Social and Emotional Learning for School and Life Success: SEL 101 Roger P. Weissberg CASEL University of Illinois at Chicago The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment May 2, 2008

Objectives What is social and emotional learning (SEL)? Why SEL? What are the latest research advances? What are the latest practice advances?

Reflection Question: What qualities or characteristics do we want young people to possess by the time they graduate from high school? 3

Essential Questions Each Community Must Answer What do we want our children to know and be able to do when they graduate? How can the entire community be organized to ensure that all students reach the stated goals?

Risky Youth Behaviors and Attitudes: Prevalence Issues: Physical fight at school (12 months): 14% Carried a weapon (30 days): 19% Bullied at school (past 6 months): 28% 5 or more drinks in a couple of hours (30 days): 26% Seriously considered attempting suicide: 17% Sexual intercourse with > 3 people: 14% Chronically disengaged from school: 40-60%

Typical Approaches by Schools AIDS Education Bullying Prevention Career Education Character Education Civic Education Delinquency Prevention Dropout Prevention Drug Prevention Family Life Education Health Education Law-related Education Mental Health Promotion Multicultural Education Nutrition Education Physical Injury Prevention Sex Education Suicide Prevention Truancy Prevention Violence Prevention Transition into need for coordinated school framework to address the various initiatives we have in place in schools to address the various needs of our students Evidence of Fragmentation 2001 study – schools have an average of 14 activities and/or strategies in place to prevent problem behavior and promote safe learning environments Many of these are short-term or unrelated efforts Limited resources, fragmented, minimal targeted outcomes 6

Social and Emotional Skills and Attitudes: Prevalence Assets: How people you know well would rate you on: Thinking through the results of your choices, planning ahead Caring about others’ feelings, feeling sad when a friend is unhappy, being good at making and keeping friends Respecting the values/beliefs of people of different races/cultures My school provides a caring, encouraging environment 29% 45% 43%

What’s Needed? Moving from here: Categorical fragmentation in addressing learning barriers… Coordination of: Among categorical programs Between instructional programs and mental health services Between school and family/community interventions Between classroom and after-school Common language that bridges programs with similar goals and addresses common risk and protective factors Coordination problems: Need for a common language across caregorial programs Consistent messages to students across programs Cohesion between lessons – do they reinforce each other 8

SEL as a Coordinating Framework To here: A coordinated approach to promoting students’ academic and life success SE competencies are the “mechanism of action” that leads to effective prevention programs SE competencies can be the lens to assess and coordinate all the schools activities focused on prevention, positive youth development, health It also means coordinating all the various prevention programs a school may already be offering. SEL can be a lens for evaluating and deciding about these various programs to eliminate duplication and more effectively provide universal programming for all students, and enhance outcomes SEL as a coordinating framework is a lens to focus on students’ social and emotional development (SED); a way to examine everything that is going on in a school; it provides a framework to: coordinate across programs, reduce duplication, improve outcomes, etc. promotion, etc. 9

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): Mission and Goals Mission: To make social and emotional learning (SEL) an essential part of education Goals: Advance the science of SEL Expand integrated, evidence-based SEL practice Strengthen the field and impact of SEL www.casel.org Universal prevention for all students District policies – August 31, 2004 ISBE plan and standards December 31, 2007 2 big implications for schools: Regards SEL as integral to the mission of schools Take action to support student’s SED Illinois is the first state to mandate SEL learning standards 10

What is SEL?

CASEL Defines the Field of SEL (Elias et al., 1997)

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) SEL is the process whereby children and adults develop essential social and emotional competencies to: Recognize and manage emotions Handle oneself and tasks effectively Develop care and concern for others Establish positive relationships Make responsible decisions SEL is the process through which children enhance their ability to integrate thinking, feeling, and behaving to achieve important life tasks. SEL provides schools with a framework for preventing problem behaviors and promoting students’ well-being and success. (Safe and Sound) These competencies provide the foundation for positive health practices, engaged citizenship, academic achievement, and life long learning. SEL focuses on explicit skills instruction and creating learning environments that support social and emotional development and learning 13

5 Core Social and Emotional Competencies Self Other Decision-making Self-awareness Social-awareness Responsible Decision-making Self-management Relationship Skills Recognizing one’s emotions and values as well as one’s strengths and limitations Managing emotions and behaviors to achieve one’s goals Showing understanding and empathy for others Forming positive relationships, working in teams, dealing effectively with conflict Making ethical, constructive choices about personal and social behavior Standards, Benchmarks and Indicators

