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The "Twofer" That Will Equip and Empower you to Support and Teach the Whole Child.

Don't you love a twofer? I totally do! For all you shoppers out there, you know what I mean. It's when you score a deal that gives you two things for the price of one. Two bags of potatoes for the price of one! Two pairs of Nike shoes for the price of one! Ok, not a shopper. Twins! A two-for-one pregnancy. Not about babies? What about two for one travel deals? We all like those twofers. They just make life easier and a bit more fun. I think we all need a little bit of that right now, don't you?

What if I were to tell you that as you are universally designing your learning experiences and environments by using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lens, you are supporting your learners with Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) practices that support the whole child? That's an amazing twofer, right?!

With what is happening right now in education and all of society's uncertainties, the need to support our students not just with academics, but more importantly with social and emotional learning is imperative because all learning IS social and emotional. But, can educators take one more thing "to do"? Well, a twofer would make it a lot easier. Plus, it's a must. Intrigued? Not quite sure how to do this? Read on.

Ok, we have all seen the pendulum swing in education, new initiatives come and go. UDL, SEL, or any other initiative can feel like just another overwhelming thing on very full plates, honestly, full platters for educators that are overflowing. But when we begin to unpack and understand the overlaps between initiatives, we realize that they aren't really different things so much as complimentary things that all lead to embracing variability both academically, socially, and emotionally. UDL is all about removing barriers, offering choices and options that will improve teaching & instruction that will ultimately lead to better outcomes for our students. Used and woven seamlessly together, it doesn't have to be "another thing" for teachers "to do", but this twofer will equip and empower you to support and teach the whole child. Isn't that our goal?

How to weave together UDL and SEL throughout your day

Ready to see how these two initiatives, UDL and SEL, overlap and can be woven in throughout your teaching day to support all of your learners? Let's take a look at CASEL's Core Competencies and see how many of the UDL guidelines and checkpoints support social and emotional learning. Check out the two circles at the center of this graphic.

1. Self-awareness

CASEL describes self-awareness as a person's ability to develop an awareness of their thoughts, feelings, and emotions, examine personal biases, cultivate self-efficacy and a growth mindset, and develop interests and a sense of purpose. But where's a good place to start with your students? Easy. Surveys.

As I work with districts and their educators, I suggest conducting them all of the time. Surveys of all sorts will help you make learning relevant, culturally responsive, interesting, and goal-oriented. You can start with a simple survey format (old school paper/pencil or a techy Google questionnaire), an informal chat during class or after school, or a rousing class discussion in person or in breakout rooms. What are they passionate about? Video games, their culture, science, animals, TikTok, a musical artist or group, discovering a cure for cancer? Tap into their interests. Not only does that develop a student's self-awareness, but it helps us recruit student interest that we can weave throughout our lesson design to make those connections to deepen their learning.

As UDL practitioners, it's our job to figure out how our students prefer to learn, access information, and demonstrate what they know. How do they like to learn? What various ways do they prefer? You may get the infamous shrug of the shoulders or "I dunno", but it's your job to find out. Why? You are helping them to become self-aware. UDL is all about removing barriers to student learning by providing options and choices by Optimizing Individual Choice (checkpoint 7.1 ) and making learning socially, culturally relevant and responsive, personalized to learners' lives so they "see" themselves in our learning experiences and environment by Optimizing Relevance, Value, and Authenticity(checkpoint 7.2).

Want another fabulous way to develop your students' self-awareness as they become expert learners to the next level?! Check out this document that I created straight from Katie Novak's book, UDL Now! This survey document not only taps into students' interests but also how they like to learn by asking some key reflective questions: Student Survey: Prompts for Student Reflection.

Here's a tip, give this type of student survey, periodically, throughout the year. UDL is about proactively embracing student variability and providing choices and options that remove barriers to student learning. Your students' learning preferences, based on context, might change overtime. Knowing this information, both you and your students will be able to learn what choices and options work best for them as they are progressing in the learning process and become expert learners.

