Embedded Files
SEL can be a powerful lever for creating caring, just, inclusive, and healthy communities that support all individuals in reaching their fullest potential.
SEL both fosters and depends upon an equitable learning environment, where all students and adults feel respected, valued, and affirmed in their individual interests, talents, social identities, cultural values, and backgrounds.
While SEL alone will not solve longstanding and deep-seated inequities in the education system, it can help schools promote understanding, examine biases, reflect on and address the impact of racism, build cross-cultural relationships, and cultivate adult and student practices that close opportunity gaps and create a more inclusive school community. In doing so, schools can promote high-quality educational opportunities and outcomes for all students, irrespective of race, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, and special needs.
Strategies to ground SEL programming in equity
Create safe and inclusive schools. Providing a positive, safe environment where all students feel welcomed, valued, supported, and celebrated can foster a sense of belonging, build trust and caring relationships, and promote a readiness to learn.
Embrace students’ assets and abilities. An emphasis on student deficits and inequities can promote negative self-perceptions among marginalized groups. Shifting the focus to building on students’ strengths and reducing opportunity gaps can bolster students’ belief in their abilities.
Develop cultural competency. Implicit biases and prejudices can lead to low expectations for and disengagement among marginalized groups. Examining biases, building respect for other views and cultures, and increasing teacher diversity can boost empathy and student engagement
Engage families and the community. Training staff in research-based methods for engaging marginalized families and respecting their culture, concerns, and hopes for their children can help educators build trust with the community and gain support for SEL initiatives.
Provide trauma-informed care. A tendency to focus SEL on building skills can miss underlying causes of behavior, such as poverty, neglect, and abuse. Complementing SEL with trauma-informed care can reduce triggers, promote healing, and foster a sense of security for students
Rethink discipline. Suspensions and expulsions can have long-term negative effects and are often imposed disproportionately on Black and male students. Focusing discipline on managing behavior and taking responsibility for one’s actions can promote safer and more equitable schools
Build educators’ social and emotional skills. Stress, burnout, and turnover can affect educators’ ability to model SEL and support students in crisis. Developing staff’s social and emotional skills can strengthen their well-being and ability to manage stress and support all students
Invest in staff training. Providing training and coaching on SEL and equity can help staff integrate and tailor SEL, recognize and address inequities, and provide culturally responsive instruction.
resources
resources
Social and emotional learning diverse reading list.
Explore the latest and greatest of Social Emotional Learning in our Counseling Department.
Free 24/7 concierge service available to all CNUSD families. CareSolace will assist individuals in finding local mental health and counseling services
The CNUSD Virtual Calming Room is a place for students and families to find tools and strategies for managing emotions and feelings
"when a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower."
- alexander den heijer
"when a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower."
- alexander den heijer
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