# data[].attributes.body
SEL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The CASEL provides a systematic framework for evaluating the quality of social and emotional programs and applies this framework to identify and rate well-designed, evidence-based SEL programs with potential for broad dissemination to schools across the United States. The Guide also shares best-practice guidelines for district and school teams on how to select and implement SEL programs. Finally, it offers recommendations for future priorities to advance SEL research and practice.

We are grateful to the 1440 Foundation, the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust, and NoVo Foundation for their generous support of this effort. We also thank the many SEL program developers and researchers who have generously and graciously shared their evaluation reports, curriculum materials, and professional learning strategies during our extensive review process. And we express our sincere appreciation to the CASEL board of directors and the team of colleagues at CASEL and the University of Illinois at Chicago Social and Emotional Learning Research Group who produced this guide.

Select one of the two buttons below to view either the Preschool and Elementary Edition or the Middle and High School Edition of the CASEL Guide.

*CASEL is currently accepting applications for evidence-based SEL programs and approaches. Applications received will be included in our next formal review cycle which starts in July 2018. We will notify you about next steps once our reviews begin. Questions about the review should be directed to Duncan Meyers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The CASEL provides a systematic framework for evaluating the quality of social and emotional programs and applies this framework to identify and rate well-designed, evidence-based SEL programs with potential for broad dissemination to schools across the United States.

# data[].attributes.body
Daily SEL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Mood Meter develops emotional intelligence over time. Learning to identify and label emotions is a critical step toward cultivating emotional intelligence. Using the Mood Meter can help you become more mindful of how your emotions change throughout the day and how your emotions in turn affect your actions.

# data[].attributes.body
Learner Profiles

# data[].attributes.body
Learner Profiles

# data[].attributes.body
Learner Profiles

# data[].attributes.body
Learner Profiles

# data[].attributes.body
Empathy Toolkit

# data[].attributes.body
Empathy Toolkit

# data[].attributes.body
West Belden Learner Profile Overview

# data[].attributes.body
What Can We Learn from a Day in the Life of a Student

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
PBS NewsHour

Karen Ritter, an assistant principal at a high school just outside of Chicago, wanted to see her school through a student's eyes. So she decided to follow 9th grader Alan Garcia, who came to her asking to be switched out of the many remedial classes in which he is enrolled, hoping to get a clear view of his experience in the classroom. Special correspondent John Tulenko of Education Week reports.

The full episode is no longer available for online streaming. Why?

Please continue to enjoy extra(s) from this episode.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What we can learn from a day in the life of a student | PBS NewsHour | PBS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
PBS NewsHour Karen Ritter, an assistant principal at a high school just outside of Chicago, wanted to see her school through a student's eyes. So she decided to follow 9th grader Alan Garcia, who came to her asking to be switched out of the many remedial classes in which he is enrolled, hoping to get a clear view of his experience in the classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
The Story of Gillian Lynne

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ken Robinson - Gillian Lynne - Igloo Animations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Taken from the famous Ken Robinson Ted Talk which is Extremely inspiring and it's about how Schools Kill Creativity. Produced by Igloo Animations, Dublin. Igloo Animations creates content for E-Learning - Children & Adults, Advertising, Television, Multi Media and Short Films. Established in 2008 by director Trevor Courtney, Igloo is an Award Winning Animation studio located in The Digital Hub, Dublin 8.

# data[].attributes.body
The Untapped SEL Tool

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As educators, we know that every day in the classroom is full of teachable moments-unplanned opportunities that present an ideal chance to deepen student understanding. A child sharing a story about a family trip could be a teachable moment for literature or geography. An event in the news that has students talking could be a teachable moment for social studies.

The trick, of course, is being open to the moments presented. Sometimes we feel thrown by unplanned moments and avoid them. Sometimes we feel threatened by questions that we didn't anticipate and ignore them. But if we challenge ourselves to stay curious about student thinking, even if it catches us off guard, we can experience some wonderful learning moments with our students.

We often miss some of the most powerful teachable moments in our classrooms: conflicts. Traditionally, educators have treated conflicts not as teachable moments but as disciplinary ones, and some conflicts do require disciplinary action. But many conflicts can lead to deeper social and emotional understanding for the students involved, and for the classroom community as a whole.

Of course, taking advantage of these SEL teachable moments can be both exciting and daunting. Often, we're at a loss about how to shift student thinking in the moment of conflict. After all, children in conflict, just like adults in conflict, can be quite angry and resistant. And we ourselves may be triggered by the conflict, leaving us less prepared to facilitate an SEL teachable moment for the students.

Establishing Regular SEL Practice

If we set aside a regular time each week to teach social and emotional skills, we'll be setting ourselves up to be able to draw on these skills in times of crisis. Regular SEL lessons allow students a time to practice these skills outside of actual moments of conflict. They allow teachers a chance to offer students feedback on their skill practice. And they allow everyone to develop a common language and understanding. A dedicated class period once a week in which students learn skills like self-talk, deep breathing, "I feel" and "I need" statements, boundary setting, and assertiveness techniques will go a long way in helping teachers and students actively transform moments of conflict into SEL teachable moments.

Reflecting on Discipline Styles

Most of us have a mix of proactive and reactive responses to unwanted behavior. It's helpful to ask ourselves which response we favor. Are we more likely to be proactive-that is, to head off unwanted behavior by thinking about challenges and addressing them ahead of time? Or do we tend to react to unwanted behavior after it has happened? If we want to transform moments of conflict in class from disciplinary moments into SEL teachable moments, it will help if we can adopt a more proactive approach.

Anticipating SEL Teachable Moments

If we reflect on our daily work, we'll probably be able to identify persistent conflicts in our classrooms. One student might have a habit of interrupting her peers and the teacher. Another might consistently forget directions, distracting his peers. We could devise proactive interventions to transform these instances into SEL teachable moments. For instance, the student who interrupts may be asked to take five deep breaths whenever she has the impulse to interrupt. And the one who forgets directions could be asked to write them on chart paper for the whole class as the teacher delivers them. If we plan for conflict, we will have greater success in transforming disciplinary moments into SEL teachable moments.

Allowing for Independent SEL Skill Practice

We can set up a neutral or no-fault zone in our classrooms where students can cool down and solve real-life problems. This might be in a corner of the room, just outside the door, or at an empty desk. It might be called a Peace Corner or a Talk It Out Table, or a name invented by the students themselves. We need to think about when and how students may use this area, and these protocols will differ from classroom to classroom. But such a space can go a long way in transforming disciplinary moments into SEL teachable moments.

Giving Constructive Feedback

Social and emotional learning takes place in the brain's limbic system, which regulates emotions, impulses, and drives. For learning to take root in the limbic system, we need repeated practice, one-on-one feedback, and positive motivation. That means that we need to be prepared to allow students to try, fail, improve, and refine the application of their own SEL skills to their own conflicts. If we can offer them constructive feedback on their efforts, in a no-fault environment, they'll be able to partner with us in turning what could have been a negative experience into a positive and potentially transformative SEL teachable moment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Untapped SEL Tool: Conflict | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As educators, we know that every day in the classroom is full of teachable moments-unplanned opportunities that present an ideal chance to deepen student understanding. A child sharing a story about a family trip could be a teachable moment for literature or geography.