Will students always make the right learning or behavioral choices? Nope. Do you? I surely don't. Failure is an opportunity to learn and grow which defintely is a mindset shift for many of us. This is where your feedback is key. As we provide meaningful Mastery-Oriented Feedback it can help students become more self-aware, develop needed academic mindsets to excel, and reflect on what worked, what didn't work, and what better choices they will make next time.

"Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful." - Margaret J. Wheatley

I know, I know. Where can I fit in time for my students to reflect. In the business of teaching this is many times overlooked, yet having our students reflect on choices and their work is the key to growth.The UDL checkpoint Develop self-assessment and reflection (checkpoint 9.3) will give you some fabulous ideas to engage your students

Need some ideas on reflection type questions for your students? What about having your students reflect on the following questions after they have made a choice either academically, behaviorally or socially and emotionally:

What choice did you select?

Did that choice help you_____(whatever that choice was intended to do)

Given the choice again, would you select it? Why or why not?

2. Self-management

CASEL defines self-management as, " The abilities to manage one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations." I know, I know, easier said than done, especially in the times we are living. Definitely takes time and support, but it's not only doable, it's a must. Yet, in order to develop and practice self-management strategies, people need to feel safe. When we create an environment that is nurturing, respectful, supportive, and non-judgmental, students will be open and vulnerable to not only identify and share their feelings but try a variety of options and choices that help them self-regulate their emotions and set goals for both emotional and academic growth.

Check out how UDL supports a student's ability to manage their emotions.

3. Social Awareness

According to CASEL, social awareness is: "The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, & contexts." This includes the capacities to feel compassion for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and recognize family, school, and community resources and supports. Isn't that what UDL is all about: recognizing that we are all different, have different backgrounds, perspectives, strengths, and weaknesses. When we are socially aware of each other's emotions and needs, we can empathize, support and challenge one another.

The UDL checkpoints Increase mastery-oriented feedback (checkpoint 8.4) and Foster collaboration and community (checkpoint 8.3) found in the Engagement principle helps educators cultivate social awareness in their students by offering mastery-oriented feedback and opportunities to collaborate with other peers. Both of these checkpoints provide chances to receive feedback both academically and behaviorally, which helps students reflect, understand another's perspective, develop empathy, and learn how to work productively with others.

4. Relationship Skills

CASEL defines relationship skills as the ability to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups. This includes the capacities to communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem solve and negotiate conflict constructively, navigate settings with differing social and cultural demands and opportunities, provide leadership, and seek or offer help when needed.

Relationships matter. People with healthy relationships have a longer life span, better health, and outlook on life. In fact, the Harvard Medical School published an article, The Health Benefits of Strong Relationships which stated: "social connections like these not only give us pleasure, they also influence our long-term health in ways every bit as powerful as adequate sleep, a good diet, and not smoking."

Convinced that relationships matter? Let's take a look at where SEL and UDL intersect when it comes to relationship skills. As we provide students the opportunities to Foster Collaboration and Community (checkpoint 8.3) students work with peers to solve problems, assist each other, and work towards shared goals. This requires active listening, cooperating, and negotiating conflict constructively in a positive way. Checkpoint 5.3 Build Fluencies with Graduated Levels of Support for Practice and Performance
also promotes relationship skill-building by allowing students to use their relationships to get support from one another, mentors, and their teachers to reflect, learn, grow, and move forward.

5. Responsible Decisions

According to CASEL, " The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. This includes the capacities to consider ethical standards and safety concerns and to evaluate the benefits and consequences of various actions for personal, social, and collective well-being."

When we offer options and choices to our students, as we do with UDL, and put them in charge of their own learning, it requires them to own and make responsible decisions for themselves. They learn about themselves, the process of decision-making (it is a process!), and the outcomes, both positive and negative on others and themselves.

