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Whole School Culture & Climate - February

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Handy Handouts Search Results - Social-Emotional Skills

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For Schools: SEL Practices That Engage Families

To engage families in social-emotional development, teachers and school administrators can't just send home packets and to-do lists. They need to create strong relationships, partner with families on goals for their children, and receive and provide ongoing support.

1. Start by learning about families. Use surveys, open houses, or phone calls to find out about family composition, special skills, concerns, and likes and dislikes. This knowledge can help teachers connect with families on a personal level throughout the year.

2. Invite families to generate SEL goals for their children. Ask families to identify what specific skills they would like their children to develop, and what kind of characteristics they would like their child to personify. Ask children, too, to write down their goals and the challenges they might face in achieving them. These goals can be connected to school or home.

3. Designate internal capacity focused on SEL and family engagement. Have a designated staff person - an SEL or school-family partnership coordinator - who not only oversees SEL program development, implementation, and evaluation, but also serves as a liaison between educators and families. That position can be part of a larger school-wide committee that is involved in SEL planning and decision-making, and that includes people from every part of the school community, including families.

4. Create a resource center for families. Schools should create a physical space where family members know they can go to pick up resources or books related to social-emotional development. This designated space signals to parents that they are welcome at the school - and that the school values their role in their children's development.

5. Plan ongoing SEL initiatives. Create opportunities for families to learn more about social-emotional wellbeing. At other family engagement events, such as holiday celebrations or class presentations, hand out a one-page SEL resource or ask parents to participate in a short activity about developing a specific skill. Provide examples of ways parents can build those skills at home.

For Families: SEL Practices That Continue the Work of Schools

To build on the work of schools, families should think about social-emotional learning as an all-day idea - rather than as a strategy to manage a singular stressful behavior or situation. In the same way that a strong school-wide SEL program helps children develop key skills for many settings, families can use their everyday interactions to build critical competencies that will aid children throughout their day.

1. Focus on your child's strengths. Especially when it comes to academics, it can be tempting to focus on problem areas. First, though, ask your child what she thinks she did well. A focus on accomplishment can build self-efficacy and help children persist when things get difficult.

2. Use visual aids to help your child plan. When something is new or hard for your child-completing homework, keeping his room clean-make visual reminders or step-by-step checklists that you can display prominently in your home. By showing children what they need to do to succeed, these practices also help children develop self-efficacy - and contribute to a sense of pride when goals are met.

3. Ask about feelings. Together, talk about emotions-what it feels like to be frustrated, worried, or excited. The ability to identify and label negative emotions can grow self-awareness. Encouraging your child to use "I" statements - "I'm mad," "I feel sad" - can help build self-control and communication skills, teaching her to pause and think when she's upset.

4. Stay calm when you're angry. Learn to recognize your own "trigger situations" and talk about coping with anger as a family. Show your children how you calm down: i.e., "I'm feeling very upset, so I'm going to take a couple of deep breaths before we talk about this." Modeling these cool-down strategies can help your kids develop self-control.

5. Be willing to apologize. When you do get upset, or make a mistake, apologize to your kids. Explain what you meant to do or say. In these moments, you're teaching social competence - that conflict is a normal part of life, and that it can be solved respectfully and calmly.

6. Encourage helping and sharing. Regularly talk with your children about what others might need, and how you could be helping. Think about big and small ways that you can help - whether by taking out the trash for an elderly neighbor or by volunteering at a local food pantry or at your church, mosque, or temple. These acts build empathy, cooperation, and a community-oriented mindset.

This piece originally appeared on EdSurge on June 26, 2018. Read the original piece.

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To engage families in social-emotional development, teachers and school administrators can't just send home packets and to-do lists. They need to create strong relationships, partner with families on goals for their children, and receive and provide ongoing support. Start by learning about families.

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Curriculum Outline - Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Tools

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Each school is unique and the SELENA curriculum can be customized to accommodate the school's culture, student base, teaching staff, and more.

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Understanding Trauma and Its Impact

Educating all school staff on trauma and its effects on students, families, and staff is an essential first step towards becoming a trauma-sensitive school. The resources included in the Understanding Trauma and Its Impact component of the Training Package are designed to provide all school and district staff with a shared awareness and understanding of the prevalence and impact of trauma and implications for schools. Resources include an interactive e-resource and a companion slide presentation and activity packet for in-person training.

1. Understanding Trauma and Its Impact E-Resource for Educators

This interactive resource provides all staff with information about what trauma is and who is affected; how the brain and body respond to stress and threat; the impact of exposure to trauma; and how schools are affected by trauma. The e-resource is designed to be viewed independently by school staff on their preferred electronic device (computer or tablet).