# data[].attributes.body
Kids Say the Most Honest Things

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
by Hannah Bartlebaugh and Sachi Takahashi-Rial

" If you're going to grow [and] improve your school, embracing the honesty of student voice is crucial in empowering students to become partners in that process." -Nikki Hinostro, Director of High Tech Middle School

High Tech High's name has become synonymous with project-based learning and 21st Century Skills. The 13-school network in San Diego attracts thousands of visitors each year who come to find inspiration for their own classrooms and school models. So where does a successful school system look when its leaders want to target and prioritize areas for growth? To outside consultants? Academic researchers? Or to those who have the largest stake in school success - the students themselves?

Student feedback: the why and how
Students know great teaching and supportive culture when they feel it, and survey questions that are specific and targeted can turn their insights into action steps. High Tech High took a growth-minded approach to continuous improvement by asking students for their feedback and putting systems in place to respond to student feedback. They partnered with YouthTruth Student Survey to learn more about what their students thought and felt at school. The results of their efforts are inspiring!

According to former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, "Students know what's working and not working in schools before anyone else." There are many ways to include students in school planning and improvement. Some districts have student representatives sit on their boards while others ask administrators to shadow a student for a day and walk in their (metaphorical) shoes. And an increasing body of research shows that student surveys are an especially reliable and effective way to include students' voices.

You can't manage what you don't measure. Surveys give school leaders a way to quantify student engagement, academic rigor, relationships with teachers and peers, and school culture. Schools can also use surveys to measure progress toward specific initiatives and goals, such as student motivation and grit, project-based learning, and STEM. Providing an anonymous venue for feedback allows students to candidly respond on topics that shape school environments.

Using Student Feedback for Change: High Tech High's Approach
Collaborating with YouthTruth allows High Tech High to identify the specific instructional areas and student demographics that have the most room for improvement.

School leaders at one network school, High Tech High International, learned from their student perception data that there was one demographic group in particular that needed extra attention: male students. It's not enough to have favorable survey results on average, which is why High Tech High's school leaders drilled down to the subgroup level to see how students of different characteristics experience the same classrooms. In doing so, Nikki Hinostro discovered that young men, particularly young men of color, felt less connected to teachers and peers than did their female counterparts. Male students responded less positively to statements like, "Most students in this school treat adults with respect" and "Most adults in this school treat students with respect."

Based on that feedback, Nikki and her team worked with their male students of color to co-create a safe space for boys to talk about issues in their lives. This formalized group, known as Boys' Group, serves as an open space for young men to come together and voice their concerns, triumphs, and experiences. Since the launch of Boys' Group, Nikki's team has seen greater equity between girls' and boys' perceptions of their relationships and engagement in school. One student, inspired by his own experience with Boys' Group, helped create and facilitate another Boys' Group for students at High Tech Middle the following school year. Other schools throughout the network have followed suit and started Boys Groups of their own as well.

Another way that schools in the High Tech High network solicit student feedback is by training students as consultants. It's not uncommon for school systems to hire external consultants to provide expertise - it's less common (and less expensive!) to train your own students as consultants. At some schools, High Tech High Student Consultants give their teachers advice on a range of topics, including student-teacher relationship building, classroom management techniques, and communication styles. This reframing of the teacher-student relationship has already begun to bear fruit, with both parties collaborating to teach and learn together. Teachers who have participated in the program have reported that they feel they have developed deeper relationships with students and interact with students in a more positive way during class.

Is your student feedback gathering dust on a shelf?
YouthTruth has some advice for other schools interested in surveying their students: If you took the time to conduct a student survey, make sure that you use the results! It helps if your survey results are ready in a timely manner, already analyzed, and easy to interpret and understand. You'll gain additional insights and value by disaggregating by demographics like race, gender, and socioeconomic status. If you can view your data in a comparative context - by comparing your school to other schools in your district or schools that share your characteristics - you'll be able to understand what typical feedback looks like and where your school sits compared to others.

As you reflect on your goals for student learning, remember that student perceptions are a leading indicator of academic achievement. While feedback can spark difficult conversations, there are resources to help. In fact, here are some handy tips that YouthTruth has picked up along the way to navigate the student feedback process. When the conversations get tough, remember what brought you here: you want all students to be successful in learning and in life. A test score can't tell the difference between boredom and engagement, but student voice can.

--
High Tech High serves 5,000 students (70% students of color; 48% qualify for free or reduced lunch) in San Diego County, CA. 96% of High Tech High graduates have gone on to college, with 34% of graduates majoring in STEM (compared to 17% nationally). The network has won numerous recognitions, from facility design awards, to playing the starring role in the acclaimed documentary Most Likely to Succeed. High Tech High is also the first charter management organization to operate its own Graduate School of Education fully embedded within a K-12 learning community. All the while, High Tech High schools operate on effectively 85% of the public dollars of other California public schools.

YouthTruth Student Survey harnesses student and stakeholder perceptions to help educators accelerate improvements in their K-12 schools and classrooms. Through valid and reliable survey instruments and tailored professional development, YouthTruth partners with schools and districts to enhance learning for all students. Since 2008, YouthTruth has surveyed over 430,000 students in 33 states and four countries. RSVP for a 30-minute webinar, where we'll talk about our topics, simple survey process, and share how we present student feedback with school and district leaders. And read more about why a turnaround school principal called his YouthTruth data "like bringing me water in the desert."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you're going to grow [and] improve your school, embracing the honesty of student voice is crucial in empowering students to become partners in that process. -Nikki Hinostro, Director of High Tech Middle SchoolHigh Tech High's name has become synonymous with project-based learning and 21st Century Skills.

# data[].attributes.body
Where Do Introverts Fit into Group Work

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, the best-selling author raises a topic I've been thinking about a lot lately. In the chapter "When Collaboration Kills Creativity: The Rise of the New Groupthink and the Power of Working Alone," Cain quotes Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, who endorsed working alone in his memoir:

Most inventors and engineers I've met are like me-they're shy and they live in their heads. They're almost like artists. In fact, the very best of them are artists. And artists work best alone-best outside of corporate environments, best where they can control an invention's design without a lot of people designing it for marketing or some other committee.

What can Wozniak's views tell us about teaching and about pushing introverts, who typically prefer to work alone, to collaborate? John Aime, assistant head of school at Santa Catalina School in Monterey, California, may have put it best. "It's not whether teachers should have kids work alone or in groups," he told me. "The point is that both methods of coming to some understanding about an unknown topic are valuable. One approach should not be emphasized to the exclusion of the other." Still, I struggle to find the balance in my classroom.

The Power of Questioning

In my high school humanities classes, before each unit I distribute focus questions and focus terms for the students to respond to as a culminating assessment. I constantly encourage them to further their understanding, alone and in groups, by engaging with the text to connect overarching terms, concepts, and themes.

