The idea that the adult social and emotional learning (SEL) is foundational has been a guiding insight for our work, borne out again and again in our research and experience working with districts. Adult SEL promotes:
- Staff’s ability to create a supportive learning environment for students, both in the classroom and schoolwide.
- A more effective and caring workplace where staff work collaboratively and effectively together.
- Staff who are better equipped to maintain their own well-being in roles that can often be stressful and challenging.
Four Key Activities
Back to topAdult SEL is part of CASEL’s District Theory of Action, which outlines four key activities for strengthening adults’ SEL competence and capacity:
- Strengthen central office expertise. The more that leaders across the central office understand the practices and benefits of SEL, the better able they’ll be to promote and sustain systemic SEL implementation districtwide.
- Provide high-quality professional learning for schools. Staff must understand what SEL is, how building adult and student SEL competence supports critical long-term outcomes for students, and what strategies they can implement to achieve this goal.
- Deepen adult social, emotional, and cultural competence. Staff not only need opportunities to learn about the research and practices behind SEL, but also to critically reflect on and deepen their own social, emotional, and cultural competencies.
- Build staff trust, community, and collective efficacy. Communities of adults who know and trust one another and who are skilled at working together toward share goals are more successful in implementing, improving, and sustaining SEL.
Our Work: Adult SEL
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Educators’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Landscape Analysis of Strategies and Outcomes for Thriving Schools.
A field scan that uncovers a common definition of adult SEL and explores themes and structures of adult SEL approaches.
Blog sneak peek: What About the Adults? A Sneak Peek at CASEL’s New Report on Adult SEL ApproachesEducator Well-Being as a Pathway Toward Investing in Education Staff
Part of a series co-produced by CASEL and the National Equity ProjectVoices from the Classroom: Leveraging Teachers’ Perspectives and School-Level Resources to Support Students Socially and Emotionally
Co-produced by CASEL and Educators4ExcellenceTo Reach The Students, Teach The Teachers
A national scan of teacher preparation and SEL (2017), produced by CASEL and the University of British ColumbiaSEL Trends (Volume 7): Strengthening Adult SEL
Part of a series produced by CASEL
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Cultivating SEL for Adults
A series of six self-paced learning experiences about adult SEL, including videos, reading, and activities.Strengthen Adult SEL Competencies and Capacity, The District Resource Center
Guidance for district leaders about how to promote adult SEL as part of systemic SEL implementation.Strengthen Adult SEL, The CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL
Guidance for school leaders about how to promote staff SEL competencies to support their work with students and each other.
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Leaders as Learners: Cultivating the Community (Four-Part Series)
Guidance for leaders who want to explore the research, practices, and policy conditions that build supportive systems and adult capacity. Blog recaps:- Part 1, What Is Adult SEL?
- Part 3, What Are Promising Practices for Adult SEL?
- Part 2: What Research Tells Us About Adult SEL
- Part 4: Policies That Support Adult SEL
Adult SEL: Demystifying Systemic Social and Emotional Learning
Part of a series exploring the ways SEL can be incorporated into all aspects of learning at the school and district levels.Cultivating Adult SEL in Unprecedented Times
Focuses on the importance of adult SEL, including the research, programs, and practices. Connections are also made between adult SEL and student well-being. Part of the CASEL Cares Initiative to support students and adults during the pandemic.Cultivating Adult SEL Through Staff Meetings
From the Exchange Webinar Series, featuring Wendy Baron from the New Teacher Center discussing how to design and facilitate effective meetings.
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Blog Series: How SEL Supports Learning in Reading and Math, contributed by CASEL’s Assistant Director of Research, Rista Plate, Ph.D., and CASEL’s Director of Policy, Asher A. Miller, Ed.M.
Powerful Ways to Integrate SEL With Academics, contributed by Dr. Sara Rimm-Kaufman, Commonwealth Professor of Education, University of Virginia
Integrating Preschool SEL with Pre-Academic Skills Instruction, contributed by Dr. Karen Bierman, Director of the Child Study Center, Penn State University
Programming Trends: Integrating Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Academics, contributed by former CASEL Data Analysis Consultant Gabrielle Meyers
Math + Social and Emotional Learning = Student Success, contributed by CASEL’s Practice Advisor Heather N. Schwartz
Read more stories about SEL on CASEL’s blog.
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