SEL in Afterschool – Past, Present, and Future October 17, 2016 SEL in Afterschool – Past, Present, and Future Elizabeth Devaney Director, Center for Social and Emotional Learning Children’s Institute, Rochester, NY

Topics for Today SEL in the past – Foundations of this work SEL in the present – Current context and what is happening now SEL in the future – Where are we going

“Don’t call it a come back…. [we] been here for years.” –LL Cool J

A process through which children gain knowledge, attitudes, and skills What is SEL? A process through which children gain knowledge, attitudes, and skills

CASEL’s Five Core Competencies

S.A.F.E. Study Sequenced, Active, Focused, and Explicit… Durlak and Weissberg, The Impact of After-School Programs that Promote Personal and Social Skills, 2007 Programs that focus on social and emotional skills and are: Sequenced, Active, Focused, and Explicit… Help to move a range of outcomes – academic improvement, social and emotional development - regardless of content.

Positive Youth Development (PYD) Intentional, pro-social approach Recognizes, utilizes, and enhances youths' strengths Has origins in the field of prevention  Focuses on asset building and resiliency Aims to build protective factors including strong sense of self and self-esteem and engagement in school and community activities Has goal to reduce risks and strengthen protective factors

Eight Key Principles of PYD Physical and psychological safety; Supportive relationships; Opportunities to belong; Support for efficacy and mattering; Positive social norms; Opportunities for skill-building; Appropriate structure; and Integration of family, school, and community efforts.

So what is the connection between PYD and SEL? PYD aims to create environments for youth with: Physical and psychological safety Supportive relationships Opportunities to belong Support for efficacy and mattering Positive social norms Opportunities for skill-building Appropriate structure Integration of family, school, and community efforts SEL aims to help youth develop and strengthen: Decision-making and problem-solving skills Relationship skills Team work skills Self-efficacy skills, self-confidence Empathy and perspective taking skills Goal-setting and organizational skills Awareness of others and perspective taking skills

Program Quality Efforts Emphasis is on instructional practices to: Create positive environments Promote prosocial skill building Not focused on content instruction Tools look at: Staff/youth interactions The program environment Opportunities for youth voice and choice

Social and emotional learning Response to Intervention PBIS Employability Skills Character Education Safe Schools, Healthy Students Grit Crisis management 21st Century Skills Behavior management Whole child School linked Trauma-informed Care ESSA Social and emotional learning Social and emotional wellness Risk and protective factors Multi-tiered system of support Resiliency Multi system approach Soft Skills So, when we say school mental health, what do we mean? We’ll share our definition of school mental health momentarily, but I first wanted to share this slide – Some may look at this and think we are trying to suggest that the field of school mental health is a mess, or at the very least fragmented. That is partially true – there is fragmentation and some competing agendas. However, what I think to be most important about this slide is that there exist several efforts that fall under the umbrella of school mental health, and that a comprehensive school mental health agenda will be inclusive of many frameworks and programs. Mind-set Non-cognitive Skills School climate Positive Youth Development School connectedness Social and emotional competencies Mental health 11 11

Turning Points More states release SEL standards CASEL launches Collaborating Districts Initiative in 8 major cities – 2010 Chicago Consortium Releases Non-Cognitive Skills Study – 2012 SCE launches SEL Challenge – 2014 Passage of ESSA - 2015

Every Student Succeeds Act Signed December, 2015 Requires states to spend: 20% of funding on well-rounded educational opportunities 20% of funding on activities to support safe and healthy students Supports school and community partnerships Increases support for family engagement Continues funding for 21st CCLC

A Continuum to Success

Social and emotional learning Response to Intervention PBIS Employability Skills Character Education Safe Schools, Healthy Students Grit Crisis management 21st Century Skills Behavior management Whole child School linked Trauma-informed Care ESSA Social and emotional learning Social and emotional wellness Risk and protective factors Multi-tiered system of support Resiliency Multi system approach Soft Skills So, when we say school mental health, what do we mean? We’ll share our definition of school mental health momentarily, but I first wanted to share this slide – Some may look at this and think we are trying to suggest that the field of school mental health is a mess, or at the very least fragmented. That is partially true – there is fragmentation and some competing agendas. However, what I think to be most important about this slide is that there exist several efforts that fall under the umbrella of school mental health, and that a comprehensive school mental health agenda will be inclusive of many frameworks and programs. Mind-set Non-cognitive Skills School climate Positive Youth Development School connectedness Social and emotional competencies Mental health 15 15

Multi-tiered System of Supports . And finally, school mental health is NOT just about serving students with the greatest mental health problems. Rather, we emphasize a full array of programs, services, and strategies – mental health education and promotion through intensive intervention.

Providence, RI Summer STEM camp in partnership with school district Joint training and quality improvement efforts for youth workers, teachers, and afterschool content experts Targeted quality improvement efforts SAYO data to capture youth outcomes “Graduate Profile” showing 21st Century skills Badges for social and emotional competence

PASA’s Graduate Profile Essential competencies that equip everyone for college, career and life Critical thinking and problem solving skills Communications skills Teamwork Perseverance and resourcefulness Engaged in lifelong learning

youth designed, focus groups, IDIs, refine Family letters; ceremony

Rochester, NY Network of afterschool providers Focused on quality improvement Program quality assessment and training in youth work methods Screening for social and emotional competence to identify needs Training for youth workers in SEL instructional practices to meet needs

BACK OFF!

Measuring SE Development Be ready Be cautious Be ethical Be realistic Be patient

http://www.air.org/resource/are-you-ready-assess-social-and-emotional-development

http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/Social-Emotional-Learning-Afterschool-Toolkit-Sept-2015.pdf

Measuring SEL with SAYO

”Could someone help me with these? I’m late for math class.“

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) What is an ACE? Recurrent physical abuse Emotional abuse Sexual abuse Substance abuser in household Someone in household in jail Household member with chronic mental illness Domestic violence Parental separation or divorce In Wyoming, 34% of children ages 0-17 have had 1-2 ACEs. 15% have had 3 or more ACEs. Services, support & resilience can change this life course Jeff

SEL and Trauma-Informed Care Recognizing and understanding context of young person’s life Using that understanding in program development Use positive youth development principals Avoid vicarious trauma Building SE skills to build resiliency

For more information, contact: Questions For more information, contact: Elizabeth Devaney Director, Center for Social and Emotional Learning (585) 295-1000, ext. 224 edevaney@childrensinstitute.net