2. Understanding Trauma and Its Impact

This slide presentation and activity packet parallel the e-resource content and are designed for in-person training to reinforce concepts from the e-resource and encourage group discussion and learning. These resources can be used in their entirety or divided into shorter training segments depending on time available for professional development. The activity packet includes pre- and post-knowledge surveys and a training satisfaction survey for assessing impact.

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Educating all school staff on trauma and its effects on students, families, and staff is an essential first step towards becoming a trauma-sensitive school. The resources included in the Understanding Trauma and Its Impact component of the Training Package are designed to provide all school and district staff with a shared awareness and understanding of the prevalence and impact of trauma and implications for schools.

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Instructions

Before you begin

To implement these practices successfully, teachers must strengthen their own social and emotional skills. For example, modeling and encouraging positive student interactions requires teachers to communicate effectively and to handle stressful situations that can occur in classrooms. And teachers who are socially and emotionally competent develop supportive relationships with students, create activities that build on the strengths of students, and help students develop basic social and emotional skills to participate in classrooms.

The Assessment Tool Format

This tool is divided into three sections, with Section 1 and Section 2 each divided into two parts:

Section 1: Social Interaction Assessment

Part A: Self-assess implementation of teaching practices

Part B: Self-assess teachers' own SEL competencies

Section 2: Instructional Interaction Assessment

Part A: Self-assess implementation of teaching practices

Part B: Self-assess teachers' own SEL competencies

Section 3: Culminating Activities and Action Planning
To download a pdf of the entire assessment and scoring sheet in one document, clickhere. Otherwise, each assessment has been broken down by section into the pdfs listed below.

ASSESSMENT #1: Section 1: Social Interactions, Part A. Teaching Practices

Think about how often you implement teaching practices that focus on positive social interactions.

Take the assessment here.

ASSESSMENT #2: Section 1: Social Interactions, Part B. Teacher Social and Emotional Competencies

Now think about your own social and emotional competencies and how those competencies influence your ability to implement the social interaction teaching practices.

Take the assessment here.

ASSESSMENT #3: Section 2: Instructional Interactions, Part A. Teaching Practices

Think about how often you implement teaching practices that focus on positive instructional interactions.

Take the assessment here.

ASSESSMENT #4: Section 2: Instructional Interactions, Part B. Teacher Social and Emotional Competency

Now think about your own social and emotional competencies and how those competencies influence your ability to implement the instructional interaction teaching practices.

Take the assessment here.

Scoring, Reflection, and Action Planning

To score yourself and reflect on your scores using specific questions, click here.

Once you have reflected on your scores, celebrate what you are already doing well!

Next, choose one or two items that you would like to work on and make an action plan for doing so.

Source

This practice is part of Self-Assessing Social and Emotional Instruction and Competencies: A Tool for Teachers by Nick Yoder, Ph.D., for the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders for the American Institutes for Research, 2014. Click here for more information.

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Self-Assessing Social and Emotional Instruction and Competencies | Greater Good In Education

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Before you begin To implement these practices successfully, teachers must strengthen their own social and emotional skills.

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Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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Adult SEL

What is adult SEL? It is the competencies that adults need in order to manage stress and create safe and supportive environments, the skills and mindsets adults need to effectively embody, teach and coach SEL for students, and the overall wellbeing and emotional state of adults in school settings.

Focusing on the social and emotional competence of adults can improve adult wellbeing, create positive work environments, increase feelings of competence and self-efficacy, aid adults in modeling skills for students, and build and support educators' resilience. Districts and schools can support adult SEL by planning professional learning opportunities for all staff to know and understand what SEL is and the role it plays in day-to-day functioning. District and school level actions that support SEL also include providing the structures for adult collaboration, planning, and self-care.

Adult SEL is further advanced through compassion resilience. The Compassion Resilience Toolkit is a resource for improving overall staff culture. It provides SEL support for educators by promoting the development of skills to manage expectations, set personal and professional goals, build strong relationships, and engage in real-time, ongoing self-care.

Schools and districts can additionally support personal SEL and resiliency growth of staff through, for example, the five high-level practices identified by Transforming Education:

1. examine identity;

2. explore emotions;

3. cultivate compassionate curiosity;

4. orient toward optimism; and

5. establish balance & boundaries.

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Adult SEL What is adult SEL? It is the competencies that adults need in order to manage stress and create safe and supportive environments, the skills and mindsets adults need to effectively embody, teach and coach SEL for students, and the overall wellbeing and emotional state of adults in school settings.

