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1. Social Emotional Learning（SEL)
Since my graduate school days, I have believed that children can grow up to be physically and academically healthy if they are emtionally supported by the adults in their families, schools, and communities. In Japan, while there is generous educational support for education such as cram schools and extracurricular activities, I wondered how much support is provided for the emotional needs of children. In my doctoral thesis, I emphasized the importance of emotional support within families and the significance of incorporating it into the education system.
After completing my doctoral program, I had the opportunity to work in New York City when the policy of free early childhood education was launched, which was a great timing for someone who had studied education policy. I became involved in training and coaching to promote and implement Social Emotional Learning (CASEL, 1994) with a focus on emotions in educational settings.
I worked on SEL practices in the field as a coach, facilitator, and researcher for teachers and social workers for seven years. Through this experience, I came to better understand the overwhelming experiences of caregivers and teachers who have daily contact with children in their homes, schools, and communities. From the perspective of dismantling institutional and structural discrimination, I became more convinced that SEL is necessary from an early stage of life within families, schools, and communities not just for children, but also for the adults around them.
Since my return to Japan, I have been committed to researching and developing SEL programs tailored to Japanese culture and age groups, and working towards their practical implementation in society.
2. DE&I (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) for Social Justice
To consider the impact of institutional/structural discrimination, it is necessary to reflect on and learn from the perspective of the marginalized people in society. To do this, it is essential to empathize with the history and experiences of others, especially of those who are different from ourselves.
As part of my SEL (Social Emotional Learning) practice in New York, I also incorporated elements of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. In New York City, where 85% of students are non-white, yet approximately 60% of teachers are white, there is often a prevalence of Eurocentric education. I encouraged teachers to recognize their own racial experiences and the experiences of children with different skin colors and cultures (and often languages), urging them to consider their unconscious biases and blind spots. I asked them to contemplate what they could do as educators and as responsible adults in the communities.
Furthermore, I promoted the acquisition of skills for children through classroom activities related to the five elements of SEL: self-awareness, awareness of others and society, self-control, interpersonal relationships, and responsible decision-making. These activities aimed to help children (and eve youth and adults) take pride in their own backgrounds, acknowledge differences with others, and respect those differences while learning to live together and help one another in a diverse class community.
I also aspire to contribute to the implementation of DE&I education in Japan.
3. Eduction Policy, Institutional/Structural Discrimination
While studying education at an American graduate school, I always had questions about 'racial differences in academic performance and educational attainment' and the use of the term 'at risk.'
Why is it that academic performance and educational attainment are reported to differ based solely on differences in skin color and culture, when we are all human beings? Why are certain races labeled as 'at risk'?
In my quest for answers to these questions, I specialized in education policy and learned about institutional and structural racial discrimination that permeates the systems of our society, including education, from a faculty member who specializes in the history of education.
I aim to shed light on the enduring influence of the enslavement from about 400 years ago through the lens of intersectionality, which helps us understand systemic and institutional discrimination is not limited to race but also extended to other identities such as gender, nationality, and educational background. I plan to explore these aspects in my research on policies related to early childhood education.
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