Key Points:
Back to top- In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), we’re proud to lift up members of this community who have contributed to the vibrant and diverse SEL field through their wisdom and commitment.
As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of social and emotional learning (SEL) and CASEL this year, we’re reflecting on our history as an organization and the evolution of the field as a whole. For the past three decades, many SEL leaders have led the charge in research, in the classroom, in the school, and in the halls of legislation.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’d like to lift up the wisdom of some of the pioneering researchers, practitioners, and policymakers who have played a key role in advancing SEL and built a field that strives to support all children, young people, and adults.
Sara Castro-Olivo is an associate professor in the Educational Psychology Department at the University of Texas A&M.
Ray Lozano of El Paso Independent School District is dedicated to supporting educators in aligning SEL and academics to improve outcomes.
Pedro Noguera of USC’s Rossier School of Education researches the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions as well as by demographic trends in local, regional, and global contexts.
Carmen Xiomara Urbina serves as deputy director of the Oregon Department of Education and received the Distinguished Latinx Educator Award from the Oregon Association of Latino Administrators.
Juany Valdespina-Gatan is the vice president of Education and Well-Being at Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas.
Cynthia García Coll is a researcher, professor, and editor affiliated with the University of Puerto Rico, Abizu University, and Brown University.
M. Soña Alaniz Saiz is the behavioral health manager of the Safe and Healthy Schools Bureau in the New Mexico Public Education Department.
Professor Adriana Janette Umaña-Taylor of the Harvard Graduate School of Education studies how individual and contextual factors interact to inform adolescents’ development and adjustment. She is principal investigator of multiple longitudinal research projects and has published over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles and handbook chapters, along with several books.
Related Posts:
- Asian-American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) Month 2024: Celebrating our SEL Heroes
- Black History Month 2024: Celebrating our SEL Leaders
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