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The educational community is increasingly focused on the development of students' social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies and the link between SEL and improved educational attainment and achievement. SEL is the process through which students develop the skills necessary to recognize and manage emotions, build relationships, solve interpersonal problems, and make effective and ethical decisions.

The significance of SEL continues to grow in the context of policy debates concerning school improvement and individual student achievement. As a result, educators must understand how best to implement the most effective strategies to promote students' development of SEL competencies. They must understand, too, how to build and improve their own SEL competencies, because teachers' social and emotional competencies directly affect how they interact with students on both social and instructional levels.

This self-assessment tool is designed to help educators reflect upon (1) their current teaching practices that impact student SEL, and (2) their own SEL competencies to implement those teaching practices. Essentially, the aims of this tool are as follows:

To enable teachers to reflect and self-assess on SEL as an integral part of high-quality teaching and learning

To provide a broad measure of the teacher's ability to promote student SEL through instructional practices

To provide a mechanism for teachers to reflect on their own SEL competencies and to consider what impact their capabilities have on the implementation of practices that support SEL

To provide teachers with self-reflective feedback that can be used as part of their professional development plans or educator evaluations

In the tool, teachers can self-assess on 10 teaching practices that support social and emotional learning for students, which we identified in our recent brief, Instructional Practices That Integrate Equity-Centered Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning.

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Self-Assessing Social and Emotional Instruction and Competencies: A Tool for Teachers | American Institutes for Research

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The educational community is increasingly focused on the development of students' social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies and the link between SEL and improved educational attainment and achievement. This self-assessment tool is designed to help educators reflect upon (1) their current teaching practices that impact student SEL, and (2) their own SEL competencies to implement those teaching practices.

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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The kit ($30, with resources for up to 30 individuals) is designed to encourage coming together for a common goal: to make stronger connections among community members to help create a healthier environment for all and prevent bullying.
Request a Kit
Beyond Sticks & Stones: How to Help Your Child Address Bullying

This 70-page comprehensive guide ($10) offers prevention strategies for children, and the information and practical tools parents and other adults need to take action to address and prevent bullying.
Order a Copy
Take the Pledge

Take the Pledge

Pledge to treat others with kindness and be more accepting and inclusive.

Kids Against Bullying website

Kids Against Bullying
website

Innovative, educational website for elementary school students to learn, engage in activities, and be inspired to advocate for self and others.

Teens Against Bullying website

Teens Against Bullying
website

A website created by and for middle and high school students, with ideas to address bullying, be heard, and lead change in an important social cause.

Questions Answered

Questions Answered

You asked, we answered! Response options include images, 60-second snapshot, longer articles, video and poll.

Students With Disabilities

Students With Disabilities

A comprehensive overview of addressing and preventing bullying and harassment of students with disabilities.

ALL IN

Free online, year round toolkit with a new classroom lesson each week! Create environments in which each student is INcluded, INvested and INvolved.

i was bullied in 8th grade and now i have a lot of kids sticking up for me. especially my friends i never told anybody but my friends did and i went to the police.
i will recomend you going to a teacher or councler or teacher.

david scot, 16, new york groton

I care because if others are getting bullied you can feel if you were how hard it would be. I've never bullied but I know how it feels if it was me and I have met people who bullied and it is just so wrong

allya, 12, newcastle

Hey! I'm from Spain and i was bullied when i was seven in school and at this sumer since one month ago...
Two of this persons was my ''best friends'' and hurted so much, maybe still hurting me even i know that i have to be strong.
indirects on twitter, leaving me alone, talking wrong to other abot me, callings...
Until  i say STOP, now i know i'm strong even i have to be alone, i know i can't, even hurts me. And i hope that the people who had or have bullying try to be strong :)

ivanelly, 16, Spain/Europe

I am So proud to have been apart of this entire project. Bringing people together for a greater cause is just something you can't forget. After seeing this website get so big,so fast. I can finally say that I was apart of something wayyy bigger than myself. I am just greatful it's reached this many people and become a tool for people.

Chelese, 16, MN

I've been bullied for several years. Infact I still am, and it's just not verbally, but also on the internet. Words DO hurt. I've been bullied for my size, they way I look, and just being diffrent. Pledgeing can make a diffrence even though it may not seem like it, but it does. Stand up for yourself. Understand that everyone is not gonna be your friend, so you don't need everyone to make your life happy.  Smile, cause your diffrent. and being diffrent is what makes a person a better person!

Katie, 13, Ky

I care about this because!
I have been through alot on my life , and I have being call weird , crazy , stupid .

And you need to be free , dont let no one , to destroy your self -esteem
you are gorgeous , free the way you are.