During class, students work in pairs to explain their responses, not simply recite what they wrote. This requires introverts and extroverts alike to make sense of and internalize large amounts of information-not merely regurgitate it. Dr. Ken Bain, author of What the Best College Students Do, reinforced my thinking when we spoke about his book. Have students "spend time questioning and questioning each other," he told me. "Students can spend hours reviewing a vocabulary list or an approach to solving a problem, but if someone questions [them] about it and asks [them] to explain it . . . and to think about its applications to a particular problem, [they're] going to learn much more deeply."

The Right Way to Engage Introverts in Group Work

When it comes to fostering creativity in the long term, Dr. Keith Sawyer, a leading scientific researcher in the field, echoes Bain and Aime. "The most effective creative process alternates between time in groups, collaboration, interaction and conversation, . . . [and] times of solitude, where something different happens cognitively in your brain," says Sawyer, who in 2007 wrote one of the first major books on collaboration, Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration.

Sawyer's work rings true to my own teaching experience, but so does Susan Cain's. "I hear too many stories of children who are given the message by very well-meaning teachers that there's something wrong with the way they are," she told me, "I think well-meaning teachers see their role as being to turn introverts into extroverts. We really need to understand that an introvert is a totally normal personality type."

Not wanting to be a teacher who causes introverts to wonder what's wrong with them, I asked Sawyer if group work should be required. He told me, "There is a lot of research showing that introverts can participate in groups and teams, and they can benefit from the additional creativity that comes from collaboration. I would recommend that even introverts do what they can to interact with groups and have conversations that, typically, drive creativity and innovation."

From speaking with Cain and Sawyer, I gather the trick is knowing your students as individual learners, and that includes knowing when to push and when to ease up. It involves hard work, differentiating instruction and assessment to appeal to a wide range of learners, and finding a way for introverts and extroverts to show what they can do with what they know. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.

Keeping Introverts Motivated and Engaged

To be fair, Cain never suggested to me that educators should avoid learning activities that could favor extroverted personalities. Rather, she told me, "I think it is a matter of finding one-on-one time with [introverted] students, figuring out what are the areas that they're really interested in, and maybe calling on them or asking them to participate around those areas."

In my experience, all students, not just introverts, perform best when they sense intrinsic value in their pursuits. When assigning groups, I do my best to match students by shared interests. Last year, for instance, several of my introverted American history students worked diligently on an academic debate in which they passionately defended President Truman's decision to use atomic warfare to end World War II. As advisor to The Gator, the student news site of Brimmer and May School in Massachusetts, I marvel at introverted student-reporters who work alongside others in numerous capacities, including brainstorming story ideas, reporting, writing, editing, and promoting their work.

What sort of balance do you strike between group work and independent work? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Where Do Introverts Fit Into Group Work? | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking , the best-selling author raises a topic I've been thinking about a lot lately.

# data[].attributes.body
Learner Interest Matters

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learner Interest Matters: Strategies for Empowering Student Choice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When students care about an assignment, they’re willing to take greater risks and are more likely to excel in their product.

# data[].attributes.body
How Learning Profiles Can Strengthen Your Teaching

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

# data[].attributes.body
15+ Readiness Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Learning how to drive is an exhilarating experience, unless you're the parent sitting in the passenger seat. My son passed driver's ed, and he needs to clock hours driving with a parent -- that would be me. I plan those driving experiences based on his readiness, such as empty parking lots, neighborhood streets, light and heavy traffic, highway, and night driving. (The latter two may be more an issue of my comfort level.) With each planned experience, his confidence grows toward passing his driving exam.

In education, all students must be successful, yet for various reasons, classrooms everywhere fall short of this objective. Equally true is that teachers come to work every day with a lesson plan that is intended to foster learning by addressing Content, Process, and Product.

Teachers want students to succeed and follow lesson plans that are intended to help them achieve. So why are some learners not meeting learning expectations?

Lesson planning and instruction of content, process, and product are only half of the equation. The other part is how students respond through readiness, interests, and learning profiles. Effective differentiation and, by extension, student learning, must make the tasks and focus appealing to students. They must believe that the activities are achievable and make sense. Later blog posts will address interests and learning profiles. Readiness is our focus here.

What is Readiness?

Instruction should begin where the student's skill level currently exists. Think of a time when you felt frustrated about learning something. Maybe it was a technology tool or a college course. When others around you seem to "get it," you start to wonder if you don't belong. Of equal concern is being in a course that feels like a waste of time because there is little new to learn -- the course feels like purgatory.

Readiness uses formative assessments to find and evaluate the gaps between student understanding and learning targets at a lesson and unit level. The gap informs us of what each student needs to progress. Some learners will achieve at a pace that meets the artificial timelines established by the curriculum. Others will finish much sooner, and will need a different level of challenge to maintain their ongoing learning. A portion of the students will not meet the objectives in time unless additional scaffold supports are put in place. Readiness means ensuring that all learners are given complex work that is respectful of their current skill levels.

Readiness Strategies and Considerations

Teachers already have the tools to meet the readiness needs of all students. A cycle of formative assessment is critical. Tracking student progress on a daily basis informs us about who needs interventions for scaffolds or greater complexity. Some examples include:

Exit tickets

Two- to four-question quizzes

Journaling

Observational checklists

Student questions

Work product

For heterogeneous groups of students with diverse learning skills, collaboration helps develop understanding of content. These groupings succeed when the tasks enable students to bring forth their strengths, such as experience in the applied area (interests) and different ways of exploring the concepts via multiple intelligences (learning profiles). Here are examples for fostering dialogue that will allow all students to contribute in all content areas:

1. Jigsaw Strategy:

2. Learning Centers:

3. Readers Workshop:

4. RAFTs:

5. Think Dots and Cubing:

Another strength of heterogeneous groups is addressing skill gaps that prohibit access to content. Some solutions for students include providing them with materials at different reading levels, or having peers read aloud material for those with lower reading levels. Such strategies enable all students to assist with application and critical thinking of content on an even playing field. During these group activities, teachers can pull out individual or small groups of students for strategic coaching in needed areas.

Tiering takes an activity developed for meeting the learning target, and creates different versions. One type addresses skill gaps with scaffolds, and another stretches students who have already mastered the learning outcomes ( resources). Identifying student skill level through formative assessments is critical. The tiering strategy is efficient in ensuring that all students are working on leveled needs. Guided reading groups and guided math groups are typically organized by skill level so as to give students focused support. Many effective learning strategies can be tiered, including the ones listed above for heterogeneous grouping.

Now, Not Later

Some teachers raise time as a common concern to differentiate. Addressing readiness in lessons right now will save time in the long term. People feel valued when time is dedicated to meeting their needs and when they can see the effort going into their targeted support. Addressing readiness ensures that skill gaps are addressed and that frustration levels stay low. This reduces long-term concerns of students falling further and further behind. Ignoring student needs is not an option. When we absolutely know their specific readiness needs, we respond. It's why we teach.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
15+ Readiness Resources for Driving Student Success

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learning how to drive is an exhilarating experience, unless you're the parent sitting in the passenger seat. My son passed driver's ed, and he needs to clock hours driving with a parent -- that would be me. I plan those driving experiences based on his readiness, such as empty parking lots, neighborhood streets, light and heavy traffic, highway, and night driving.