So how does responsible decision-making connect to the UDL guidelines? Responsible decision-making doesn't just happen, it's a thought process that needs to be taught. If we want our students to make responsible decisions, the following checkpoints found in the Action and Expression principle will help them do just that. All three checkpoints, Facilitate managing information and resources (checkpoint6.3), Support planning and strategy development (checkpoint6.2), and Guide appropriate goal-setting (checkpoint6.1) help students think strategically about their decisions, make a plan and then create goals to work toward achieving them. Doing so will help them taste success!

Ready to make this happen? Put this all together and you can have an amazing twofer that will not only support your students academically but socially, and emotionally. I always share with others that "we need to touch the heart before we ever teach the mind. " Remember our goal? It's all about supporting the whole child.

Explore Further

Download this chart and see how each UDL checkpoint can help us achieve the SEL competencies.

Learn how to Educate the Whole Child. Introducing the self-paced course created to give the tools to implement UDL and SEL.
This post has been edited from the original post from 12/20/20

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How weaving together UDL and SEL will empower you to support and teach the whole child. 5 ways to implement UDL and SEL throughout your day

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Careful explanation of the “why” behind social and emotional learning can prime students to build their communication and collaboration skills.

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At the end of a recent professional training, I had a rather candid conversation with an assistant principal. He was frustrated with his school's sole focus on enhancing academic rigor at the cost of compassion toward students. By only valuing student achievement, he said, his school was doing a disservice to students, making them stressed and unhappy, and killing off their motivation to learn.

His complaint is a common one among educators and school leaders. We are often asked to make choices between strengthening social-emotional learning (SEL) skills and growing academic skills in our students. But this is a false dichotomy. The skills that students need to learn are the very skills that SEL provides-things like reflection, perseverance, and focus. The question isn't whether we can or should teach these skills, but how to do it, especially when we're already swamped trying to meet our academic goals.

In my new book, SEL Every Day, I provide an answer to that question. Luckily, SEL need not be separate from academics or an instructional add-on, but an integral part of quality teaching and learning. With a few keys in mind, teachers can easily incorporate it into everyday instruction, benefitting both the classroom environment and student motivation to learn.

Here are three keys for integrating SEL into any classroom.

1. Make lesson plans with SEL in mind, right from the start

Teachers are, at their core, designers, and we design one of the most important things in the world-learning experiences. The number-one factor influencing success is the time and care put into designing the unit, lesson, meeting agenda, or professional learning experience. It's vital to plan with SEL in mind and to integrate it explicitly into lessons.

There are many ways to do this, but here are a few that come from my own experience and are supported by research.

Use SEL signature practices in your lesson plans. There are three practices developed by CASEL professional development consultant Ann McKay Bryson that are widely used among classroom teachers to enhance community while also promoting academic engagement.

Welcoming rituals like morning meetings or an interactive "do-now" build community and set the stage for the learning that's about to happen. This practice also brings all the voices into the room, and when you have students talking at the start of class, they are more likely to stay engaged throughout.

Engaging strategies like "turn to your partner," "Socratic Seminar," and "Jigsaw" are infused with SEL, vary in complexity, and consist of sequential steps facilitated by the teacher to support learning individually and collectively.

Optimistic closures like an "Appreciation, Apology, or Aha" aren't meant to be sanguine ways to end class. Rather, they provide an opportunity to reflect on what happened in class, share a next step, express gratitude, or lift up new understanding.

Create shared SEL learning targets. Early on in my teaching practice, an instructional coach helped me see how crucial it was to have shared learning targets in student-friendly language, using "I can" statements so students were clear on what they would learn. What took my teaching to the next level was co-constructing those learning targets with my students, shifting the language from "I" to "we." By co-creating goals with-rather than imposing goals on-our students, we give them a sense of how we as a class will support each other's learning and be responsible for contributing to each other's success. ( Here are examples of SEL learning targets.)

