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“At a time when enormous emphasis is placed on 'learning loss,' this book reminds us that SEL for students, families, and teachers is at the core of our work; without it, academic strides cannot occur. SEL is not something we give or do to students, but is cultural, and incorporates and centers the voices, needs, and identities of students as well as the adults who work with them. Teachers, principals, and district leaders will find the research, resources, and practical strategies in this book both useful and energizing.”

—Rebecca Katsh-Singer, PhD, Principal, Hildreth Elementary School, Harvard, Massachusetts


“Educators frequently struggle with how to 'do SEL.' This practical guide takes what may often feel like abstract concepts and puts them into actionable practices. The authors' focus on SEL as a universal, proactive approach is refreshing. The emphasis on developing adult SEL skills as a critical element in any SEL effort will be especially important for educators to consider at the preservice and service levels. For anyone—whether a school psychologist, building or central office administrator, or school board member—seeking to make systems-level change, this is a go-to resource to guide you through the process with practical strategies and lived examples. I look forward to sharing this resource with my colleagues!”

—Jason A. Pedersen, PhD, NCSP, School Psychologist, Derry Township School District, Hershey, Pennsylvania


“This book explains how to systematically and fully integrate SEL into all facets of a school. Chapters discuss restorative practices, SEL-infused academics, building the SEL competencies of students and the adults who work with them, and a focus on equity. School psychologists and educational administrators will find abundant 'how-to' examples and supportive theory and research. This is not a cookie-cutter book, because no two schools are the same. Readers learn how to adapt their practices to changing circumstances and contexts, while staying aligned to principles that will optimize their chances for success.”

—Maurice J. Elias, PhD, Co-Director, Academy for SEL in Schools, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey


“Gathering many of the top names in the field, Rimm-Kaufman, Strambler, and Schonert-Reichl offer a cutting edge overview of the state of SEL today. Linking topics like equity and school climate to social–emotional skill development, this book will leave readers well informed and ready to elevate the science, policy, and practice of SEL to its next stage.”

—David Adams, MSEd, Chief Executive Officer, Urban Assembly


“Three great scholars bring together the voices of educators, researchers, and policymakers to explore what it means to foster systemic, equitable SEL. The book addresses essential questions: What do exemplary practices look like in a wide variety of classrooms, schools, and districts? What conditions need to be in place to bring those practices to life? What workable steps can we take to create those conditions? The result is a book that is at once deeply grounded in research and immediately accessible and actionable for teachers and school and district leaders.”

—Camille A. Farrington, PhD, Managing Director and Senior Research Associate, University of Chicago Consortium on School Research

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Table of Contents

Foreword, Aaliyah A. Samuel

1. Introduction: Meeting the Moment with Systemic SEL, Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman, Michael J. Strambler, & Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl

I. Supporting Systemic SEL

2. Increasing Equity in SEL for Students from Marginalized Populations, Tia Navelene Barnes, Jocelyn Easley Brown, Melissa Stoffers, Jurni Jackson, Yu Xia, Amanda G. Wells, & Alexcia Bryant

3. Striving for Racial Equity through Restorative Practices and SEL, Anne Gregory, Allison Rae Ward-Seidel, & Dionne Grayman

4. Integrating SEL into Textbooks and Instruction in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, Andy Smart, Jean Bernard, James H. Williams, Aaron Benavot, & Margaret Sinclair

II. Fostering Adult SEL: Insights for Preservice Education and Professional Development

5. “What We Saw on the Wall”: Adult Transformative SEL as a Lever for Equity and Excellence in Schools, Olivia A. Johnson, Bloodine Barthelus, Alexandra Skoog-Hoffman, Ednah Nwafor, & Robert J. Jagers

6. Cultivating SEL-Ready Teachers: SEL in Teacher Preparation, Deirdre Hon, Julie Sauve, Julia Mahfouz, & Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl

7. Creating Spaces for Adult Learning and Professional Development: SEL Skills for Facilitating Racial Equity Discussions, Shannon B. Wanless, Caitlin F. Spear, Jocelyn V. Artinger, & Jennifer O. Briggs

III. Cultivating Student SEL: Creating School Conditions Conducive to Skill Development

8. Cultivating Contexts of Interpersonal Skill Development among Diverse Students and Schools, Elise Cappella, Stacey Alicea, & Natalie May

9. Cultivating Students’ Intrapersonal SEL Skills, Tyralynn Frazier & Brendan Ozawa-de Silva

IV. Identifying Roadmaps for SEL in Action

10. The SEL Roadmap: Avoiding the Roadblocks, Ruts, and Dead Ends, Sheldon Berman, Jacqueline Jodl, & Joyce Barnes

11. Supporting Transformative SEL Implementation through a Collaboratory for Inclusion, Christina Cipriano, Gabrielle Rappolt-Schlichtmann, Julie M. Riley, Lauren Hunter Naples, & Abigail Eveleigh

12. Using Measurement and Continuous Improvement to Support SEL at the Classroom, School, District, and State Levels, Pilar Alamos, Jenna Lawrence Conway, Tamilah Richardson, & Amanda P. Williford

13. Conclusion: Trends, Challenges, and Future Directions in SEL, Michael J. Strambler, Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl, & Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman

Index

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About the Editors

Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman, PhD, is the Commonwealth Professor at the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. Since 2000, she and her team have conducted research on schools with the goal of using evidence to improve the quality and equity of learning experiences. Dr. Rimm-Kaufman has studied a range of programs, including Connect Science, EL Education, Leading Together, Responsive Classroom, RULER, and Valor Collegiate and Compass, among others. She has authored more than 100 chapters, articles, and blog posts, yet she wrestles with the reality that researchers’ extensive knowledge about social and emotional learning is rarely made accessible to educators.