# data[].attributes.body
Student Surveys: Using Student Voice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

# data[].attributes.body
Wellbeing: Developing Empathy, Emotional Awareness and Agency

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
How It's Done

Start With a Wellbeing Framework

When creating a wellbeing curriculum, start with an existing framework, and customize it to your students' needs. School 21 uses a U.K.-based wellbeing framework called Personal, Social, Health, and Economic ( PSHE) education. "It's a great basis to go to for ideas, but we take from that what this group of children needs," explains Gaunt. Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning ( CASEL) is a similar, U.S.-based resource.

Throughout the year, School 21 covers six big topics -- one per a six- to eight-week term:

1. School as a community

2. What makes me special?

3. How can I be a responsible citizen in the world?

4. Diversity

5. Healthy lifestyles

6. Social skills

Throughout the term, teachers delve into a subtopic each week. For example, within the term on Diversity, they will spend a week exploring Why are we unique? Through discussion, students explore these subtopics further with questions like:

What makes us the same and what makes us different?

Is it OK to be different?

Should we all be treated the same?

What is prejudice?

How can we respect each other?

At the beginning of each week, teachers introduce the wellbeing topic at an assembly consisting of two year groups [grade levels]. Then, in their weekly wellbeing class, they use a grounding text to further explore the theme with students, and at the end of the week, they gather in a smaller, one-year group assembly to wrap up the topic. Throughout the year, they assess their students using the wellbeing progression chart.
Related Article: The Power of Redesigning the Traditional Assembly
Discuss the Needs of Your Students to Create Your Curriculum

At the beginning of each year, School 21 teachers gather and create a wellbeing curriculum specific to their students' needs. "Get together with other teachers and think about what the needs of the children are," advises Gaunt. "Start from there."

Last year, these educators noticed that their students were blaming their peers and parents frequently. In response, they spent a term focusing on responsibility. "We looked at how children can take responsibility for their actions and different tasks," remembers Gaunt, "and what their own, their teachers', and their families' responsibilities are."
Related Article: Social and Emotional Learning: A Schoolwide Approach
Create Opportunities for Discussion

A core element of the wellbeing curriculum is the idea that discussion and speaking lead to wellbeing. If students have the opportunity to discuss their feelings -- and hear how others feel -- it contributes to feeling seen and heard, and it develops their understanding and empathy of others' experiences. Discussion (or " oracy " as it's called at School 21) is central to wellbeing curriculum.

School 21 schedules daily assembly periods to discuss wellbeing topics. If your school doesn't have daily assemblies or a weekly wellbeing course, the important factor is that you're giving your students opportunities to discuss their feelings and beliefs, emphasizes Gaunt. You may be able to do this in advisory or homeroom, or through incorporating intentional discussion throughout your classes -- such as picking a particular book to explore in English or an event in history.
Related Article: Building SEL Skills Through Formative Assessment
The following exercises can help you promote discussion:

Give your students concrete ways to discuss abstract ideas. "Culture is quite an abstract idea," acknowledges Gaunt. "It's something that's all around us, but if you say to a six- or seven-year-old, 'What is culture?' they're not going to have an idea. We wanted to give them concrete examples of how we might see culture. So we looked at clothes, music, food, and stories." In their assembly, they grouped in smaller circles and were given an artifact that represented a specific culture (like an article of clothing) to talk about. "They had to identify what it was, explain why it's important, and who it might be important to, and then as a larger group, they compared the different cultures being discussed."

Use controversial statements. If your topic is culture, have your students debate a statement like, some cultures are better than others. To develop empathetic responses, start by scaffolding with simpler questions to help build students' ideas around the theme before getting into more controversial statements. "Have students pair up and take each side of the argument before they find common ground," recommends Oli de Botton, School 21's co-founder and head teacher.

In an assembly, Eysha, a Year 3 student, shared her opinion in response to the statement about culture: "If everyone from one country was for one culture, and another country was for another culture, we wouldn't know about any cultures except our own. There's lots of cultures in London, and if all these cultures weren't here, it wouldn't be a colorful place."

Incorporate drama techniques to engage students in discussion. School 21 invented a fictional character -- Colin Chaos, played by a teacher -- who appears during assemblies to act out different scenarios. "It's easier to communicate key school messages through character and humour," advises Peter Hyman, a co-founder and executive head teacher. Through forum theater, a drama technique "where the audience decides what the actors should do next," explains Hyman, they'll discuss topics like responsibility, and have the students take on roles (like Colin's mother) to act out and communicate how to work through and discuss different issues.

Initiate discussion with a stimulus, such as a grounding text. Provide your students with a video, image, or written text, and use that as a starting point for a student-led discussion. School 21 has weekly 40-minute Philosophy for Children ( P4C) classes, a framework that helps students generate their own questions and circle discussions around a particular topic (like diversity or responsibility) using a grounding text.
Related Article: Oracy: The Literacy of the Spoken Word
"We want our children to have power and control over their lives, a sense of belonging, and to feel that they can grow here," adds de Botton. "We want to give them experiences and support to do all of those things."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When creating a wellbeing curriculum, start with an existing framework, and customize it to your students' needs. School 21 uses a U.K.-based wellbeing framework called Personal, Social, Health, and Economic ( PSHE) education. "It's a great basis to go to for ideas, but we take from that what this group of children needs," explains Gaunt.

# data[].attributes.body
Ask, Listen, Do: What Kids Need from School

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
First Person

What do our students want? We know the kids in our class well, and we can probably come up with a pretty accurate list.

More recess. Less homework. More art. Class parties with cake, candy, music, wild dancing, and pizza.

But what makes teaching so hard, fascinating, and fulfilling is that every child who walks through our door wants and needs something different from her time in our class. It's our job to figure out those individual needs, child by child.

We can begin to do that by putting ourselves in the kids' shoes, and thinking through each day from their point of view. How much do they get to move around? How many choices do they get to make? How comfortable are those hard plastic chairs?

I have always liked the "gut check" question, "Would you want to be a child in your class?" But Shanna Peeples, 2015 National Teacher of the Year, made me rethink that question at a talk she gave in early November at the Clinton Presidential Center. She pointed out that what a particular child in our class might want could very well be different from what we wanted as kids, 20 or 30 years ago.

My friend Steve's 3rd graders, bored of their cooperative groups, told him once, "We want the desks in rows like Ms. Skokie's class." He threw his hands up and said, "But these are child-centered!"

We can try to put ourselves in their shoes, but in the end, we are not them.

There is only one foolproof way to find out what kids want: Ask them. Middle school teacher Pernille Ripp, author of Passionate Learners and Empowered Schools, Empowered Students, has three steps for transforming our classrooms to become more child-centered: "Ask. Then listen. Then do."

Here are three ways to do that:

1. Student surveys

Make a quick SurveyMonkey if your students have the devices to take it online, or make a paper survey. Ask the kids whatever you want to know. You could have them rate how much they like different parts of the day-math, Writer's Workshop, Guided Reading. You could ask what they want to learn about, or learn how to do, for the rest of the year.