Incorporate both social and instructional teaching practices that promote SEL. Researcher Nick Yoder has identified 10 teaching practices that promote SEL, including practices like showing "warmth and support" (which lets students know their teacher cares) and teaching students to work effectively together toward a collective instructional goal. In my book, I offer deeper dives into some of those high-impact teaching practices that can be used across grade level and content areas to develop SEL skills and support academic learning in secondary classrooms.

2. Develop your own SEL practice

We teachers can't expect our students to practice SEL if we don't, too. We need to be aware of ourselves-our emotions, thoughts, reactions, values, and beliefs-and use that knowledge to improve teaching and create powerful learning environments. Having a strong adult SEL practice where we welcome diverse perspectives, manage strong emotions, and practice compassion towards ourselves and others can help us make better decisions in service of our students, because we are less reactive toward them and can strengthen our relationships with them, too.

Research confirms that teachers who were mandated to teach SEL but didn't cultivate their own practice actually worsened their students' SEL skills. In contrast, teachers who developed SEL skills not only improved their own well-being but improved the academic learning and social-emotional development of their students.

We can grow and deepen our own SEL practice by reflecting on guiding questions as we develop our curriculum. Some examples include:

What beliefs do I have about my students that may be impacting my instruction or lesson design? How do these beliefs help or hinder my students and myself? (self-awareness)

How can this lesson affirm the identities of the students in my class? How am I incorporating a counter-narrative? (social awareness)

How will I strengthen my relationship skills with my students, or their relationships with one another, through this lesson? What specific actions can I take? (relationship skills)

How will I practice self-management and be transparent about how I'm practicing it during this lesson? (self-management)

By answering these for ourselves, we deepen our understanding of how our own SEL can benefit students and strengthen our lessons. ( Here is an SEL integrated lesson plan template.)

3. Start small, build consistency, and evaluate outcomes

At first glance, teaching with SEL in mind may seem like a daunting task. But you can begin by taking small steps, choosing just one idea to incorporate into your teaching practice. That can make it easier to build up an integrated SEL curriculum over time.

The key is to make sure that whatever you choose to do-whether it's using an optimistic closure or giving students "brain breaks"-is done consistently. Offering small practices consistently helps build community and a culture of connection and commitment rather than compliance.

Teacher reflection and student feedback are essential to evaluating the outcomes of your lessons and can improve learning. That's why I encourage teachers to build in opportunities for students to offer feedback. (Here is my own reflection form.)

Making time for this was hard for me; but I made it part of my prep period and lesson planning process. I would also begin classes by sharing my own thoughts about students' feedback and providing evidence of what they learned in the previous class. Whenever possible, I also named how today's lesson was going to lift up their input and learning from the class before.

The effort it takes to be more intentional about teaching with SEL in mind is worth it. When teachers prioritize SEL, their classes are better managed and they experience less stress and burnout. That's why focusing on SEL is a win-win for students and teachers. The key here is integrating SEL into what you are already doing. That way, it won't feel like an extra burden, but a lift to your teaching day.

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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Three Keys to Infusing SEL Into What You Already Teach

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Teachers can incorporate SEL into everyday classroom lessons-and make education come alive for everyone.

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SEL 101: What are the core competencies and key settings?

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Foster knowledge, skills, and attitudes across five areas of social and emotional competence;

Establish equitable learning environments and coordinate practices across four key settings that support students' social, emotional, and academic development.

Download more information on the framework (available in and Spanish).

Use our reflection protocol to facilitate a discussion on implementation efforts in your school, district, or other setting.

Read more about the 2020 update to our framework, which highlighted the potential of SEL in promoting educational equity and excellence.