Social and Emotional Learning A Framework for SEL Programming to Enhance Student Success in School and Life Social and Emotional Learning Learning Environment SE Skills Instruction Positive Outcomes = + Competent * Confident Caring Connected Contributing Engaged 15

Social and Emotional Conditions for Learning Safe & well-managed Respectful & supportive relationships High expectations and challenging Participation and leadership opportunities Rigorous, relevant curriculum and engaging instructional practices 16

SE Skills Instruction Explicit SE Skills Instruction Self-awareness Self-management Social awareness Relationships skills Responsible decision-making Opportunities to practice Modeling of skills Reflection and acknowledgment Evidence-based programs 17

Positive Outcomes Academically successful Mentally and physically healthy Positive social relationships Prepared to join the workforce Engaged citizenship 18

Why Social and Emotional Learning?

Why Implement SEL in Schools? Relationships provide a foundation for learning Emotions affect how and what we learn Relevant skills can be taught Positive effects on academic performance, health, relationships, and citizenship Demanded by employers Essential for lifelong success A coordinating framework to overcome fragmentation of prevention and youth-development programs

What are the Latest Research Advances? 25

Durlak, Weissberg et al. (2008) Meta-analysis: Enhancing SEL Promotes Success in School Coordinated School, Family, and Community Programming Positive Social Behavior SEL SE Skill Aquisition Learning Environment Conduct Problems Improved Attitudes Emotional Distress SE Skills Instruction Academic Success 26

Durlak, Weissberg et al. (2008) Meta-analysis: Core Questions and the Answers Does school-based SEL programming positively affect students? – YES Do the impacts on student functioning endure over time? – SOMEWHAT Are SEL programs conducted by existing school staff effective? – YES Do training practices and the quality of implementation affect student outcomes? - YES 10 years later there are enough studies in the field to conduct a meta-analysis. Meta-analysis is a statistical technique for amalgamating, reviewing, and summarizing findings from previous quantitative research. It is a labor-intensive and time-consuming task – Find studies, two raters code studies reliably, analyze data – Every time an interesting question come up you have to code 207 research articles! We asked 4 key questions.

Durlak, Weissberg et al (2008) Meta-analysis: Inclusion Criteria School-based interventions that promote social and emotional competencies K to 12th-grade students Reported by June 2007 Employed a control group design Assessed outcomes related to students’ behavioral adjustment or school performance Social and emotional competencies – identifying and expressing feelings; self-control; stress management; empathy; problem-solving; conflict-resolution; responsible decision making.

Sample of SEL Intervention Studies Pre to post = 207 studies Number of students: 288,221 Since 1990 = 75% Randomized = 45% Elementary (56%), middle (31%), and high school (13%) Urban, suburban, and rural < 1 year (76%), > 1 year (24%) 207 studies Almost 300,000 students Most studies since 1990, and the numbers are increasing each decade. Randomized experiments.

Social and Emotional Learning: How is it Taught? Teacher- or researcher-led SEL instruction Guided practice opportunities with feedback and reinforcement A supportive classroom context Multi-component with school-wide and family collaboration

Does SEL programming positively affect students? Percentile Imp & (ES) Outcomes Social-emotional skills Attitudes Positive social behavior Conduct problems Emotional distress Academic performance 23 (.60) 9 (.23) 9 (.24) 9 (.22) 10 (.25) 11 (.28) We expected some results and were quite astounded by others. Improvement Index - Change of the percentile rank for an average control group student if the student had received the intervention – For social and emotional skills, this means that 73% of the intervention group scored above the control group mean (of 50). Feel better about self – Feel better about teachers and school – Better social relations – Less misconduct – Less anxiety and depression. But you are taking away from academic time – No effects on academics or lower academics – but the opposite it true! academics improve – a twofer. Impact of SEL on achievement is twice as high as class size.