Ask, too, for ideas on how to make class better for them-the physical arrangement of the chairs and desks, what hangs on the walls, what books they read, and how they spend their many hours in your classroom.

2. Parent surveys

Parents entrust a school with the people they care most about on Earth. They deserve to have their feedback sought, and at least some of it implemented. You can email or send home a brief survey every month or two, asking parents what they like about your class, whether there's anything they'd like you to change, and any questions they might have.

You don't have to act on everything they say. But it's worth finding out how your class is going from their perspective, and just making the time to ask can build goodwill and start a two-way conversation. Parents are used to being informed about all kinds of things, from upcoming school events to reminders about homework policies. But it's rare that they are asked for genuine input, and that is often particularly true in high-poverty schools.

3. Class meetings

The day after the Presidential election, when many of my Latino students were terrified about what a Trump presidency could mean for their families, I resolved to make my classroom as positive a place for them as possible. We started by all sitting in a big circle at the rug, and I asked each child for ideas on changes they'd like to make to our class. I wrote down every idea on my clipboard, even a couple of outlandish ones, to show that I took their suggestions seriously.

Most of their proposals were completely reasonable: "Do more drawing and art to go with our writing." "Go outside sometimes for Writer's Workshop and get our writing done out by the trees." "Read books at guided reading without always having to fill out a little paper about the book." "Buy more beanbags so we don't have to fight over who gets to sit on them."

The next day, we did an art project where the kids first made collage art inspired by Eric Carle's illustrations, then did a piece of writing to accompany their art. They made all kinds of work-volcanoes surrounded by dinosaurs, huge vibrant suns, haunted houses, and a creature surrounded by actual flower petals one student happened to have in her desk.

Two things were important about that class meeting. First, I acted on what they said, and I did it quickly-the very next day. Our students need to see that we value their input. It's not enough to do Pernille Ripp's first two stages: "Ask" and "Listen." We have to follow up with the third: "Do."

Secondly, I came to the meeting wanting to hear new ideas. It's tempting sometimes to simply guide kids in the direction we already have in mind, to get them to think they came up with the ideas on their own so they'll be more willing to implement them. But think of how we feel as teachers when our "input" is sought about a decision that, we find out later, was actually already made by the administration or state legislature weeks before. It's worse than not being asked at all.

Most of us find that our students do have good ideas that would not have occurred to us. When I asked the 2nd graders to come up with several possible desk arrangements and then vote on them, the winning layout worried me. It involved groups of six desks, so that kids worked in trios rather than the pairs I was used to. Even worse, half the kids would have their backs to me when I was at the front of the room.

My worries were ungrounded. The arrangement worked beautifully.

I put a child in the middle of each trio who tended to be less engaged, and with two partners leaning in on either side, that child didn't really have the option to stare off into space. The kids with their backs to me simply turned their chairs around when I needed to talk to them, and it occurred to me that I shouldn't be doing much talking from the front of the room anyway.

Design Flaws

Most of us agree that we have deep problems in education, ranging from inequity to apathy. So, whose fault is it?

Buddhists have an answer to that question: mu. The word means, "You are asking the wrong question."

At Shanna Peeples' talk at the Clinton Center, she built a compelling argument for how to fix our educational system. First, stop asking whose fault it is-apathetic students, uninvolved parents, lazy teachers, or clueless administrators. Blame doesn't lend itself to solutions, and it shuts down innovation.

Second, approach the problems in education as design flaws, coded into the design of school itself. This is true of almost any problem you can name, ranging from short periods between bells that make it hard to get much deep thinking and complex work done, to the discrepancies in funding between poor schools and wealthy schools based on property taxes.

Third, treat those flaws as design challenges that can be investigated, analyzed, and solved.

The last part of this approach is simple: Involve students in the redesign of school, beginning with your own classroom. When your students come to school tomorrow, ask them how they might like to rearrange the desks, or what they'd like to see on the walls.

Students are not inherently apathetic. When we involve them in the design of school, they become more engaged, behavior problems diminish, and the structure of school itself can be adapted to their needs rather than our own. We can stop trying to shape kids to fit our system, and start shaping our system to fit kids.

We can start small. But we can all find a way this year to make that start.

"Ask. Then listen. Then do."
Photo of student artwork taken and provided by the author.
Web Only

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
Back to Top

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ask, Listen, Do: How to Find Out What Kids Need From School

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
First Person What do our students want? We know the kids in our class well, and we can probably come up with a pretty accurate list. More recess. Less homework. More art. Class parties with cake, candy, music, wild dancing, and pizza.

# data[].attributes.body
How SEL and Mindfulness Can Work Together

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you're an educator interested in developing students' social and emotional well-being, it can be hard to know where to start. Which social-emotional learning (SEL) program should you choose? Or would it be better to focus on mindfulness? Perhaps you've heard great things about both, and, in the end, don't they just do the same thing?

© Remains

The confusion is especially understandable given that research in both fields suggests some similar outcomes for students: increased academic achievement and well-being, less risky behavior, and better relationships with peers and teachers.

SEL and mindfulness, in fact, are two separate areas-that work great when taught and learned together. Thus, choosing one over the other may not actually be the best choice.

One of us ( Linda) has had a front-row seat in the development of both SEL and the practice of mindfulness in education, as a co-founder of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning ( CASEL) and other researched-based SEL and mindfulness programs. With over 40 years of experience, Linda has learned that both SEL and mindfulness may be necessary to truly make a difference in students' lives and in the world.

But how can they be integrated? The answer is that one works from the outside-in-and the other works from the inside-out. When the two come together in the mind of a student, the effect can be powerful.

The difference between SEL and mindfulness

To start, SEL uses an outside-in approach with a focus on teaching skills: a teacher introduces a skill such as recognizing an emotion or using "I" messages, the students practice it for a set amount of time, and then the teacher moves on to the next skill. SEL assumes that this process is enough to enable students to use the skill in all relevant, real-life situations.

Mindfulness, on the other hand, works from the inside out, drawing on the premise that each person has the innate capacity for relationship-building qualities such as empathy and kindness-a premise that research now supports.

By helping students become aware of and then embody the connection between their emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations, students are better able to regulate their emotions, which then impacts things such as their behavior, stress levels, relationships, and ability to focus. In short, mindfulness practices connect students' inner and outer experiences and help them see the congruence between the two.

Cultivating in tandem

SEL and mindfulness, however, are each limited in their own way. Telling students to use an "I" message when they get angry doesn't guarantee that they will do so when their emotions are running high. And just because someone practices mindfulness doesn't mean they have the skills to resolve conflicts.

The limitation of SEL was really brought home to Linda when a male student who had been taught SEL skills through the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program lost control of himself. The boy had been serving as a conflict mediator in his high school when he heard balloons pop. By the third pop, he had shoved the student who was popping the balloons up against the wall.