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Communities

Communities. Community partners often provide safe and developmentally rich settings for learning and development, have deep understanding of community needs and assets, are seen as trusted partners by families and students, and have connections to additional supports and services that school and families need. Community programs also offer opportunities for young people to practice their social and emotional skills in settings that are both personally relevant and can open opportunities for their future. To integrate SEL efforts across the school day and out-of-school time, school staff and community partners should align on common language and coordinate strategies and communication around SEL-related efforts and initiatives.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL - Community Partnerships

Families & Caregivers

Families & Caregivers. When schools and families form authentic partnerships, they can build strong connections that reinforce students' social and emotional development. Families and caregivers are children's first teachers, and bring deep expertise about their development, experiences, culture, and learning needs. These insights and perspectives are critical to informing, supporting, and sustaining SEL efforts. Research suggests that evidence-based SEL programs are more effective when they extend into the home, and families are far more likely to form partnerships with schools when their schools' norms, values, and cultural representations reflect their own experiences. Schools need inclusive decision-making processes that ensure that families-particularly those from historically marginalized groups-are part of planning, implementing, and continuously improving SEL.

Schools can also create other avenues for family partnership that may include creating ongoing two-way communication with families, helping caregivers understand child development, helping teachers understand family backgrounds and cultures, providing opportunities for families to volunteer in schools, extending learning activities and discussions into homes, and coordinating family services with community partners. These efforts should engage families in understanding, experiencing, informing, and supporting the social and emotional development of their students.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL - Family Partnerships

Schools

Schools. Effectively integrating SEL schoolwide involves ongoing planning, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement by all members of the school community. SEL efforts both contribute to and depend upon a school climate where all students and adults feel respected, supported, and engaged.

Because the school setting includes many contexts-classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, playground, bus-fostering a healthy school climate and culture requires active engagement from all adults and students. A strong school culture is rooted in students' sense of belonging, with evidence that suggests that it plays a crucial role in students' engagement. SEL also offers an opportunity to enhance existing systems of student support by integrating SEL goals and practices with universal, targeted, and intensive academic and behavioral supports. By coordinating and building upon SEL practices and programs, schools can create an environment that infuses SEL into every part of students' educational experience and promotes positive social, emotional, and academic outcomes for all students.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL

Classrooms

Classrooms. Research has shown that social and emotional competence can be enhanced using a variety of classroom-based approaches such as: (a) explicit instruction through which social and emotional skills and attitudes are taught and practiced in developmentally, contextually, and culturally responsive ways; (b) teaching practices such as cooperative learning and project-based learning; and (c) integration of SEL and academic curriculum such as language arts, math, science, social studies, health, and performing arts. High-quality SEL instruction has four elements represented by the acronym SAFE: Sequenced - following a coordinated set of training approaches to foster the development of competencies; Active - emphasizing active forms of learning to help students practice and master new skills; Focused - implementing curriculum that intentionally emphasizes the development of SEL competencies; and Explicit - defining and targeting specific skills, attitudes, and knowledge.

SEL instruction is carried out most effectively in nurturing, safe environments characterized by positive, caring relationships among students and teachers. To facilitate age-appropriate and culturally responsive instruction, adults must understand and appreciate the unique strengths and needs of each student and support students' identities. When adults incorporate students' personal experiences and cultural backgrounds and seek their input, they create an inclusive classroom environment where students are partners in the educational process, elevating their own agency. Strong relationships between adults and students can facilitate co-learning, foster student and adult growth, and generate collaborative solutions to shared concerns.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Effective SEL Programs

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness: The abilities to understand one's own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts. This includes capacities to recognize one's strengths and limitations with a well-grounded sense of confidence and purpose.

Such as:

Integrating personal and social identities

Identifying personal, cultural, and linguistic assets

Identifying one's emotions

Demonstrating honesty and integrity

Linking feelings, values, and thoughts

Examining prejudices and biases

Experiencing self-efficacy

Having a growth mindset

Developing interests and a sense of purpose

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Self-Management

Self-management: The abilities to manage one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. This includes the capacities to delay gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation and agency to accomplish personal and collective goals.

