School Climate: The "quality and character of school life" based on how members of the school community experience school and the school's "norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching, learning and leadership practices, and organizational structures" (Reference: National School Climate Council). National School Climate Council
Create a stable budget for SEL resources, professional learning, and staffing to support the sustainability of SEL efforts.
The SEL team serves as a model for positive practices that promote healthy relationships among adults, students, and families. It’s highly beneficial to build a strong team dynamic and positive working relationship by developing group norms and team routines.
Integrate Student Supports with SEL
By integrating SEL into student support services through a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), schools are better equipped to ensure that all students have what they need to succeed.
An important part of building staff skills around SEL is modeling by school leaders. These strategies can provide ideas for administrators and leadership teams to build relationships and show staff they are cared for and appreciated.
As the SEL team works to develop a schoolwide professional learning plan, staff can choose to take it one step further and develop their own personalized professional learning plan to support the school’s SEL goals.
Focus Area 2: Continuous Improvement Connections
A safe and supportive school climate is an important factor for improving academic, behavioral, and mental health outcomes for students (Thapa, 2013).
Explicit SEL instruction refers to consistent opportunities for students to cultivate, practice, and reflect on social and emotional competencies in ways that are developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive.
Strategies for Establishing School-OST-Family Partnerships in Support of SEL
Belonging and Emotional Safety
When teachers build the structures that support belonging and emotional safety, they lay the groundwork for students to focus on learning (Sergiovanni, 1994 in Darling-Hammond et al., 2017).
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