It's not your fault , But if you have being bullied
PLEASE FIND HELP.

we need to be against bullying
-x

v

Veronica Michelle, 17, Puerto Rico

Carmen's Corner

A series of six educational videos designed for young audiences. It features characters from PACER's Kids Against Bullying puppet program, highlights key concepts of bullying prevention, and promotes social-emotional learning. Educator guide and student worksheets accompany each video.
View the Latest Video
Become a Champion Against Bullying

Join the hundreds of nonprofits, schools, and community groups that collaborate directly with PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center by using and sharing our bullying prevention resources in their communities.
Submit your organization
Survey Monkey Contributes to NBPC

Sign up and you will receive surveys by e-mail from SurveyMonkey customers who need your opinion. For every survey you take, SurveyMonkey will donate 50 cents to PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center, plus you'll get a chance to win $100 in an instant win game.
Join Survey Monkey in supporting PACER's NBPC

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PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center

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unites, engages, and educates kids, teens, parents and communities nationwide to address bullying through creative, relevant, and interactive resources.

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Advocacy For Others | Teens Against Bullying

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How? By advocating for others! Learn what you can do to help address bullying for yourself and others.

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Invite staff to write positive affirmations on slips of paper and place them in a paper bag that has the staff’s name written on it. At the end of the day, that staff member gets to take their bag home and read their affirmations.

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Invite staff to write positive affirmations on slips of paper and place them in a paper bag that has the staff’s name written on it. At the end of the day, that staff member gets to take their bag home and read their affirmations.

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Establish a structured, ongoing process to collect, reflect on, and use implementation and outcome data to inform school-level decisions and drive improvements to SEL implementation.

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Whole School Culture & Climate - November

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Home | Center on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

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Since 2007, the MTSS Center has been a national leader in supporting states, districts, and schools across the country in implementing an MTSS framework that integrates data and instruction within a multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and support students’ social, emotional…

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Multi-Tiered System of Supports / Department Homepage

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This site contains information on the implementation of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) practices at schools and in the classroom, including Behavioral Health and Management with Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) and Restorative Practices (RP).

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A supportive and equitable environment in all classrooms serves as a platform for all academic, social and emotional learning. At the core of a supportive classroom is a caring, engaging teacher who establishes authentic trusting relationships with each student.

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Schools can strategically leverage community partnerships to deepen their systemic SEL implementation. Community partnerships may create opportunities for students to:

Participate in cross-age peer tutoring and self-directed activities that build their self-management and help them make new friends, learn about their communities, and participate in service learning (social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making).

Interact with people of varying backgrounds, ages, concerns, and priorities (understanding, empathy, and cultural awareness).

Contribute to the larger community (social awareness and responsible decision-making).

Gain mentorship from a caring adult (relationship skills).

Students who have more targeted or intensive needs, such as those who have experienced homelessness or other kinds of trauma, may also find connection, belonging, and support through structured involvement in the community. Students grow to understand that they are part of the broader, supportive community and feel connected to its improvement and success (Cohen, 2006).

To ensure regular communication and collaboration, include community partners on the school's SEL team. SEL team meetings can then be leveraged for schools and community partners to align their work to support SEL so their efforts are not fragmented or redundant. This can include aligning expectations, shared agreements, and language used for social and emotional learning, and sharing practices that contribute to a positive environment.

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Schools can strategically leverage community partnerships to deepen their systemic SEL implementation. Community partnerships may create opportunities for students to: Participate in cross-age peer tutoring and self-directed activities that build their self-management and help them make new friends, learn about their communities, and participate in service learning (social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making).

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Establish Structures for Two-Way Communication

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Establish Structures for Two-Way Communication

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Two-Way Communication - Casel Schoolguide

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Before developing an action plan for schoolwide SEL, you'll want to establish communication structures that will help keep all stakeholders informed, engaged, and excited throughout implementation. Predictable, regular communication will also improve trust between the team and the larger school community and help ensure everyone has a voice in schoolwide SEL.

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Tier 2 Team Technical Assistant Training  1 

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Tier 2 Team Technical Assistant Training  1 

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Screening and Intervention Selection

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As school and district leaders, how can we engage families in our social-emotional learning (SEL) efforts without making it feel like "just another thing?"

Families play an essential role in fostering their children's social-emotional learning. Research shows that SEL is more effective when parents and guardians model the same skills and behaviors that students are mastering in the classroom.

We also know that families are busy. Parents and caregivers are often juggling multiple priorities, from their children's schedules to their own work schedules. SEL may not be at the top of their to-do lists.