SEL Improves Academic Outcomes Improvements in: Attitudes Motivation, commitment Behaviors Participation, study habits Performance Grades, subject mastery Source: Zins, Weissberg, Wang, & Walberg (2004). Building Academic Success on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): What Does the Research Say? Attitudes (motivation, commitment): Stronger sense of community Higher academic motivation and educational aspirations Better understanding of consequences of behavior Better ability to cope with school stressors More positive attitudes toward school and learning Behaviors (participation, study habits): Participate in class more Demonstrate more pro-social behavior Have fewer absences and improved attendance Show reductions in aggression and disruptions Are on track to graduate and are less likely to drop out Are more likely to work out their own way of learning Performance (grades, subject mastery): Improved math, literacy, and social studies skills Higher achievement test scores and grades and no decreases in standardized test scores Improved learning-to-learn skills Better problem solving and planning ability Use of higher level reasoning strategies Improvements in reading comprehension SEL addresses the affective and social dimensions of learning Emotions affect what and how we learn Learning is a social process 32

Do Impacts on Student Functioning Endure over Time? Follow up: 6 months to many years. SEL students showed significant improvement on all 6 outcome areas. The effects were smaller than at post. SEL is beneficial but not a permanent inoculation.

What Influences Positive Student Outcomes? School staffs SAFE programming Sequenced development of skills Active instruction (e.g., behavioral rehearsal) Focused on SE skills Explicit targeting of specific SE skills Implementation

Implications for Practice & Policy SEL works Multiple positive outcomes including academic achievement Across grade levels In all contexts SEL is doable Good results from programs run by existing school staff SEL needs support Evidence-based training procedures are better Implementation matters Supported by federal and state policies, leadership, and professional development 3 P’s – policy, principals, and professional development

What are the Latest Practice Advances?

5 Core Social and Emotional Competencies Self Other Decision-making Self-awareness Social-awareness Responsible Decision-making Self-management Relationship Skills Recognizing one’s emotions and values as well as one’s strengths and limitations Managing emotions and behaviors to achieve one’s goals Showing understanding and empathy for others Forming positive relationships, working in teams, dealing effectively with conflict Making ethical, constructive choices about personal and social behavior Standards, Benchmarks and Indicators

Safe and Sound: An Educator’s Guide to Evidence-based SEL Programs Safe and Sound provides educators with objective information about nationally available SEL programs for the classroom that promote social and emotional learning. SEL skills, such as the ones we brainstormed in our previous activity, can be taught and they contribute to the achievement of many important educational outcomes, such as preventing risky and problem behaviors, promoting good health and citizenship, being a contributing members of one’s school and community, and academic achievement. As such, these skills provide a common framework for overcoming the fragmentation that schools often experience in implementing separate activities to address all these outcomes. Programs designed to address various kinds of problem or risky behaviors (e.g. drug and violence prevention programs), to promote principled behavior based on moral values (character education), to promote involvement in one’s community and the political process (citizenship and civics education), to promote healthy decision-making, and to enhance achievement in academic learning areas such as language arts and social studies can be considered to be SEL programs if they provide students with consistent opportunities to learn, practice, and apply SEL skills. Safe and Sound details the costs, the grades covered, which have a rigorous evidence base, which most effectively teach core social and emotional skills, and which provide high-quality staff development and support. The guide offers information on these and dozens of other factors in a clear and easy to read format, along with narrative descriptions of each of the programs. If your school or district is beginning to work in this area, Safe and Sound will help in your planning and selection of a strong, evidence-based program that best serves your students’ needs. Safe and Sound also makes clear CASEL’s fundamental philosophy about evidence-based SEL programs. Evidence-based SEL programs are critically important to the success of any schoolwide SEL initiative. However, the programs must be imbedded in a three-to-five year planning process that incorporates social and emotional learning into the school curriculum and culture. Therefore, the choice of an evidence-based SEL program must fit with the school’s vision, address the needs revealed in the data collection, be part of the school’s improvement plan, and be implemented and integrated into the curriculum and all aspects of school life over a three-to-five year period. 38

Three main things to notice about the organization of the ratings table: (1) the rows list in alphabetical order the names of 80 programs reviewed by CASEL; (2) the column headings indicate criteria CASEL used in scoring these programs (the columns are organized into five categories of criteria with names such as “program design” and “sound SEL instructional practice”); (3) the cells created by the intersection of rows and columns indicate the ratings received by reviewed programs on specific criteria. The key to the symbols used in designating ratings (i.e., fully darkened circles, half-darkened circles, etc.) is located in the lower right-hand corner of each page of the ratings table. Although these symbols are uniform throughout the table (“strength,” “ promising,” “marginal,” and “weakness,”), the meaning of these descriptors varies by criterion. (Program ratings are explained in greater detail below.) The ratings table can be used in two main ways: (1) one can identify a specific program’s strengths and weaknesses by reading across the page from that program’s listing to find its ratings on CASEL’s criteria; (2) one can compare two or more programs on any of the specified criteria by reading down the page from the column heading for that criterion. The skills that participants generated in the opening exercise map on very well to the five columns in the ratings table in the category called “sound SEL instructional practice.” The items they generated in response to what supports educators would need to teach these skills map on very well to the column categories called “implementation supports” and “safe and sound learning environments.” © CASEL 2008 39 39

