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GreenMoney Journal - publishing since 1992
Fall 2010 issue
Socially Responsible Investing – Better Companies, Better Communities
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Reimagining Education: In our dream, social and emotional learning - or "SEL" - is a household term.
Mary Utne O'Brien, Roger P. Weissberg, and Susan B. Munro
Imagine schools where children feel safe, valued, confident, and challenged, where they have the
social, emotional, and academic skills to succeed, where the environment is safe and supportive,
and where parents are fully engaged.
Imagine this not as the exception in an elite or
small school but in every school and for all children. Imagine the integration of social and
emotional skills as a part of education at every level, from preschool to high school. Imagine it
as part of district, state, and federal policies.
This is our dream for 21st century
education-and it is happening now. Through rigorous experimental and action research and
partnerships with schools throughout the country, we have seen the impact of social and emotional
learning not only on children's learning and development but also on school functioning. More and
more schools are adopting social and emotional learning as an overarching philosophy and framework
for school improvement and children's optimal development.
Integrating social and
emotional learning into school curriculums is vital to the preparation of children for life in the
21st century. As CASEL leaders Timothy Shriver and Roger Weissberg point out in "No Emotion Left
Behind" (New York Times, Aug. 16, 2005), the choice between academic and social-emotional learning
is a false one: "The two kinds of learning are intimately connected. That means that promoting
students' social and emotional skills plays a critical role in improving their academic
performance."
There is solid evidence to support this statement. A research synthesis of
over 300 studies, conducted by Joseph Durlak of Loyola University and Roger Weissberg of CASEL and
the University of Illinois (2005), indicates that social and emotional learning programs
significantly improve students' academic performance. The study shows, for example, that an average
student enrolled in a social and emotional learning program ranks at least 10 percentage points
higher on achievement tests than students who do not participate in such programs.
In our
dream, social and emotional learning-or "SEL"-is a household term. While educators choose different
programs to meet the needs of their schools, they speak the same language and understand SEL to be
the process of acquiring the skills to recognize and manage emotions, develop caring and concern
for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and handle challenging
situations effectively. In school, on the playground, or at the family dinner table, SEL is the
ability to make friends, talk about one's feelings, resolve conflicts peacefully, avoid alcohol and
drugs, work on a team, set goals and move toward them-all those behaviors that enable young people
to succeed in school and go on to become productive employees, nurturing parents, and engaged
citizens.
The uncoordinated programming seen in many schools today assumes that when a
problem arises the fix can and should be simple or quick. There's a problem-truancy, drug use,
bullying, low scores, etc.; let's fix it. Such programming ignores the fact that these complex
problems are closely interrelated and have developed over time within the broader context of the
school, family, and community. When students fail or an unexpected outbreak of negative behavior
among students occurs, often the first question the public asks is, "Who is to blame?" Typically
the next step is to adopt programs to "target" the problem. Rarely, however, do the school, the
parents, and the community come together to ask, "How can we provide both a positive and supportive
environment and also necessary social skills for our young people, from pre-K through high school,
that will be a lasting part of education in our community and make events like these much less
likely to occur in the future?"
In the new reality school-parent-community teams have a
range of resources to help them grapple with that question. In a growing number of schools, they
select from among many excellent evidence-based programs for teaching SEL skills and creating a
positive school environment that works in concert with the home. Working together, they plan ways
to make the school safe and supportive, with high expectations for academics and behavior.
Educational leaders in these settings are inspired, empowered, and committed to move beyond a
fragmented, fad du jour approach to social and emotional programming and embrace a systematic,
comprehensive, and coordinated approach to addressing the deeply intertwined academic, social, and
emotional needs of students. These visionaries create a coherent vision for their schools and see
it through, even when there are strong counter-demands for short-term results and accountability
for test scores. In addition, they demand rigorous assessment of social and emotional learning,
knowing that this is essential for accountability and sustainability--what gets assessed gets
addressed.
Rather than putting a band-aid on wounds in the school culture and ripping it
off when the next attractive program comes along, the SEL approach realistically addresses the
needs of students at their roots. Underachievement and harmful behaviors develop in part from a
complex web of familial, economic, and cultural circumstances. These factors are part of the fabric
of life and difficult to attack. Strategies that help children develop the resilience to cope
adaptively with modern-day stresses have been shown to be highly effective, and it is there that
schools will focus their efforts in our 21st century vision. The evidence is clear that social and
emotional skills can be taught and that school cultures can be changed, and there is growing
enthusiasm for and commitment to putting the evidence to work.
Good teachers have always
recognized such complexity and the need to help all children achieve their full potential. Now
schools and teachers have both scientific support and, increasingly, political support at the
district and state levels. Cities like New Haven, Connecticut, and Anchorage, Alaska, have placed
SEL on a par with math and reading in their curriculums. CASEL's own state of Illinois has blazed
the trail in this regard, with its incorporation of social and emotional learning into the State
Learning Standards. Other states-New Jersey, Florida, South Carolina, and Washington, to name a
few-are close on the heels of Illinois.
The Illinois "Social and Emotional" Standards set
benchmarks for grade school through high school around three goals:
- Develop
self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success.
- Use
social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships.
- Demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and
community contexts.
SEL must be part of the discussion around the 2007
reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. In our vision, Federal legislation calling for social and
emotional learning in our nation's schools includes provisions for conducting systematic classroom
assessments of children's emotional and social growth. And the legislation provides adequate
funding to schools to integrate SEL in a comprehensive and sustainable way.
We imagine
all schools having excellent scientific and practical support. That's where the Collaborative for
Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) comes in. CASEL is a scientific organization that
works to take effective, comprehensive, coordinated social and emotional learning to the highest
levels of science and practice.
Since its founding in 1994, it has been guided by six
goals:
- Advance the science of SEL
- Translate scientific knowledge into effective
school practices
- Promote SEL as a foundation for academic learning
- Disseminate
information about evidence-based SEL educational strategies
- Enhance the professional
preparation of educators so they have the tools to implement high-quality SEL instruction
- Network and collaborate with educators, scientists, policy makers, and interested citizens
to promote and increase the coordination of SEL efforts
In our vision CASEL continues
to provide schools with high-quality resources, such as the review of programs, Safe and Sound: An
Educational Leader's Guide to Evidence-Based Social and Emotional Learning Programs (2003; Illinois
Edition, 2005), Building Academic Success on Social and Emotional Learning: What Does the Research
Say? (2004; Teachers College Press), and the forthcoming guide to implementing integrated,
comprehensive, sustainable SEL programming, Steps to Safe and Sound Schools. New
resources-trainings, publications, and technical assistance-inspire leadership and enable
assessment and accountability.
Article by Mary Utne O'Brien and others. Mary is the
Executive Director of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning -CASEL -
http://www.casel.org
Email: muobrien@uic.edu
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