Family-school partnerships are a two-way street, but it's up to us to invite parents and caregivers into our work, to highlight the central role of SEL in their children's education, and to equip them with resources and tools to apply SEL at home.

In this post, we'll share six strategies for working with families to extend social-emotional learning into the home.

Download our new resource pack to access additional strategies (templates and protocols included)!

What the Research Says: SEL and Parent Engagement

When administrators and educators work together with caregivers as true partners, they create the conditions to promote children's social, emotional, and academic skill development. Research in the fields of family engagement and social-emotional learning shows us that:

The positive outcomes of social-emotional learning can amplify when SEL extends into the home.

Social-emotional learning programs are most effective when they are supported and reinforced across multiple settings, including in the developmental context of the home.

Consistency and continuity between home and school can enhance the relationships between young people and their parents, teachers, siblings, and peers. The overall learning climate improves as children hone SEL skills and competencies such as self-awareness, self-management, self-regulation, social awareness, empathy, communication, and problem solving.

Read our comprehensive guide to family engagement for more information on the research-base behind family-school partnerships.

6 Strategies for Engaging Families About SEL

Start by understanding family attitudes and perceptions of social-emotional learning.

When establishing family-school partnerships, it's important to meet families where they are. Seek to understand where parents are coming from, what their hopes and dreams are for their children, and the role that they think SEL plays in their children's learning.

Reach out to your school community to learn:

How familiar are caregivers with the term "social-emotional learning?"

How might a parent define SEL?

Are families aware of any ongoing SEL initiatives?

Are teachers regularly sharing information about the SEL curricula that is being implemented in the classroom?

How do caregivers think about their child's social-emotional development in relation to academic achievement?

Family surveys , home visits, open houses, or parent-teacher conferences are great ways to learn about families, gather feedback, and connect with them on a more personal level.

2. Establish avenues for two-way communication with families about SEL.

Consistent, two-way communication with families can help build a common understanding of SEL and ensure that parents feel included (and heard) in decision-making processes around SEL. It can also open up the door for families to provide timely and continuous feedback to schools.

In this video developed with CASEL, learn about the importance of two-way communication with families.

For example, weekly or monthly newsletters (physical or digital) are a great channel for sharing information about SEL programming, specific skills that are being worked on, and practical tips on how to extend student's social-emotional development into the home. Better yet, you can invite families to submit articles or SEL activities that have worked well for them at home, and that they would like to share with other families.

It's also important to communicate clearly with families about classroom norms, behavior guidelines, and the specific terms that educators are using with their children (e.g., growth mindset). This can keep parents informed, prevent miscommunications, and establish a shared language for SEL between the classroom and the home.

3. Invite families to participate in school- and district- wide SEL initiatives.

The voices of caregivers and family members need to be heard and truly honored. There is a lot to learn from strategies that families are already using to support positive youth development.

Consider these ideas for elevating family voices and increasing parental involvement in your school district's SEL goal-setting and planning efforts:

Reserve seats for caregivers in your school- or district-wide SEL Team, SEL Advisory Council, or SEL Steering Committee. Invite families to contribute to SEL goals, participate in the selection and implementation of SEL programming, and participate in learning opportunities (such as professional development or speaking engagements).

Provide caregivers with a list of questions to ask during parent-teacher conferences to learn more about ongoing SEL initiatives and to advocate for their child. Teachers and school leaders can also check-in with families by inviting them to generate SEL goals for their own children.

Ensure that SEL materials are available in multiple languages and mediums (e.g., print, online).

Provide meaningful opportunities for families to learn about social-emotional learning alongside teachers and staff members. One recommendation from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is to invite caregivers to an SEL Discussion Series, with sessions that explore key topics related to parenting, SEL, and positive youth development. Many districts have also organized "SEL Family Nights" to share information about SEL, discuss shared agreements and norms, and give families the opportunity to participate in a mindfulness or team-building activity.

Ask families to share rituals, strategies, or social-emotional learning activities that they are using in the home.

4. Create a family center or SEL resource library to share tools and guidance.

Consider providing a physical (or virtual) space where family members can access resources, books, FAQs, and upcoming events related to social-emotional learning. This can help them feel welcome at their child's school and reinforce that you value their role in their child's social-emotional growth.

When designing this type of space, be sure to include SEL materials and information that are equal parts inviting and informative, such as:

Copies of materials being used in the classroom.

Books about the same SEL skills and competencies that administrators and teachers are focusing on at school.

A suggestion box that allows family members to ask questions or convey interest in participating in events.

Looking for inspiration? Our partners at Shadow Hills High School (CA) developed an online Parent Center that is used to share survey insights, resources, and parental involvement opportunities!

