Recently in Getting Smart, Tyler Thigpen wrote a piece on fear in the classroom, offering educators some insight into the debilitating anxiety that some students experience. Excerpts from the piece appear below: What if by understanding where fears stem from, educators could design the learning environment for optimal courage? Courage is not about avoiding fear. Read more about How Schools Can Cultivate Courage in the Face of Fear[…]
Writing for AEI, Laura Hamilton and Heather Schwartz explore the complex topic of measurement of social and emotional learning (SEL). They posit that the way in which advocates choose to measure SEL will play a critical role in shaping the effort’s goals and success, but provide several warnings about measurements: First, the lack of clarity Read more about Getting smart about social and emotional learning measurement[…]
Transforming Education has released a new resource, SEL Integration Approach for Classroom Educators. In A National at Hope, the Aspen SEAD Commission highlighted the importance of “integrat[ing] social, emotional, and cognitive development into academic curricula and throughout the day.” By integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) into the fabric of the school day, educators can support students Read more about SEL Integration Approach for Classroom Educators[…]
Research increasingly points to the importance of social and emotional learning to student success. Teachers play a central role in these dimensions of learning, particularly in helping students feel connected to school and have a positive sense of themselves as learners. Through the messages they send and the experiences they provide in classrooms, teachers shape Read more about Teacher Mindsets: How Educators’ Perspectives Shape Student Success[…]
Writing for the Brookings Institute, Amy Roberts and Helyn Kim explore the importance of teacher well-being for student success. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Without question, teachers are central to student success. Anyone who has taught knows how rewarding it is to witness student learning. Teaching can also be one of the most stressful, Read more about To Promote Success in Schools, Focus on Teacher Well-being[…]
Writing for AEI, Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Frederick M. Hess explore what is needed to make social and emotional learning (SEL) thrive in today’s schools. The report offers seven suggestions for SEL advocates and funders as they seek to deliver on SEL’s promise and avoid its pitfalls. Suggestions include: Slow down and focus on Read more about What social and emotional learning needs to succeed and survive[…]
Children graduating from K-12 schools are largely unprepared for workplace challenges, and with the rise of smart machines, workforce readiness gaps are likely to increase. What are promising practices for preparing students for the changing world of work? How can educators help students develop their uniquely human attributes and flexible skills that can be applied Read more about Issue Brief: Preparing Learners for an Uncertain Future[…]
Integrating Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD): An Action Guide for School Leadership Teams provides practical advice, curated resources, and action steps for school leaders to improve the student experience, calling out specific equity implications in every section. Published by Education First and co-developed with practitioner-leaders from Minneapolis and Nashville public schools and experts from the Read more about Integrating Social, Emotional and Academic Development[…]
Recently in Getting Smart, Katherine Prince of Knowledgeworks discussed a new foundation for readiness for work in the 21st century. Excerpts of the piece appear below: From today’s vantage point, we can identify two critical drivers of change shaping the future of readiness for further learning, work and life: the rise of smart machines and Read more about Preparing All Learners for an Uncertain Future of Work[…]
The intensifying interest among education policymakers in the social and emotional dimensions of student success is encouraging news. By complementing the important work in recent years to raise standards and strengthen instruction, the increasing focus on school climate and students’ relationships to their peers and their schools is a potentially powerful catalyst for school improvement Read more about Measuring the Social and Emotional Sides of Student Success[…]
The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) launched The CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL that provides an interactive planner, step-by-step guidance, field-tested tools, and continuous improvement processes to help educators implement social and emotional learning (SEL) in their schools. The free, online resource helps school teams coordinate and build on their evidence-based practices Read more about CASEL Releases Comprehensive Guide to Help Schools Implement SEL[…]
The Aspen Institute’s National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development has released a major national report, “From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope,” calling on all sectors of society to accelerate efforts to ensure that all U.S. students have access to quality social and emotional learning (SEL). The report is an Read more about A Nation at…. Hope[…]
Recently in the New York Times, David Brooks wrote a column about the importance of emotion in learning. Excerpts from his piece appear below: We used to have this top-down notion that reason was on a teeter-totter with emotion. If you wanted to be rational and think well, you had to suppress those primitive gremlins, Read more about Putting Relationships at the Core[…]
How can schools better align their practices with what science says about human learning? A new video series of 20+ videos from Edutopia, featuring Linda Darling-Hammond, president and CEO of Learning Policy Institute, and Pamela Cantor, MD, founder and senior science advisor of Turnaround for Children, pairs research insights with a variety of illustrative strategies Read more about How Learning Happens Video Series[…]
In an economy driven by technological innovation and a complex social landscape, schools must invest in instructional approaches that allow students to express more agency over their learning and create space to apply what they learn to solve real-world problems. Based on a two-year study of personalized learning in 39 schools across the country and Read more about Mind the Gap: Will All Students Benefit From 21st Century Learning?[…]
Restorative justice is the focus of a series of reports authored by the WestEd Justice and Prevention Research Center, through funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The reports include: What Further Research is Needed on Restorative Justice in Schools? Restorative Justice in U.S. Schools: Summary Findings from Interviews with Experts Restorative Justice in U.S. Read more about Restorative Justice: An Alternative to Traditional Punishment[…]