• Author's website

Michael J. Strambler, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and Director of Child Wellbeing and Education Research at The Consultation Center at Yale, where he is also Senior Evaluation Consultant for YaleEval. Dr. Strambler’s work focuses on the role of social environments in the academic, psychological, social, and behavioral well-being of children and youth. Much of his work occurs in the context of partnerships between researchers and practitioners, such as the Partnership for Early Education Research, which he directs among three Connecticut communities. Dr. Strambler is a recipient of the Kenneth B. and Mamie P. Clark Early Career Grant from the American Psychological Foundation and the Postdoctoral Award from the Ford Foundation.

Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl, PhD, is the NoVo Foundation Endowed Chair in Social and Emotional Learning and Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois Chicago. Prior to her graduate work, she worked as a middle school teacher and as a teacher at an alternative high school for adolescents at risk. Dr. Schonert-Reichl is a recipient of the Janusz Korczak Medal for Children’s Rights Advocacy; the EdTech Postsecondary Leader of the Year Award from MindShare Learning Technology; the Joseph E. Zins Distinguished Scholar Award from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning; and the Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award from the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia.

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Contributors

Pilar Alamos, PhD, University of Virginia’s Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (UVA-CASTL), Charlottesville, VA

Stacey Alicea, PhD, Newark Trust for Education, Newark, NJ

Jocelyn V. Artinger, MAT, Markham Elementary School, Mt. Lebanon, PA

Joyce Barnes, EdS, Global Youth and Education division of Special Olympics International; and Freelance Writer and Editor, Louisville, KY

Tia Navalene Barnes, PhD, University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Bloodine Barthelus, EdD, CASEL, Chicago, IL

Aaron Benavot, PhD, University at Albany, Albany, NY

Sheldon Berman, EdD, AASA, Social–Emotional Learning, Alexandria, VA

Jean Bernard, EdD, Spectacle Learning Media, Stratham, NH

Jennifer O. Briggs,PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Jocelyn E. Brown, EdD, Capital School District, Dover, DE

Alexcia Bryant, University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Elise Cappella, PhD, New York University’s Steinhardt School, New York City, NY

Christina Cipriano, PhD, EdM, Yale University School of Medicine,New Haven, CT

Jenna Conway, MBA, Virginia Department of Education, Richmond, VA

Abigail Eveleigh, MRes, New York University, New York City, NY

Tyralynn Frazier, PhD, MPH, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Dionne Grayman, MEd, Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, New York, NY

Anne Gregory, PhD, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ

Deirdre Hon, PhD, University of Portland, Portland, OR

Jurni Jackson University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Robert J. Jagers, PhD, CASEL, Chicago, IL

Jacqueline Jodl, PhD, Global Youth & Education at Special Olympics, Raleigh, NC

Olivia A. Johnson, PhD, CASEL, Chicago, IL

Julia Mahfouz, PhD, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO

Natalie May, MA, New York University’s Steinhardt School, New York City, NY

Lauren H. Naples, EdD, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT

Ednah Nwafor, MA, CASEL, Chicago, IL

Brendan Ozawa-de Silva, PhD, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Gabrielle Rappolt-Schlichtmann, EdD, EdTogether, Washington, DC

Tamilah Richardson, EdD, Virginia Department of Education, Richmond, VA

Julie Riley, EdD, Manchester Essex Regional School District, Manchester, MA

Julie Sauve, MA, MAT, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, CAN; and University of Portland, Portland, OR

Margaret Sinclair, DPhil, DUniv, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); UNESCO; Education Above All; and NISSEM, London, UK

Alexandra Skoog-Hoffman, PhD, CASEL, Chicago, IL

Andy Smart, BA, NISSEM, London, UK

Caitlin F. Spear, PhD,University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Melissa Stoffers, MS,University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Shannon B. Wanless, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Allison Rae Ward-Seidel, EdM, University of Virginia,Charlottesville, VA

Amanda G. Wells, MA, Capital School District, Kent County, DE

James H. Williams, EdD,The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Amanda P. Williford, PhD,University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Yu Xia, MS, University of Delaware, Newark, DE

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Audience

School- and district-level educators and administrators in K–12; school psychologists, counselors, nurses, and social workers; and teacher educators and graduate students. Also of interest to speech–language pathologists, occupational therapists, and child and adolescent psychologists.

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Course Use

May serve as a supplemental text in graduate-level courses.