22 “SELect” Programs Outstanding SEL Instruction of five SE competencies Evidence of Effectiveness with at least one rigorous study demonstrating positive SEL outcomes for students Outstanding Professional Development that provides training and ongoing follow-up support

Three-level Prevention/Intervention Services SEL is for ALL Students Three-level Prevention/Intervention Services Few Treatment: Provide intensive interventions for a few children Early Intervention: Intervene early for some children Some Make the point that SEL is for all students Safe, Supportive and Successful Schools Most efficient and cost-effective way to improve school discipline, safety, and academic achievement Universal: District, school and classroom –wide interventions for every child Prevent risk factors Build foundation for efficacy and effectiveness of early and intensive interventions Early Intervention: Services/supports to eliminate or address risk factors and build/strengthen protective factors for those at risk Intensive interventions: Coordinated, comprehensive, intensive, sustained, culturally appropriate services/supports for students with intensive needs Universal Prevention: Focus on SEL skill instruction and learning environment All Students Adapted from Osher, Dwyer, Jackson (2004) 41

What Does Schoolwide SEL Look Like? Parent/teacher conferences Playground Hallways Front Office Teacher’s Lounge Bus SEL School Lunchroom Sporting Events Purpose: Participants will discuss what SEL school-wide looks like, sounds like and feels like. Materials: Markers, chart paper labeled with one of these aspects of schoolwide SEL. Directions: On chart paper, participants will note specific behaviors you would see in this particular domain if SEL was alive and well in a school (4 min brainstorm; approximately 10 min report-out) Possible participant feedback: Classrooms: Class management, Posted Expectations, Group Work Front Office: Smiling faces, Greeting everyone Lunchroom: Mutual respect, Safe environment, Students sitting together, No adult yelling Sporting Events: Positive Cheering, Special Needs Students embraced, Overall good sportsmanship. Bus: Greeting each child, Know names, establish relationships Extra Curricular: Community members involved, Diversity, Shared leadership Playground: Everyone is playing, Role models, Cooperative games. Hallways: Greeting each other, orderly Teacher’s Lounge: Positive support, talking with students in a positive way. Student Bathrooms: No graffiti, students report feeling safe Parent/teacher Conferences: Student-led ** Break: 10:30 – 10:45 ** Classrooms Afterschool/ Extracurriculars Bathrooms

Integrated Schoolwide SEL An Integrated Schoolwide Model for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Planned, systematic classroom-based SEL instruction and a supportive school climate Coordinated mental health and health services that reinforce SEL instruction To do SEL well, we need to integrate our efforts to promote the social, emotional and academic achievement of all students by coordinating all the school’s activities, including classroom instruction, mental health services, out-of-school programs and partnerships with family and community School-Family-Community partnerships to enhance social, emotional, and academic competence After-school and community activities that are coordinated with SEL efforts 43

Schoolwide SEL CASEL’s Sustainable Schoolwide Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): Implementation Guide and Toolkit 3 Phases 10 steps 7 Sustainability Factors

3 Illinois Social & Emotional Learning Goals Self Other Decision-making SEL Goal 31 Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success. SEL Goal 32 Use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships. SEL Goal 33 Demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and community contexts. Recognizing one’s emotions and values as well as one’s strengths and limitations Managing emotions and behaviors to achieve one’s goals Showing understanding and empathy for others Forming positive relationships, working in teams, dealing effectively with conflict Making ethical, constructive choices about personal and social behavior Standards, Benchmarks and Indicators 45

Summary SEL is the process whereby children and adults develop essential social and emotional competencies. SEL improves school-related attitudes, behaviors, and academics and provides the foundation to life success. Well-designed, well-implemented SEL programming produces the best outcomes. Sustainable, effective schoolwide SEL requires 3 Ps: Policy, principals, and professional development.