SEL Field Notes | June 14

This newsletter is curated by the American Institutes for Research and CASEL for the MeasuringSEL Collaborator Network and aims to keep you engaged with news, research, and resources relevant to measurement and data in the field of social and emotional learning.
Please let us know what you are reading, doing and seeing in the field that’s worth sharing. Tell us about it here!

Research and Deep Dives

RAND: Teacher and principal perspectives on social and emotional learning in America’s schools: Findings from the American Educator Panels
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which students develop such interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies as teamwork, social awareness, self-regulation, and emotional awareness. Although schools in the United States have always addressed these competencies, in recent years, the availability of resources to address SEL has expanded, and educators are increasingly adopting SEL-focused curricula, practices, and assessments in their classrooms and schools. This report presents findings from nationally representative samples of teachers and principals surveyed for the RAND Corporation’s web-based American Educator Panels; these educators responded to questions addressing their beliefs about the importance and value of SEL in schools, their approaches to promoting and measuring SEL, and their opinions regarding supports for improving SEL.

Connecticut Public Radio: Connecticut students with ‘emotional disturbances’ face high rates of suspension
It’s still hard for Keyanna Tucker to talk about what happened to her when she was six. “I didn’t know how to cope with it,” Tucker said. “I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew it wasn’t right. So I started becoming a bully.” Tucker, who is now 22, recalled other problems. Her father was incarcerated, which was another layer of stress. And as time went on, her behavior slowly got worse. “Nobody never took the time to really guide me the right way when it came to my emotions,” she said. “So my emotions became hate … you couldn’t say anything to me.”

The 74: That C in algebra isn’t just about students’ math abilities, it’s about classroom environment, too
As a new sixth-grade teacher in Chicago Public Schools, I created an “A’s and B’s Because I Tried” Club to recognize every student who achieved a top grade on a project. I had come to my classroom in 2004 the same way most teachers do: with an unwavering belief that students can achieve academically, with the goal of creating a classroom where every student felt valued and with the confidence that, if students tried hard enough, they would succeed.

Measurement in Practice

Cleveland.com: Social and emotional learning goals for schools approved despite privacy, overreach complaints
The state school board approved social and emotional learning goals for students with a split vote Tuesday, with some board members calling them crucial to student success and others worrying that untrained teachers will be passing judgments on children that will follow them as they grow older. The new standards, passed 11 to 6, outline what skills students should learn over time in five areas of Social and Emotional (SEL) Learning: Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making.