October 2019

By: James DiPerna, Pennsylvania State University; Christopher Anthony, University of Florida; Stephen Elliott, Arizona State University   As SEL assessment developers working with schools across the country, we begin with two observations about SEL assessment. First, initiating and scaling up a systematic approach to SEL assessment is challenging. Although teachers and administrators openly acknowledge the importance of promoting social-emotional learning, they often (and understandably) express hesitation toward implementing SEL initiatives due to concerns regarding time. In our experience, teachers worry that devoting time to SEL will take time away from students learning the academic skills emphasized on state tests. To further complicate matters, many teachers already express being overwhelmed by the amount of academic assessments they are asked to administer, interpret, and […]

By: Amy Hoffmaster, Citizen Schools  For nearly 25 years, Citizen Schools has built partnerships with schools, communities and industry mentors to bring real-world project-based learning to middle school students to close opportunity and achievement gaps. Building on our evidence-based afterschool programming, Citizen Schools has developed a new model, Catalyst, to provide science teachers in 6th – 9th grade with the curricular tools and additional supports necessary to integrate high-quality project-based learning experiences for students that include exposure to STEM professionals from their local communities. Catalyst pairs educators with trained STEM industry experts who volunteer in their classrooms and support teachers in leading high quality, hands-on learning experiences. These projects help adolescents develop the skills, mindsets, and networks they need to thrive […]

By: Nancy E. Hill, Harvard University   A recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth, calls for a re-thinking and re-framing of adolescence. For too long, adolescence has been viewed as a period of risk and vulnerability, rather than one of discovery, innovation, and opportunity.   Thanks to recent advances in neuroscience and medical imaging, we now understand that adolescence is a dynamic period of brain development, second only to infancy in terms of the speed and extent of change, and a profoundly important time for growth and learning.   These changes show that the adolescent brain is particularly responsive to the developmental needs associated with this […]

By: Elizabeth Nolan and Deborah Moroney, American Institutes for Research As the saying goes,  “You can’t improve what you don’t measure.” As researchers, we hear this quite a bit in our hallways, and we take this statement very seriously. For many reasons, the quote is true. Without measurement, we can’t determine whether interventions, programs, practices, and policies are working. Measuring SEL, broadly, provides crucial feedback about how adults employ practices and strategies to support social and emotional learning; how youth and adults are developing social and emotional competencies; and how agencies and organizations are systematically supporting social and emotional learning and development. Here’s the caveat to our favorite adage, though: “You can’t improve what you don’t measure well.” In the […]