Sharing quick tips and best practices with families can also go a long way. See below for pieces of guidance you could include in newsletters, parent-teacher conferences, and other communication channels.

Quick SEL Tips to Share with Families

Model empathy, fairness, kindness, and helpfulness toward others; encourage children to do the same.

Talk to your children about giving back, and explore opportunities for children to participate in community service projects.

Encourage children to use "I" statements when talking about their emotions; help them unpack what it feels like to be happy, excited, stressed, or frustrated.

Emphasize children's strengths and "SEL superpowers" before talking about what they can improve.

Ask probing questions to help children solve problems on their own. Discuss how decisions might impact others (positively or negatively) and the pros and cons of different solutions.

5. If you gather student SEL data, consider sharing the data with families.

Today, many school districts (see: Washoe County School District and DC Public Schools) are measuring social-emotional learning to learn about students' relationships with teachers, their sense of belonging, safety at school, and growth on key SEL competencies.

Proactively sharing this SEL data with caregivers can be an effective way to engage families in ongoing SEL efforts. Not only can it build family buy-in for measuring SEL, but it can also anchor conversations about SEL in what students are telling us.

When reviewing student-level SEL reports with families, we recommend focusing on two trends:

Area of strength: What social and emotional strengths does this student exemplify? How does the data further confirm this? Is this a strength that the student always shows? How can the student harness this strength to further help them grow?

What social and emotional competencies should this student focus on? How does the data further confirm this? If the student masters this social and emotional skill, what will that mean for their future? Area of growth:

6. Prioritize learning opportunities for staff that focus on partnering with families.

Professional development on parental engagement can build the capacity of school staff to cultivate deeper relationships with caregivers-and, in turn, form better partnerships with families around SEL. Specialized training can also help district and school teams walk away with actionable "do-now" strategies for partnering with families to promote social-emotional learning.

In addition to offering expert-led workshops, consider creating school-based networking events for teachers and school staff. For example, a monthly "SEL lunch" meeting could bring teachers together to ask questions, share challenges, and talk about successful strategies for engaging family members in SEL work.

Interested in Learning More About Social-Emotional Learning at Home?

This guide is just a starting point. Explore additional resources from Panorama on SEL and parental engagement:

There are many other organizations and researchers that specialize in family engagement and SEL. Here are some other articles and resources worth bookmarking:

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6 Strategies to Increase Parent Engagement in SEL | Panorama Education

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As school and district leaders, how can we engage families in our social-emotional learning (SEL) efforts without making it feel like "just another thing?" Families play an essential role in fostering their children's social-emotional learning. Research shows that SEL is more effective when parents and guardians model the same skills and behaviors that students are mastering in the classroom.

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Counselor Chelsey | Simple School Counseling Ideas

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Are you interested in hosting a parent and family education night at your school but don't know where to begin? This resource will help you plan and implement a night of mindfulness for your students and their families. Families will sit through a brief PowerPoint presentation and then travel through 6 stations as they learn what mindfulness is and how to practice it. This is a great way to get parents engaged in social emotional learning and all of the text in this resource is editable to best fit your needs!
Download the preview!
Looking for additional parent and family resources? Check out this parent and family resources bundle and save 20%!

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What's Included:

List of family night tips & tricks

Flyer / Advertisement

Sign-in Sheet

Materials Checklist

"Passport" for parents to use as they travel through the stations

Note-taking sheet for families

Parent page

Evaluation form

Brief PowerPoint presentation to help families understand what mindfulness is, and how they can practice it.

A sign, instruction sheet, and necessary templates* for each of the following 6 stations:

The text on all of the materials are editable!

For more information, please see the preview.

*Please note that the stations do require some additional materials such as a snack, feathers, and coloring/writing utensils.

***Please download your resources as soon as you receive them. The links will expire after 24 hours. If you cannot get to your resources in this time frame, please e-mail me at CounselorChelsey@gmail.com and I will make sure you get what you purchased.

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Social Emotional Learning Parent & Family Night: Mindfulness Themed - Counselor Chelsey | Simple School Counseling Ideas

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Are you interested in hosting a parent and family education night at your school but don't know where to begin? This resource will help you plan and implement a night of mindfulness for your students and their families. Families will sit through a brief PowerPoint presentation and then travel throug

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Give 1/Get 8 (Self-Care & Re-Energizing)

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Principals, administrators, SEL team members, staff members, out-of-school time staff, and other adults can use this tool to assess personal strengths, think about how to model those strengths when interacting with others, and plan strategies to promote growth across areas of social competence.