Such as:

Managing one's emotions

Identifying and using stress management strategies

Exhibiting self-discipline and self-motivation

Setting personal and collective goals

Using planning and organizational skills

Showing the courage to take initiative

Demonstrating personal and collective agency

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Social Awareness

Social awareness: The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacities to feel compassion for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

Such as:

Taking others' perspectives

Recognizing strengths in others

Demonstrating empathy and compassion

Showing concern for the feelings of others

Understanding and expressing gratitude

Identifying diverse social norms, including unjust ones

Recognizing situational demands and opportunities

Understanding the influences of organizations and systems on behavior

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Responsible Decision-Making

Responsible decision-making: The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. This includes the capacities to consider ethical standards and safety concerns, and to evaluate the benefits and consequences of various actions for personal, social, and collective well-being.

Such as:

Demonstrating curiosity and open-mindedness

Learning how to make a reasoned judgment after analyzing information, data, and facts

Identifying solutions for personal and social problems

Anticipating and evaluating the consequences of one's actions

Recognizing how critical thinking skills are useful both inside and outside of school

Reflecting on one's role to promote personal, family, and community well-being

Evaluating personal, interpersonal, community, and institutional impacts

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Relationship Skills

Relationship skills: The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups. This includes the capacities to communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem solve and negotiate conflict constructively, navigate settings with differing social and cultural demands and opportunities, provide leadership, and seek or offer help when needed.

Such as:

Communicating effectively

Developing positive relationships

Demonstrating cultural competency

Practicing teamwork and collaborative problem-solving

Resolving conflicts constructively

Resisting negative social pressure

Showing leadership in groups

Seeking or offering support and help when needed

Standing up for the rights of others

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Social & Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities.

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Our SEL framework, known to many as the "CASEL wheel," helps cultivate skills and environments that advance students' learning and development.

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Social and Emotional Learning Fundamentals: SEL 101 with CASEL

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We define social and emotional learning (SEL) as an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities.

New to Social and Emotional Learning? Start here (2 min. read).

Think of a young person in your life. What skills will they need to achieve their hopes and dreams?

Chances are, you just named social and emotional skills - like staying motivated, communicating effectively, practicing curiosity, and working with others to solve problems. Social and emotional learning, or SEL, helps develop the skills we need for life.
Hear why students, parents, and educators want SEL in schools. Here are 3 things to know about social and emotional learning:

1. Social and emotional learning is a foundation for many of our most pressing priorities: SEL helps young people - and adults - learn and practice skills that set them up for academic success, fulfilling careers, healthy relationships, and responsible civic engagement.

2. The research is clear: Social and emotional learning in schools leads to positive outcomes, including better academic performance, and decreases in stress and anxiety.

3. There's no one-size-fits-all approach: Social and emotional learning brings families, schools, and communities together to make sure every child has caring relationships and what they need to learn, grow, and thrive.

Subscribe now for our expertly curated 3-part email series delivered straight to your inbox. We'll roundup the key facts from our website on SEL is, it matters, and it shows up in schools.

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

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SEL can help all young people and adults thrive personally and academically, develop and maintain positive relationships, become lifelong learners, and contribute to a more caring, just world.

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Social and emotional learning (SEL) is part of a high-quality education for all students that supports academic performance, school climate, graduation rates, and other important developmental outcomes and life goals.

Schools, in partnership with families and communities, also navigate and set other priorities based on their local strengths, needs, and culture. SEL can provide a foundation that supports and connects those various priorities and goals.

In order to make the critical connections between SEL and relevant areas, we offer this page to help you explore how SEL can support some of the other priorities in your local communities.

School Safety
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Across the country, schools and communities are having conversations about how to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every child. While there is no single solution, we know that SEL plays a critical role. Evidence-based practices that build supportive relationships and promote social and emotional skills can help reduce bullying and isolation, promote belonging, boost engagement, and curb future violence.

