The Missouri Social-Emotional Learning for All project is a collaborative initiative led by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the University of Kansas (KU) Research Collaboration that works to develop career-equipped, lifelong learners who are socially and emotionally engaged. Led by College & Career Competency (CCC) Framework developers Dr.’s Gaumer Erickson and Noonan and project director Dr. Heger, the overarching goal is to provide multi-year, ongoing quality professional development, coaching, and professional learning resources on the competencies of Self-Regulation, Self-Efficacy, Assertiveness, and Conflict Management, which then build Missouri’s district and school capacity to embed social-emotional competencies into core content (i.e., addressing standards and intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies simultaneously).
2016–2018: Social-Emotional Learning for All project—formally known as the Missouri Post-Secondary Success project—recruited and provided on-site and regionally-based professional development to over 100 districts across Missouri. Project staff also provided technical assistance and coaching in data-based decision making to schools as they administered and analyzed pre/post competency assessment data. The Social-Emotional Learning for All staff partnered with DESE leadership to provide multiple breakout sessions covering competency implementation, instructional strategies that support social-emotional development in students, and competency assessments for students during their annual transition institute.
2018–2021: The Social-Emotional Learning for All project shifted to focusing on developing and maintaining recognized trainers in the competencies: Assertiveness, Self-Regulation, and Self-Efficacy. Project staff developed a team of eight recognized trainers who received support and coaching in how to assist districts in creating social-emotional competency professional development plans, implementing competency instruction, and assisting educators in administering the Competency Questionnaire and Knowledge Tests. Project staff and recognized trainers provided over two hundred educators with exploratory training and practice in the competencies, Assertiveness, Conflict Management, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Regulation at the Social-Emotional Learning for All Symposium in June 2021.
2021–2022: The Social-Emotional Learning for All project maintained the support and development of recognized trainers while developing virtual resources for educators and families in the competencies Self-Regulation, Self-Efficacy, Assertiveness, and Conflict Management. The online educator courses provide a comprehensive approach for educators in how to begin and maintain competency instruction in any school setting. They include competency practice activities, competency application planning and instructions on administering the competency assessment suite. The online family resources provide Missouri families with practical knowledge of each competency as well as ideas for supporting their children in developing the competencies while at home. Project staff also provided all Missouri improvement consultants with training in how to provide an exploratory session to educators on each competency.
2022–2023: The Social-Emotional Learning for All project will continue to support trainers in providing professional development, technical assessment assistance, and competency coaching to schools across Missouri. Project staff will collaborate with improvement consultants to support schools through competency coaching. The Social-Emotional Learning for All project staff will also continue their development of online resources for educators by providing courses developed specifically for elementary educators in the competencies Self-Regulation and Self-Efficacy. Family modules for the competencies, Self-Regulation and Self-Efficacy will also be developed to support families of elementary students.