Download Resource Purchase A Printed Copy

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Principals, administrators, SEL team members, staff members, out-of-school time staff, and other adults can use this tool to assess personal strengths, think about how to model those strengths when interacting with others, and plan strategies to promote growth across areas of social competence. Download Resource Purchase A Printed Copy

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With clear goals in place, determine what data you'll need to collect throughout the year to measure progress and continuously improve your implementation plan. Consider these questions when planning how to evaluate your SEL efforts:

What type of data will help us understand if we are making progress toward our goals?

Who will be in charge of administering surveys/data collection?

How often will we meet to engage in data reflection?

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With clear goals in place, determine what data you'll need to collect throughout the year to measure progress and continuously improve your implementation plan. Consider these questions when planning how to evaluate your SEL efforts: What type of data will help us understand if we are making progress toward our goals?

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The core of SEL implementation is promoting students' social and emotional learning throughout the school day and in partnership with families and communities. Because student learning is influenced by their interactions across many relationships and environments, promoting student SEL requires thoughtful coordination of strategies across the settings where students live and learn.

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Set goals and action steps to promote SEL for students

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The core of SEL implementation is promoting students' social and emotional learning throughout the school day and in partnership with families and communities. Because student learning is influenced by their interactions across many relationships and environments, promoting student SEL requires thoughtful coordination of strategies across the settings where students live and learn.

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Supporting adults to engage in their own social and emotional learning, collaborating on strategies to promote SEL, and modeling SEL throughout the school is an essential part of schoolwide SEL. More than just professional learning, the SEL team should also take steps to foster a supportive work environment where SEL is part of the way adults interact with one another.

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Set goals and action steps to cultivate SEL for adults

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Supporting adults to engage in their own social and emotional learning, collaborating on strategies to promote SEL, and modeling SEL throughout the school is an essential part of schoolwide SEL. More than just professional learning, the SEL team should also take steps to foster a supportive work environment where SEL is part of the way adults interact with one another.

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As the ambassadors of adult SEL, school leaders set the tone for a positive school climate. This involves shaping how staff collaborate and develop professionally while cultivating and modeling their own social and emotional competence.

Research shows that school leaders who foster collaboration among teachers create strong school climates that ultimately lead to academic gains for students ( Allensworth & Hart, 2018). School leaders with strong social and emotional competencies are also better able to build and maintain positive and trusting relationships-a critical component of creating a positive, supportive, and effective school climate (Patti & Tobin, 2003). By consistently modeling SEL, prioritizing time for reflection and planning around SEL, and intentionally working to build relationships with school staff, administrators become visible ambassadors for schoolwide SEL.

Administrators also model SEL through collaborative leadership. Hank Rubin, president of the Institute of Collaborative Leadership, defines a collaboration as "a purposeful relationship in which all parties strategically choose to cooperate in order to accomplish a shared outcome." In collaborative leadership, leaders create an inclusive decision-making process. Using all five SEL competencies, collaborative leadership encourages a sense of ownership, responsibility, and trust among organization members. Collaborative leadership has also been found to positively impact student learning (Hallinger & Heck, 2010).
Administrator Actions:

Identify and prioritize opportunities for staff to learn, plan, and reflect on SEL.

Create protected time for staff to regularly collaborate with each other.

Embed into existing staff meetings intentional opportunities for adults to connect personally, interact in meaningful ways, and share appreciations and reflections.

Identify ways to explicitly model your own social and emotional competencies and development as you connect with individual staff members and seek feedback.

Ensure those who will be affected by decisions are included in decision-making processes, and that all decision-making teams are representative of the school community.

Administrator Resources:

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Social Emotional Learning Activities for Adults | CASEL - Casel Schoolguide

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The CASEL School Guide supports adult social and emotional learning with activities, professional development, and resources.

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9:15 - 10:45
CCC Meeting
12:25 - 1:10
Staff Meeting - SOAR - rm:210

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Data Sources to Assess SEL Implementation and Outcomes

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Data Sources to Assess SEL Implementation and Outcomes

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Data Sources to Assess SEL Implementation and Outcomes

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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.

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Engage All Stakeholders in Foundational Learning

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Engage All Stakeholders in Foundational Learning

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For all of the groups above, you may want to begin with an interactive introduction to SEL with the following basic agenda:

An engaging opening activity that demonstrates the power of SEL.

What is SEL? Videos and information on CASEL's 5 Competency Framework can be found here, along with a reflection protocol to use with small or large groups.

Why is SEL important?

How can SEL affect the experiences, academic success, and lifelong outcomes of students?

How is SEL promoted in the school and classroom and within the family and community?

A closing activity that prompts staff to think optimistically about the future of SEL in the school.

