SEL From Bell to Bell in Middle and High School
Gauging student understanding and perspectives of social and emotional learning (SEL) is essential. We must embrace opportunities to get to know our students as human beings and not just students. Sure, we want them to be astute learners; however, without some SEL strategies, many students will underperform. Research has shown again and again that SEL […]
5 Social-Emotional Skills Kids Need to Lead Healthy Digital Lives
The time kids spent on devices and social media skyrocketed during the pandemic, and research shows screen time is not coming back down to pre-pandemic levels. Social media and technology can challenge kids’ social-emotional growth and mental health. But SEL programs aren’t always adapted to teach kids about how to apply the social-emotional skills they […]
California’s Shortage of Diverse Teachers is Hurting Students, Educators Say
Education policy experts met in Sacramento this week for the #CABuildingBridges Summit to discuss how to recruit and retain teachers of color in California. At the all-day gathering of about 100 educators, leaders called on state policy makers not just to pass legislation, but to create structures that reinforce new policies. At the summit, educators […]
Career and Technical Education Needs a Mental Health Revolution
As a longtime public school occupational therapist, I know what students look and sound like when they’re ready to transition from the work lab to the workforce. In recent years, I’ve personally witnessed more of my students struggle to make that transition or not make it at all. It has nothing to do with a […]
Moving From Grief to Wellness in Schools
Many educators are at a loss for how to address grief in their students and themselves. Pediatrician David Schonfeld offers some advice. To better understand how the adults in schools can help students—and themselves—who are experiencing grief, I reached out to Dr. David Schonfeld, the founder of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement […]
How ‘Abbott Elementary’ Helps Teachers Process the Absurd Realities of Their Job
In the show’s second season, veteran teacher Barbara speaks directly to this challenge: “Being a teacher is being asked to do the impossible year after year and the only solution is to show up every day and try our best.” The show helps teachers feel seen and allows them to process the sometimes absurd realities […]
Recovery High Schools Help Kids Heal from Addiction and Build a Future
In 2022, nearly a third of 12th graders and 1 in 5 10th graders reported using an illicit drug in the previous year, according to a national survey from the Monitoring the Future project conducted by the University of Michigan Survey Research Center. Those numbers have steadily decreased over the past 25 years. However, data […]
How Reading Fiction Can Make You a Better Person
Works of fiction have historically been associated with important social changes. Modern research suggests that reading fiction helps you neurologically relate to other people’s experiences. It also correlates with improved social interactions and the ability to read the room. How reading fiction can make you a better person – Big Think Also read: How Fiction […]
UCLA Study Finds Sharp Decline in Violence at California Schools
Despite mass shootings and other high-profile incidents nationwide, a new UCLA study has found that day-to-day violence at California’s middle and high schools is sharply lower than it was around the turn of the century. Researchers analyzed 18 years of data from the California Healthy Kids Survey, a confidential, anonymous questionnaire given to fifth, seventh, […]
When It Comes to SEL, Administrators and Teachers See Things Differently
When it comes to how well schools are addressing students’ social and emotional challenges, administrators and teachers might as well be on different planets. There is a yawning gap between administrators and teachers in how thoroughly they think behavior management programs—such as social-emotional learning (SEL) and positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS)—are being implemented in […]