The principal called Linda and said, "I don't know what went on here. I know he has these SEL skills. Now I have to suspend him and he'll never be a mediator again." When Linda talked to the student, she found out that at one point in his life he had had a loaded gun shoved into his mouth that thankfully didn't go off. She quickly realized that because balloon popping sounded like gunfire, the student had been emotionally triggered and lashed out.

So, even though this student knew how to mediate conflicts-a standard SEL skill, because his amygdala had "hijacked" him, he wasn't able to access those skills when he really needed them. If this student's training had included mindfulness, he would have been more likely to notice that something was going on in his body when he heard the balloons pop. With this awareness, he could have chosen to regulate his emotions through deep breathing or some other technique and then use the skills he had learned through RCCP.

On the other hand, children who just learn mindfulness without SEL skills may be able to calm their emotions in a difficult situation, but still make wrong choices when it comes to getting along with others. For example, students who are insecurely attached - meaning they haven't experienced a safe, trusting relationship with a main caregiver - might have a belief that, in general, people are not to be trusted; thus, these students may not possess the skills for forming positive relationships with peers and teachers.

Integrating SEL and mindfulness

When SEL and mindfulness are integrated, the five SEL competencies laid out by CASEL have more fertile ground in which to grow and ultimately be embodied by students and adults alike. For example:

Competency 1: Self-awareness Students' self-awareness deepens when enhanced by the mindfulness practices of focusing attention and self-compassion.

Competency 2: Self-management Mindfulness increases students' emotion regulation skills, which enhances their ability to resolve conflict more creatively or to say how they're feeling in an emotionally balanced way.

Competency 3: Social awareness Mindfulness increases students' empathy by helping them to regulate their emotions rather than get emotionally overwhelmed when faced with a difficult situation. As a result, their capacity to notice another person's suffering and respond to it increases.

Competency 4: Relationship skills Mindfulness increases compassion. Thus, when students practice SEL skills such as creating a win-win solution with someone who challenges them, they are doing so with more compassionate understanding.

Competency 5: Decision-making Mindfulness increases cognitive flexibility and creativity, which gives students a wider range of responses to challenging situations.

Being the change in the world

Ultimately, when taught and learned together, mindfulness and SEL have the potential to transform our communities and our world with the former cultivating the tendencies for compassion and ethical ways of living and the latter teaching the skills to make that happen.

Linda saw this potential while working with schools in New Orleans when the city was rated the highest in the country for daily shootings. One day when she was teaching students SEL skills, a siren went off in the school and all the children hid under their desks.

One child said to Linda, "Ma'am, Ma'am, please duck and cover. Please duck and cover." Linda then realized that there was a free-for-all shooting happening outside and that the bullets might come in through the classroom windows. The shock of the situation made Linda wonder if there was truly any value in the skills she was teaching to these children.

Later, she asked this group of fifth grade students, "How many of you have been using these skills?" and they all raised their hands. But then one child said, "You know, it's very sad. We're using these skills, but then we go outside and we see terrible things. I saw someone get killed yesterday." Then Linda asked all the students, "How many of you have ever seen somebody get killed?" Again, every hand went up.

But then another child raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute, I just thought of one thing. I realize that even though those bad kids and bad adults are out there, pretty soon we are going to grow up and we're going to be those adults. And that's where it's going to change. That's how it will change for good."

And that is how it will change for good.

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

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How SEL and Mindfulness Can Work Together

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you're an educator interested in developing students' social and emotional well-being, it can be hard to know where to start. Which social-emotional learning (SEL) program should you choose? Or would it be better to focus on mindfulness? Perhaps you've heard great things about both, and, in the end, don't they just do the same thing?

# data[].attributes.body
When mindfulness replaces detention

# data[].attributes.body
Schools Create Moments of Calm for Stressed-Out Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
With teachers at Roosevelt High sensing students' anxiety had reached a crisis level, they rearranged the school's schedule to add a 20-minute break every day, and weekly lessons on mindfulness. Other local schools are also doing more to foster students' emotional health.

Share story

For much of last Thursday morning, Caroline Maher's head was filled with anxiety - about the long essay due in her English class, the work for her two advanced placement classes, her after-school practice to prepare for an upcoming dance-team performance. In school and after school - with homework, youth-group meetings and a weekend job - nearly every minute of the 16-year-old's time is scheduled.

But for 20 minutes each day at Roosevelt High - part of a break the school instituted for all students this fall - she has time to breathe. With her feet on the floor and hands in her lap shortly after her U.S. history class ended, she took three deep breaths and a long slow exhale out.

One last deep breath in, U.S. history teacher Karen Grace said, as the 20 minutes got under way. "Now let's learn something new."

Started by teachers who'd grown alarmed at the rising stress level among their students, this daily break - known as "Rider Time," after the school's Roughrider mascot - is aimed at helping students slow down, at least for a few minutes.

Last year, teachers said, the stress and anxiety at the school had reached a crisis level.

Roosevelt has always been an academically competitive school, with many students planning on going to four-year colleges. But last year, the stress had hit a new high.

Grace said she personally walked more panicked students to the teen health center than in any of her previous 15 years as a teacher. The number of students with attention-deficit disorder continued to rise. And in two years, two students committed suicide, which hit the school community hard.

Student anxiety was so thick, it seemed to drip from the walls, said Michael Magidman, a Roosevelt social studies teacher. The school's staff, he said, felt compelled to do something.

"There were events that pushed enough people over the edge to say 'we need to shake ourselves out of the apathy of routine, we need to do something here,' because our students are too overloaded and stressed out," he said.

So a team of teachers, counselors and school nurses met to figure out what. They quickly settled on carving out a 20-minute period in the school day - accomplished by shortening each class to 50 minutes instead of 55. And because they now make any announcements during Rider Time (and don't hold Rider Time on assembly days), they say the amount of instructional time isn't reduced by much, if at all.

"We find ourselves always functioning on this low-level panic, and I think we are seeing that more and more," Grace said. "Life continues to speed up, and kids don't have the life experience and tools to figure out what to do with that."

Erin Bailey, one of the school's academic intervention specialists, said students face tougher academics than in the past, and take more advanced classes in their effort to get into college.

"There's just a lack of free time to be themselves," she said. "And with the internet, you always feel like you have to be connected to something. You're always missing something."

Most days of the week, students can use the 20 minutes of Rider Time as they choose - to relax on their own, check on grades or catch up on school work. But on Thursdays, teachers in every class lead a lesson on mindfulness, a practice loosely defined as being present and aware of one's thoughts, feelings and sensations - and the impact each has.

Other Seattle-area schools also are incorporating mindfulness and stress management into the school day, part of a push to focus on students' emotional well-being, rather than just academic success.

At Seattle's Thurgood Marshall Elementary, for example, first-grade students do mindfulness exercises twice a week. Tillicum Middle School in Bellevue added mindfulness lessons to its health classes. Also in Seattle, Ballard High offers drop-in sessions, and students at Nathan Hale High formed a stress-management club, where students can hang out in a dimly lighted room with classical music playing in the background. They can nap or even color, which helps them take their minds off schoolwork, said senior Stella Ramos, who started the club.

