| By: Kim Gulbrandson Grit, Growth Mindset, Mindfulness: Are These Trending Topics of SEL? Social emotional learning (SEL) is trending in education. The last 15 years of research has shown the many benefits to teaching SEL, such as reductions in violence and truancy and gains in academic test scores. Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Everyone Has a Role to Play in Preventing Bullying: Part 2 of 2 Bullying has always existed, although it has not always been consistently and actively addressed in the school setting. Recent research has shown that bullying prevention efforts that build a positive school climate and invite disapproval of bullying can result in many positive outcomes, such as increased positive bystander behavior, decreased support for bullying, increased willingness to intervene in bullying, increased willingness to support bullied students, and increased reporting of bullying.Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Everyone Has a Role to Play in Preventing Bullying: Part 1 of 2 Bullying does not occur in isolation. Social ecological and systems models of bullying indicate that it occurs within a dynamic, complex framework of interrelationships between people and their environment, including individuals, peers, family, community, and school. They emphasize that we all need to partner in the effort to prevent bullying.Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson 5 Big Ideas for Back-to-School, Courtesy of the Second Step Program Ready…Set…Go! It’s that time of year again. Pull those Second Step kits off the shelf and get ready to roll because the way you initially approach implementation sets the stage for continued success. Implementation is an ongoing process that needs to be considered up front and then planned for and supported regularly if it is to be sustained (Leadbeater, Gladstone, & Sukhawathanakul, 2015). Take a look at these ways to gear up and get your Second Step program implementation off to a good start. Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Understanding and Inspiring a Growth Mindset—4 Ways to Get Started A new school year is about to begin. As you revisit your goals and plans for the year, imagine cultivating these characteristics in your students: They are equipped to deal with challenges when faced with difficult work. They believe in their capabilities and in their capacity to improve. They seek challenging learning opportunities and view them as opportunities to learn. They thrive on obstacles and rise to the challenge when things get difficult. They believe they have control over their present and future. It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Prevent Risky Behaviors and Promote Good Decision Making Who wouldn't want 42 percent less physical aggression and 20 percent less bullying in middle schools? Teaching the Second Step middle school program can result in improvements like these and more. But don't just take our word for it. In this post, blogger Kim Gulbrandson explores the third-party endorsements, research, and approach to the program that make it so effective and worth a look! Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Ten Things District Leaders Can Do This Year to Plan for Student Success So you're a district leader, and you're convinced: SEL should be part of our strategic plan. Now what? Blogger Kim Gulbrandson concludes her three-part series with 10 tips you can start using today to plan for social skills instruction across your district. Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson How and Why Social Skills Instruction Fits With Your Strategic Plan Blogger Kim Gulbrandson posts the second part in a series of three on why SEL is needed and how to incorporate it within strategic plans. To achieve outcomes like “graduate every student,” and “ensure all students are college- and career-ready,” districts must teach students specific skills, give them opportunities to practice those skills, and reinforce through ongoing social-emotional skills instruction. Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson A Closer Look at Strategic Plans: Laying the Foundation for Student Success After talking with district administrators around the nation and reviewing strategic plans from rural, urban, and suburban districts across 26 states, our blogger Kim Gulbrandson spotted some trends: all plans referenced “student success” as a goal; one-fourth included SEL elements as part of the mission; of those that included SEL, personal responsibility was emphasized; few plans included action steps. Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson It’s Here! The Amazing Principal Toolkit How can you tell if an SEL curriculum is going to be successful? Look at the principal! Our new Second Step Principal Toolkit was developed due to this insight and gives school leaders ready-made resources such as meeting agendas, activities, and handouts for staff orientation, monthly staff kick-off meetings, and weekly staff meetings. Blogger Kim Gulbrandson reviews. Read More