Our free, one-hour online course is an all-audiences introduction to SEL that includes videos, application activities, and a facilitation guide. Additionally, here is our sample SEL 101 presentation and video.

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Foundational Learning - Casel Schoolguide

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For all of the groups above, you may want to begin with an interactive introduction to SEL with the following basic agenda: An engaging opening activity that demonstrates the power of SEL. What is SEL? Videos and information on CASEL's 5 Competency Framework can be found here, along with a reflection protocol to use with small or large groups.

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This printable version of the Schoolwide SEL Rubric can support your SEL team in taking stock of current efforts, identifying existing resources and gaps where SEL strategies can be developed or improved, setting goals, and developing concrete steps for how to achieve your SEL priorities.

Download Resource Purchase A Printed Copy

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This printable version of the Schoolwide SEL Rubric can support your SEL team in taking stock of current efforts, identifying existing resources and gaps where SEL strategies can be developed or improved, setting goals, and developing concrete steps for how to achieve your SEL priorities.

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The collaborative process of developing a vision helps foster a sense of shared ownership over SEL. It asks staff, students, families, and community partners to reflect on why they are doing this work and what they want for their students and their school. An SEL vision statement launches the planning process and guides goal setting, action planning, and continuous improvement efforts.

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The collaborative process of developing a vision helps foster a sense of shared ownership over SEL. It asks staff, students, families, and community partners to reflect on why they are doing this work and what they want for their students and their school.

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Data Dive - Student Success & Adult Learning Culture

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Data Dive - Student Success & Adult Learning Culture

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Set clear, measurable goals for promoting SEL for students, using the school’s shared vision and needs and resources assessment as a reference

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Set clear, measurable goals for promoting SEL for students, using the school’s shared vision and needs and resources assessment as a reference

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The core of SEL implementation is promoting students' social and emotional learning throughout the school day and in partnership with families and communities. Because student learning is influenced by their interactions across many relationships and environments, promoting student SEL requires thoughtful coordination of strategies across the settings where students live and learn.

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Set goals and action steps to promote SEL for students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The core of SEL implementation is promoting students' social and emotional learning throughout the school day and in partnership with families and communities. Because student learning is influenced by their interactions across many relationships and environments, promoting student SEL requires thoughtful coordination of strategies across the settings where students live and learn.

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Stop, Walk, Talk Lesson Plans - Elementary

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Stop, Walk, Talk Lesson Plans - Elementary

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Establish a structured, ongoing process to collect, reflect on, and use implementation and outcome data to inform school-level decisions and drive improvements to SEL implementation.

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Access Google Forms with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).

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Modeling SEL for Students - Casel Schoolguide

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This tool provides an activity and examples to engage staff in reflection about how they will intentionally model SEL in their interactions with students as part of schoolwide implementation.

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As the ambassadors of adult SEL, school leaders set the tone for a positive school climate. This involves shaping how staff collaborate and develop professionally while cultivating and modeling their own social and emotional competence.

Research shows that school leaders who foster collaboration among teachers create strong school climates that ultimately lead to academic gains for students ( Allensworth & Hart, 2018). School leaders with strong social and emotional competencies are also better able to build and maintain positive and trusting relationships-a critical component of creating a positive, supportive, and effective school climate (Patti & Tobin, 2003). By consistently modeling SEL, prioritizing time for reflection and planning around SEL, and intentionally working to build relationships with school staff, administrators become visible ambassadors for schoolwide SEL.

Administrators also model SEL through collaborative leadership. Hank Rubin, president of the Institute of Collaborative Leadership, defines a collaboration as "a purposeful relationship in which all parties strategically choose to cooperate in order to accomplish a shared outcome." In collaborative leadership, leaders create an inclusive decision-making process. Using all five SEL competencies, collaborative leadership encourages a sense of ownership, responsibility, and trust among organization members. Collaborative leadership has also been found to positively impact student learning (Hallinger & Heck, 2010).
Administrator Actions:

Identify and prioritize opportunities for staff to learn, plan, and reflect on SEL.

Create protected time for staff to regularly collaborate with each other.

Embed into existing staff meetings intentional opportunities for adults to connect personally, interact in meaningful ways, and share appreciations and reflections.

Identify ways to explicitly model your own social and emotional competencies and development as you connect with individual staff members and seek feedback.

Ensure those who will be affected by decisions are included in decision-making processes, and that all decision-making teams are representative of the school community.

Administrator Resources:

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Social Emotional Learning Activities for Adults | CASEL - Casel Schoolguide

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The CASEL School Guide supports adult social and emotional learning with activities, professional development, and resources.