"Everyone de-stresses in different ways," said Ramos, 17.

But Roosevelt is the first school in Seattle to pilot a yearlong program with weekly mindfulness lessons built into the daily schedule, said Ann Hollar, a mindfulness instructor who wrote the curriculum.

National statistics back up teachers' and students' concerns about stress. Suicide, for example, is the second-leading cause of death among people aged 15-34, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A CDC report released last month showed that kids ages 10-14 were more likely to die by suicide than in a car accident.

Hollar also attributes the interest in mindfulness as a response to the era of high-stakes testing. After a period that focused so much on test scores, she said, more schools are realizing they can't neglect students' emotional health.

"If you're not present, then you're not open to learning," she said.

The mindfulness lessons aren't in any way religious, said Richard Berger, a professor emeritus in the University of Washington Medical School who has taught mindfulness courses in several Seattle and Edmonds schools.

"It's not worship in any sense of the word," he said. "It's really just kids getting to know themselves better, including how their brain works."

At Roosevelt, teachers Grace and Magidman use mindfulness exercises regularly, not just during Rider Time. Before a test, for example, Grace has students write what they are worried about, and then crumble up the paper and put it in a trash can. That helps the students visualize their worries in a different way, she said.

Last Thursday during Rider Time, Maher and her classmates in Grace's Advanced Placement U.S. History class put away their textbooks and copies of the Emancipation Proclamation, then opened their mindfulness journals. The week before, the lesson focused on kindness, so Grace asked if anyone had done any random acts of kindness. One student said she'd sent a letter to a friend, another called her grandmother to ask about family history.

One student took out his phone and kept his eyes open during the breathing exercises, but most of the class participated fully.

They ended with a moment of silence, with their feet on the floor, hands in laps, eyes closed. One student, her backpack packed with binders and books, counted her breaths in a whisper.

Already, teachers and students say, Roosevelt is calmer. Teachers report seeing fewer students speed-walking down the halls with frantic looks on their faces. Students say the overall pace feels slower. And after Rider Time, Maher and a few other students had time to linger in Grace's classroom rather than rush off to their next course.

Next year, the school's schedule may be changing, so teachers aren't sure whether Rider Time can continue. But they hope the focus on emotional health will stay.

"I think it's changed the tone of how we get through the day," Grace said. "It's still fast-paced, but it's sane and reasonable."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Schools create moments of calm for stressed-out students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With teachers at Roosevelt High sensing students' anxiety had reached a crisis level, they rearranged the school's schedule to add a 20-minute break every day, and weekly lessons on mindfulness. Other local schools are also doing more to foster students' emotional health.

# data[].attributes.body
Students Discover the Power of Gratitude

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Students Discover the Power of Gratitude on a Community | Class Act

# data[].attributes.body
Expect More Emphasis on SEL in 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The purpose of public education is to ensure students are prepared to meaningfully contribute to society. While this means making sure they develop the thinking skills and content knowledge associated with the core subjects of English, math, science and social studies, it also means ensuring that students have the skills, attitudes and values that will allow them to use this education to succeed in an increasingly complex society. Indeed, studies show that since 1980, almost all of the job growth in the US has been in occupations requiring high social and emotional learning skills. SEL skills, which include self-awareness, social-awareness, self-management, decision-making and forging relationships, are foundational competencies for achievement in school, work and life. The question at hand is which states and districts will prioritize these skills to enhance student success?

As of December 2015, The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning reported that only four of the 50 states had developed comprehensive standards for SEL with developmental benchmarks. But there is good news. Several states have started that process, putting their students at a competitive advantage in this knowledge economy. In addition, the Aspen Institute recently initiated a national commission to discuss the importance of this work across the country, while the Every Student Succeeds Act has placed an increased emphasis on non-cognitive supports to student achievement. CASEL reports that more and more individual school districts and networks across the country -- including mine, the Urban Assembly in New York City -- are making SEL a priority. It's apparent that teachers, parents and policy makers are realizing what kids have always known -- that students perform better when their social-emotional development is prioritized across K-12 education, and we as a society benefit from this success.

At the Urban Assembly we have made social-emotional development a core tenet of our work with students. With 21 middle and high schools in our network serving more than 9,000 students in high-poverty areas of Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn, we know that by enhancing their social-emotional strengths, and developing areas of need, our students can overcome the many risk factors associated with poverty. We are confident that a student body comprised predominantly of underserved youth who could be the first in their family to attend college, many whom entered our schools well below grade level, will succeed not only in the test of school, but in the tests of life.

A focus on SEL skills equips our students to navigate all of life's challenges, not just academics. It's about forging relationships with teachers and with each other that will help students develop the resilience to break out of the cycle of poverty and contribute their talents to our society at large.

We have codified our approach to SEL through the Resilient Scholars Program (RSP). Our students and schools have demonstrated strong results with the number of incidents leading to suspensions decreasing and academics and school climate improving. These are the four tenets of our approach:

Direct instruction: All students benefit from direct instruction and explicit development of the skills, attitudes, and values that promote resilience. We use SEL curriculum to teach these social emotional skills and mindsets, such as self-management, self-awareness, relationship skills, and growth mindset, to our staff and students.

Alignment and integration: Direct instruction for social-emotional development is supported and reinforced through the integration and alignment of SEL concepts throughout the day and through enrichment activities, which often have implicit SEL skills embedded. Similarly, integrating SEL ideas and concepts throughout academic periods, counseling sessions, and in the school's discipline system increases the exposure and maximizes learning.

Sustainability of implementation: Sustainability of school-based initiatives is an essential component for creating routine, effective practice and long-term success. We developed a sustainability and implementation rubric which provides a framework for implementing those tasks critical to the fidelity and sustainability of the RSP.

Social and emotional competencies assessment: In this era of accountability, schools care about what they can measure. The assessment of students' social emotional competencies is an important indicator of successful SEL program implementation. The Resilient Scholar Program utilizes a standards-based online SEL Assessment to assess students' social-emotional competencies and track growth over time. The assessment is also used as a formative assessment to guide SEL instruction within classrooms in order to best serve students' social-emotional needs.

In the coming years, more and more districts will realize that social-emotional development is not ancillary to the work of educators, but foundational to it. The science, experience and desire of educators, businesspeople, parents and students, alike are all pointing toward the importance of adopting SEL programs and approaches in districts across the country. As the trend toward implementing such programs and approaches in school matures, we hope we can be an example for other districts in the coming years.
David Adams is director of social and emotional learning at the Urban Assembly in New York City. Prior to this role he served as social-emotional learning coordinator for District 75 in New York City. He has also worked internationally in schools in England and has published two papers on the topic. At Urban Assembly he oversees the Resilient Scholars Program that includes SEL curriculum and assessments. Urban Assembly uses Evo Social & Emotional by to develop students' SEL strengths and needs to maximize their success upon graduation.
____________________________________

Like this article? Sign up for ASCD SmartBrief to get news like this in your inbox, or check out all of SmartBrief's education newsletters, covering career and technical education, educational leadership, math education and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The purpose of public education is to ensure students are prepared to meaningfully contribute to society. While this means making sure they develop the thinking skills and content knowledge associated with the core subjects of English, math, science and social studies, it also means ensuring that students have the skills, attitudes and values that will allow them to use this education to succeed in an increasingly complex society.

