Dive Brief:

• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and American Institutes for Research convened social emotional learning and school climate leaders from around the country to consider the best ways schools and communities should support healthy child development.
• Among the 10 key ideas identified by this group and outlined in “Creating Healthy Schools: Ten Key Ideas for the Social and Emotional Learning and School Climate Community” are focusing on equity, being systemic, holistic and practical, creating a unified message, communicating it widely, and investing in professional development.
• These leaders also recommend incorporating student leadership into these efforts, involving families and community, examining what has and hasn’t worked elsewhere, and improving assessment.

Dive Insight:

Educators are increasingly recognizing the value of spending time on social emotional learning during the school day. While it takes time away from other subject areas, research shows the growth of social emotional skills brings academic achievement up, too. For students with special needs, this focus is even more critical, especially when they are being served in general education classrooms by teachers without a lot of special education training.

As schools consider measuring climate and reporting it out to families, administrators should keep in mind the impact of language. Learning Heroes, a project of the New Venture Fund, found during focus groups with parents native Spanish speakers, especially, are confused by the term “school climate,” thinking first of the temperature in the building. A simple change to discussing “learning environment” could improve understanding and engagement by parents on this issue.

Recommended Reading

AIR: Creating Healthy Schools: Ten Key Ideas for the SEL and School Clim... 
Education Dive: For special needs students, focus on SEL critical