continuous improvement implementation evaluation culture and climate

Incorporating Social and Emotional Learning into Classroom Instruction and Educator Effectiveness: A Toolkit for Tennessee Teachers and Administrators

Tennessee guide showing how SEL is intertwined with existing initiatives and their teacher evaluation and development system. Reviews 10 teaching practices that promote SEL skills with videos, look-fors, and discussion prompts.

TAGS SEL and Academic Integration teacher evaluation PLC videos teacher tool toolkit reading lists - staff SEL competence teacher training instructional practices student discipline professional learning integrate with district priorities

Edutopia’s How Learning Happens Video Series

Videos that combine the science of brain development and real examples of practices explicitly designed to integrate social & emotional skills in classrooms and schoolwide settings, including trauma-informed practices, co-developed class norms, Socratic circles, makerspaces, student-led conferences and more.

TAGS PLC videos SEL competence student leadership research brief culturally responsive teacher training model SEL schools PK-12 instructional practices classroom level culture and climate building community professional learning building buy-in for SEL youth voice

Washoe County’s Student Voice Homepage and Student Voice Toolkit

Students practice and strengthen social and emotional skills through leadership opportunities. By elevating students as leaders, districts both benefit from student perspective and ingenuity and support their skill development. This website provides a great example of a district-level approach.

TAGS toolkit student leadership youth voice