Mental Health
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States, districts, and schools looking to support the mental health and well-being of their young people and adults often turn to SEL. SEL can promote positive mental health in many ways. SEL should be implemented as part of a system of mental wellness supports and resources that include promotion, prevention, early-intervention, and treatment strategies and programs.

Civic Learning
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Today's increasingly dynamic and multicultural society will call on the next generation of civic leaders to use a wide range of social and emotional skills-including deep levels of self-awareness, collaborative problem-solving, and cultural competence. By integrating SEL into civic learning, students have opportunities to develop the skills and relationships needed to participate as caring and engaged members of their local community and the broader society.

Workforce Preparation
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Like academic skills, social and emotional competencies create a foundation for students to pursue their career and life goals. By aligning and integrating SEL and workforce preparation efforts through an equity lens, states and districts can more intentionally promote the competencies and environments that will prepare youth to thrive and succeed in the workplace.

Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
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SEL offers a powerful means to support one another as our school communities work to address the impact of the pandemic on students' learning and development. Now, more than ever, we understand how important it is to demonstrate empathy and resilience, build relationships across distance, and call upon our collective resolve to strengthen our schools and our communities.

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How Does SEL Support Your Priorities? - CASEL

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Social and emotional learning (SEL) is part of a high-quality education for all students that supports academic performance, school climate, graduation

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As educators, we often find ourselves acting as coaches. Teaching isn't only about the content, it's about developing people and constantly encouraging others to reach their potential. Of course, it's hard to do that if we're not OK ourselves. Sometimes, though, it's hard to pinpoint what exactly is wrong, and if we can't do that, how can we be expected to help others?

Unfortunately, it's not always easy for others to recognize our needs either. A survey conducted last year by the EdWeek Research Center asked both teachers and school leaders how they prioritized the emotional and physical well-being of teachers. Seven in 10 school leaders marked it as a high priority for their districts, while less than a quarter of teachers marked it as such. But while leaders were aware of the importance of well-being, did they know what signs and symptoms to look for to support staff?

In a trying period when discussions about mental health, burnout, and demoralization abound, my colleagues at the Educators' Lab -an organization that supports teacher changemakers-and I noticed that while sometimes people know they're not OK, it might be hard for them to articulate what they're feeling. Through our work we saw there were certain attributes that, when neglected, caused people to feel disengaged. By defining some of these areas, teachers were more likely to identify what was wrong, facilitating dialogue and a path forward. The following are our top five areas to consider.

1. Heart: You Care About What You're Doing

When neglected, people stop caring. They get caught up in initiatives or activities they don't believe have value. This can lead to demoralization.

When nurtured, people feel a sense of joy and purpose. They feel their worth because they're able to make a difference. Nurture this by tapping into every educator's why -their reason for teaching. Make sure that initiatives are student-first and teachers have the creative freedom to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.

Simple ideas to nurture heart:

Remind people that they're incredible. Teachers love getting notes from their students telling them the difference they've made. Imagine getting one from the administrator. If possible, take time to write a note or an email so that staff know you see them and all that they do.

Have a ditch meeting. During this meeting, discuss what you can get rid of. If we want to prioritize what matters most, we need to have time to focus our efforts. Provide a space for teachers to talk about what matters to them-and what doesn't-so that you can figure out how to spend time accordingly.

2. Optimism: You Believe That Change Is Possible and See Opportunity in Challenges

When neglected, people become disempowered and frustrated. They may put up walls or get defensive because they don't feel their efforts will lead to anything. They might not have the motivation to go beyond the bare minimum.

When nurtured, people can handle adversity and are empowered to do more. They find the possibility in tough situations and are able to push through setbacks. Nurture this by saying, "Yes." Give people the permission to act on new ideas and solve problems. Just support them.

Simple ideas to nurture optimism:

Recharging station. It takes energy to create change and work through challenges. Attempt to set up a wellness challenge where teachers can get recertification hours for engaging in activities that refuel (if possible in your state). This might include points for activities like exercising, getting enough sleep, choosing slow food, reading for pleasure, or spending time outside or with family. Make real self-care normal.