# data[].attributes.body
Hey Kids: If Batman Can Finish His Homework, You Can Too!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We may have reached critical mass on " marshmallow tests" in recent years, but the latest series of experiments on young children's self-control has got to be one of the cutest: Does pretending to be Batman help children resist temptation?

Are you kidding? Of course, it does.

For those of you who managed to avoid more than 75 years of comics, live and cartoon television series, and movies and video games, Batman is a cape-wearing crime-fighter known not for super powers, but for sheer dogged persistence (and fancy gadgets and money, of course-lots of money.) In fact, his strength of will is his key character trait:

That's why, in a new study in Child Development, researchers led by Rachael White of Hamilton College used the Caped Crusader and other fictional characters associated with persistence to help 4- to 6-year-olds stay focused during a boring task. They asked 180 children to perform a repetitive task for 10 minutes, but said they could opt for breaks to play a video game with extra bells and whistles.

Building on Distancing Techniques

All of the children were told that performing the task would make them a "good helper" and told to occasionally ask themselves if they were working hard. While some simply referred to themselves in the first person, the researchers randomly assigned some students to refer to themselves by name in the third person-a method which has been shown before to help children gain some "emotional distance" to a temptation and see it more objectively. A third group of children were asked to imagine themselves as an "exemplar ... someone else who is really good at working hard" such as Batman, Rapunzel, Dora the Explorer, or Bob the Builder.

As you can imagine, the video game was a pretty strong distractor: Children on average spent more than 60 percent of their time on "breaks." As in prior experiments on self control, older children could hold out and stay focused longer than younger ones, with 6-year-olds spending about 46 percent of their time on the task, compared to less than 30 percent of time on task for 4-year-olds.

But at every age, pretending to be a strong-willed character helped the children be more persistent themselves.

There were no significant differences by children's race or economic status, since the overwhelming majority of the children were white and from middle-class or wealthier backgrounds.

What's in a Character?

The findings build on a prior study in Developmental Science using a similar experiment for children ages 3 to 5. That one found the same benefits for 5-year-old students pretending to be Batman, but not for 3-year-olds.

That raises some fascinating questions, which the authors themselves admit. Are children gaining willpower simply from divorcing themselves more and more from the immediate temptation-not just thinking of themselves from the outside, but pretending to be someone else entirely? Or are they actively gathering mental strength from pretending to be someone with stronger willpower than they have?

And for the 3-year-olds who didn't see the same benefits, is that because they were simply too young to distance themselves, or because they had not seen the characters enough to understand how they were role models?

Regardless of why, the findings give yet more evidence to the argument from educators that more time for children to engage in free play and role-playing can improve, not distract from, their cognitive development.

"In the future, even short-term longitudinal experiments could provide critical insights as to the generalizability and longevity of the benefits seen here for self-control," they concluded. "One possibility would be to examine whether allowing children to experience and practice successful self-regulation in the context of role play might strengthen these skills to a point where they are sufficient to help them succeed without the aid of pretense."
Chart: Pretending to be a strong-willed character helped 4- and 6-year-olds stay on a boring task longer, in spite or distractions. Source: Child Development Related:
Want more research news? Get the latest studies and join the conversation. Follow @SarahDSparks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hey, Kids: If Batman Can Finish His Homework,You Can, Too!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We may have reached critical mass on " marshmallow tests" in recent years, but the latest series of experiments on young children's self-control has got to be one of the cutest: Does pretending to be Batman help children resist temptation? Are you kidding? Of course, it does.

# data[].attributes.body
LEAP Strategy: Daily Sharing to Inform Learning

# data[].attributes.body
LEAP Strategy: Daily Sharing to Inform Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learner Focused Strategy Video: Daily Sharing to Inform Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Watch how educators at Wendell Smith Elementary School collect and take into account student feelings each day to better understand needs and inform learning plans.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Video Overview: What is the LEAP Learning Framework?
Learn more about the framework

Resources

View videos

Download strategy guides

Hear educator perspectives on personalizing learning

Get the Tools to Personalize Learning
New! Educator Resource Exchange

Professional Development

Upcoming webinars

Upcoming events

Request a session

Put Personalized Learning Into Action

LEAP Personalized Learning Surveys

The LEAP Personalized Learning Surveys are designed to measure the teaching practices and classroom conditions that enable personalized learning

Sign up for your school to take the survey and gain valuable insights

Learn More About the Surveys

Core Components

Elements of Learner Connected

Collaborate with peers, family, educators and others

Cultivate meaningful relationships

Advance personal opportunities through connections

Engage in real-world experiences through multiple mediums to develop:

Academic skills & knowledge

Community & civic engagement

Workplace experience

Global citizenship

Earn valued recognition for all demonstrated competencies (regardless of where and when it happens)

Strategies for being Learner Connected

Elements of Learner Focused

Develop a deep understanding of needs, interests and strengths around:

Experience learning that is relevant, contextualized and designed for their individual needs, interests and strengths

Strategies for being Learner Focused

Elements of Learner Demonstrated

Begin at a level appropriate to their prior knowledge and learning needs

Engage in productive struggle

Progress at a pace that fits their learning needs

Demonstrate competency when ready

Demonstrate evidence of learning in multiple ways

Receive recognition based on demonstrated competency, not seat time

Strategies for being Learner Demonstrated

Elements of Learner Led

Co-design their learning experiences

Articulate their interests, strengths and needs

Assess, monitor and reflect on their own progress

Partner in setting their learning goals and plans

Advocate for needed support from teachers, peers, technology and other sources

Strategies for being Learner Led

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
LEAP Learning Framework - For Personalized Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn more about the framework View videos Download strategy guides Hear educator perspectives on personalizing learning Get the Tools to Personalize Learning New!

# data[].attributes.body
Daily SEL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
InspirED - Get inspirED

At inspirED, we believe that young people's voices matter. Our free resources, designed by teens, educators, and SEL experts, empower students to work together to create more positive school climates and foster greater wellbeing in their schools and communities.

High school students say they feel tired, bored, or stressed 75% of the time they are in school

This website was created to bridge the gap between how high school students feel and how they want to feel

88% of students say they want to feel happy, excited and energized

Our Process

By engaging with inspirED, teams across the nation are empowered to change the way that students and teachers feel in school everyday. Through the inspirED Process, teams Assess school climate, Brainstorm ideas, Commit to a plan and implement, and Debrief successes and impact!

Get inspirED

At inspirED, we believe that young people's voices matter. Our free resources, designed by teens, educators, and SEL experts, empower students to work together to create more positive school climates and foster greater wellbeing in their schools and communities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
inspirED - Social and Emotional Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
InspirED - Get inspirED At inspirED, we believe that young people's voices matter. Our free resources, designed by teens, educators, and SEL experts, empower students to work together to create more positive school climates and foster greater wellbeing in their schools and communities.