| By: Committee for Children Three Misperceptions about SEL The potential inclusion of an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that incorporates both a definition and a specified funding source for social-emotional learning (SEL) has me thinking about SEL often. Foremost in my mind is how to clear up misconceptions about what SEL really is. Talking with senatorial staff on the Hill, friends, and family members about the hopes for federal legislation changes and the importance of SEL for social and academic success both in school and in life, I learned that SEL is not widely understood.Read More
| By: Committee for Children SEL in the ESEA: Committee for Children and Friends in Washington, DC On May 14, 2015, we were lucky to be joined in Washington, DC, by social-emotional learning (SEL) leaders from around the country to lobby their U.S. Senators. What was the ask, you ask? We want the Senate to include social-emotional learning in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, formerly No Child Left Behind).Read More
| By: Committee for Children Inclusion of SEL in the Reauthorization of the ESEA: Do you believe students need to learn how to persevere in the face of challenges and develop lifelong skills to cope with life’s challenges? Do you believe students need support in becoming safe, caring, respectful, and responsible members of the community? Have you benefited from increased classroom instructional time because of less time spent helping students who cannot independently manage difficult or emotionally charged situations? Do you wish you had more resources to support these needs in your school or district? If so, keep reading… Read More
| By: Tonje Molyneux Welcome Wave of Change: Positive Discipline and SEL in Schools I bet you can easily conjure up an image of a school teacher rapping the knuckles of a naughty girl with a ruler. Or a principal paddling the bottom of a boisterous boy. For a long time, this was how students were disciplined in school. They were physically punished with rulers, straps, paddles, or hands. Or shamed by being made to stand in the corner, wear a dunce cap, or write lines on the board. Perhaps you think these harsh, punitive discipline practices are a relic of a past, something we now only see in old movies or on episodes of The Simpsons. But in 19 states it’s still legal to use corporal punishment in schools.1 And since the late 1980s, zero-tolerance policies have resulted in thousands of students being excluded from schools, their right to an education stripped away for infractions sometimes as minor as chewing gum. Read More
| By: Committee for Children We Are the Champions: Parent Support of SEL Programs As a parent of elementary-aged children, I’m always finding myself ruminating over issues that, pre-kids, I never knew existed. For example: the importance of whether and how our school rolls out new and sensitive programs about such hot topics as drugs and alcohol, puberty, or bullying prevention. Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Set Yourself Up for Implementation Success By Kim Gulbrandson When essential elements of effective implementation are in place, the results can be powerful. Social-emotional learning (SEL) can thrive in environments where stakeholders are committed to sharing responsibility for supporting implementation and where there is shared vision and leadership around social-emotional and academic success for all students. But successful and sustained implementation of any curriculum can be challenging at times…Read More
| By: Tonje Molyneux SEL Helps Schools Create Safe, Supportive Learning Environments Schools can be a sanctuary where all children—including those who need it most—experience safety and support. And when children feel safe and supported, they are ready to learn. Learn how SEL can help to create a safe and supportive learning environment. Read More
| By: Allison Schumacher The (Near) Future of Abuse Prevention: A Conversation with Joan Duffell Child Abuse Prevention Month (April) is just around the corner, so PR Manager Allison Wedell Schumacher sat down with Joan Cole Duffell, executive director of Committee for Children, to talk about the organization's past, present, and future in abuse prevention, and about our new Child Protection Training that will be released later… Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson A Teacher’s Perspective Second-grade teacher Jennifer Krutina, who has been teaching the Second Step program for seven years, talks about “on the spot” practice, modeling skills, and more. Read More
| By: Committee for Children Bullying Down, Academics Up with SEL The Second Step program empowers schools to create positive classroom climates where students thrive Every state but one has adopted anti-bullying legislation. By now, many school districts have developed and put into place policies and procedures that outline actions to take against bullying. These policies are necessary in setting the groundwork for promoting a safe, positive climate for…Read More