School-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have been proven to improve students' academics (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, Schellinger, 2011) and can set up children for lifelong success. An SEL program's success however, largely depends on good implementation—and this requires thoughtful guidance, with school and district leaders who are strategic, invested, and supportive. So, where do these leaders start?
A national principal survey by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) found that while principals value SEL, they need greater knowledge and support to effectively implement schoolwide, evidence-based SEL programming. The survey also reported that successful outcomes are much more likely when superintendents and other district leaders are driving SEL and implementation is systemic.
While most agree on the importance of strong leadership, we often lack information on how to best manage a SEL program. As the principal of Essex Elementary School in Massachusetts, I found myself in this position recently when we implemented our SEL initiative. Through this experience, I learned what works—and what doesn't work—when implementing SEL. In the publication "Principals' Guide: Creating an Effective SEL Program that Boosts Achievement" sponsored by Aperture Education, I provided suggestions on how school and district leaders can overcome common challenges such as arranging training sessions, getting teacher buy-in, and adjusting the program along the way. Here are some of my top tips.
- If your state has SEL standards, use them! All 50 states have developed SEL standards for preschool students, and some have developed standards for students in early elementary school or in grades K–12, according to CASEL. Find out what your state's standards are and use them to implement your program.
- Scale your initiative. Don't try to do everything at once. Implement your SEL initiative first with a small group of teachers. Then, the next year, expand it, continuing to grow the program each year. Scaling your program will ensure a smooth implementation and foster teacher buy-in. In the first year, select teachers who believe in the benefits of SEL. We interviewed (informally!) in teachers to determine who might be best suited to be pioneers for their school. During that first year, gather regular feedback and tweak program elements as needed. We did this collaboratively by discussing how the pilot was going at weekly staff planning meetings and faculty meetings. Frequent check-ins and responsive changes will result in smoother implementation when it expands to the next group of teachers.
- Provide professional development that supports the initiative. Teachers need to understand SEL before explaining it to students. They must also understand how to integrate it into academic instruction. Provide adequate dedicated time to teach your staff about SEL and how to understand and strengthen their own social and emotional competencies. Our school accomplishes this with the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) by Aperture Education. Aperture's system offers resources for teachers to learn strategies that support SEL skill development.Still, remember that piling more work onto busy teachers' shoulders is no way to get buy-in. Organize training and support that respects your staff members' time. Instead of expecting them to adjust their cramped schedules to plan SEL lessons and administer SEL assessments, set aside time for faculty meetings or staff development sessions on SEL. At my school, we provide teachers with faculty meeting time and professional development time to teach each other about SEL. Three times a year, we also provide an hour of faculty meeting time or common planning time to administer SEL assessments.
- Involve your staff with the implementation. The CASEL principal survey notes that a lack of time and funding is a common challenge to SEL implementation. At Essex Elementary, our first cadre of teachers implementing the SEL program became the leaders and experts the following year. They helped train the other staff members. So, pack your first groups of teachers with enthusiastic cheerleaders. Positive word of mouth will help other teachers get on board. In addition, having this core group become our trainers helped us reduce costs.
- Assess and re-assess your program. A great implementation typically doesn't happen the first time around. It takes practice. Allow flexibility in your plan to adjust your program along the way. Pay attention to what is working—and what isn't. You can qualitatively measure your program's strengths by administering SEL assessments to students. Make sure, however, that you use an evidence-based assessment that is aligned to standards and measures the core SEL competencies outlined by CASEL. It should also measure progress over time.At Essex Elementary, we tried to integrate SEL into our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS, framework the first year by using the Behavior Assessment System for Children to monitor students' social and emotional statuses. After a year, however, we realized it was very deficit-driven and focused on negative behavior. We switched to the DESSA model because its emphasis on strengths fits with our school culture. Our SEL assessment data helps us determine which students need additional support as well as determine the effectiveness of our SEL program.
Change doesn't happen overnight. But when an initiative is implemented well, it does happen. Our SEL initiative involves three tiers of support. In Tier 1, teachers use the aggregate data from DESSA to determine the semester's SEL focus for each of their classes. They then set a goal related to this focus and weave SEL instruction throughout their classes. Some set a dedicated time for direct instruction in SEL. Teachers use the resources provided by Aperture Education to support their instruction. Tier 2 consists of small groups focused on one or two skills that are determined by DESSA. Students who fall below a certain cut score receive weekly small group support from the school psychologist. In Tier 3, students receive 1:1 counseling from the adjustment counselor. The staff has also been trained in RULER (an emotional intelligence model developed at Yale) to support Tier one instruction in their classrooms.
We have seen several positive outcomes since implementing our SEL initiative. Parents love the support and appreciate the updates that our psychologist shares with them. Students have begun to practice SEL skills in the classroom and during recess, and the staff is developing a common language to discuss SEL instruction. In only two years, behavior office referrals have decreased dramatically. Social-emotional learning programs can have a dramatic impact on your students and staff if you can take the time to implement them well.