Catch-up days. Time is one of the biggest stressors for teachers. There's too much to do and not enough hours in the day, lending itself to a sense of failure. If possible, don't plan anything extra on staff days; carve out time to let teachers finish what they need to do so that they can come up for air.

3. Curiosity: You Remain Open and Continue to Learn and Grow

When neglected, people can become stuck in a rut. They might become closed off and unapproachable. They may not be open to new ideas or initiatives.

When nurtured, people seek out new skills, ideas, experiences, and opportunities. People want to continually improve and grow. Nurture this by providing outlets for teachers to develop themselves and their interests.

Simple ideas to nurture curiosity:

Personalize professional learning. Whenever possible, let teachers choose their professional learning so that they can explore areas of interest. This gives them the opportunity to tinker with new ideas they think will benefit their students.

Encourage questions. Instead of asking for traditional feedback, have teachers send their questions after a meeting via email. Questions heighten mental activity and engagement while giving people a voice.

4. Confidence: You Believe in Yourself and Your Abilities

When neglected, people lose their voice. They may feel ignored. Self-doubt might prevent them from growing or cause them to think negatively about themselves and their abilities.

When nurtured, people are comfortable pushing themselves. They're not afraid to speak up, and they feel good about taking the lead. Nurture this by noticing the strengths and skills of others. Recognize good work and other people's achievements.

Simple ideas to nurture confidence:

Keep communication open. Set positive and achievable expectations, and then make sure you're available. Use as many outlets as possible so that teachers can reach you to express their needs and concerns.

Be a teacher champion. The same way students need a champion, teachers need to feel like they matter. Little things make a difference-like monitoring reactions. Good leaders know how to handle feedback or criticism without getting personal or holding a grudge. If there's an issue with one person, address only the one person. When we don't handle situations accordingly, it can spark fears and doubts and make people feel as if they're not being treated as adults.

5. Vulnerability: You're True to Yourself in the Face of Societal Pressure

When ignored, people become afraid to take risks. They place too much emphasis on what others will think of them. Aiming for perfection or to please others leads to unhappiness.

When nurtured, people live and teach by their own standards. There's no need to aim for perfection; just let them be the best they can be. Nurture this by focusing on people and not test scores. Look for growth, and trust that you've hired the best.

Simple ideas to nurture vulnerability:

Redefine success. That word gets thrown around a lot in education. What does it mean? Work with staff to craft a definition of success that they feel works best for your school and students. Create standards that you-as a team-define.

Ditch drama. Leaders help set the tone for school culture. Making conscious efforts to self-reflect and reduce stressors that cause drama helps everyone to be their best selves. Here is a simple activity board, taken from our book The Startup Teacher Playbook, with actions that can help us reduce drama.

By discussing some of these traits, teachers are able to more easily pinpoint what they're feeling and why. At the same time, if a sizable percentage of staff are feeling neglected in the same area, it might be a telling sign of how to improve school culture.

While well-being is a vast area, a good starting point is to understand how teachers are feeling. This will open up opportunities for conversations about how you as an administrator can better support teachers' needs, because as the saying goes, you can't pour from an empty cup.

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5 Ways Administrators Can Support Teachers

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As educators, we often find ourselves acting as coaches. Teaching isn't only about the content, it's about developing people and constantly encouraging others to reach their potential. Of course, it's hard to do that if we're not OK ourselves.

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Social and Emotional Learning | CASEL - Casel Schoolguide

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Schoolwide social and emotional learning is linked to academic success, building stronger relationships, and leading happier, healthier, more fulfilling lives. The CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL helps schools with using social and emotional learning standards, and implementing social and emotional learning in schools and classrooms.

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How might these strategies be most effective with adults in education?

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How can we integrate SEL practices as the way we do business daily and not just one more thing we do IN business?

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How can SEL be current and relevant in an ever changing land of learning?