This in-depth guide to 25 evidence-based programs—aimed at elementary schools and OST providers—offers information about curricular content and programmatic features that practitioners can use to make informed choices about their SEL programs. The first of its kind, the guide allows practitioners to compare curricula and methods across top SEL programs. It also explains how programs can be adapted from schools to out-of-school-time settings, such as afterschool and summer programs.
Aperture Education is a new social enterprise focused on addressing the whole child. Its social and emotional learning (SEL) solution, Evo Social/Emotional, is designed around the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment… read more →
Join presenter Marge Pellegrino for an eye-opening webinar on how youth program staff can provide guidance and support to refugee youth, and help them to successfully adapt to life in their new country.
This tool is designed for afterschool and in-school staff first to reflect independently on their goals for SEL and think about what is currently being done in each setting to support young people in their social and emotional development, and then to discuss how best to work collaboratively toward a common goal.
The tool is divided into three parts. Part I is for afterschool program leaders or staff to complete. Part II is for the school principal and other relevant school personnel to complete. Part III is for the afterschool and school staff to discuss and collaboratively plan.
This tool is designed for out-of-school time and in-school staff first to reflect independently on their goals for SEL and think about what is currently being done in each setting to support young people in their social and emotional development, and then to discuss how best to work collaboratively toward a common goal.
The tool is divided into three parts. Part I is for out-of-school time program leaders or staff to complete. Part II is for the school principal and other relevant school personnel to complete. Part III is for the out-of-school time and school staff to discuss and collaboratively plan.
The field guide sheds new light on how out-of-school programs can equip teens with valuable social and emotional skills. Inside the guide, readers will find key staff practices drilled down and described for each of the eight programs. The guide also shares narratives from staff and youth that tell the stories of how these programs are making a difference in the lives of young people each day.
Sometimes we think of mentors narrowly as those who sign up through a formal program to spend time with a young person. In addition to these formal mentors, informal or everyday mentors can be any trustworthy adult who offers support, guidance, and encouragement to help young people overcome challenges and become their best selves.
Search Institute’s newest research-to-practice initiative focuses on studying and strengthening the developmental relationships that help young people succeed. A developmental relationship helps young people attain the psychological and social skills that are essential for success in education and in life. Young people can form these relationships with their parents and family members, with their friends and peers, with staff members in their schools and programs, and with caring adults in their neighborhoods and communities. When youth have strong relationships with trusted adults in addition to their parents, they are more able to overcome challenges, engage in school, and thrive in life.
By now, we have all heard and read about the importance of “non-cognitive skills,” also referred by many other terms including social and emotional skills, 21st Century learning skills, or growth mindset, in… read more →
This is the first brief in a series, Beyond the Bell: Research to Practice in the Afterschool and Expanded Learning Field, and focuses on how afterschool programs contribute to the development of social and emotional competencies in young people. In practice, we see how high-quality programs can help participants learn, grow, and develop. But what does the research say? How can we prove it? AIR chose to focus the first brief on this important topic because there has been a growing recognition that afterschool programs can and do facilitate the social and emotional development of young people. Despite the recent attention this topic has received, efforts to define and measure social and emotional competencies in afterschool settings are still emerging.
Both the formal and informal education communities are increasingly focused on fostering opportunities for social and emotional learning (SEL) and the link between SEL and youth outcomes. There is a growing evidence that the social and emotional competencies youth develop while in afterschool programs can contribute to their success in school and life. As a result, afterschool program staff must understand the most effective strategies to promote the development of social and emotional competencies in youth. They must understand, too, how to build and improve their own social and emotional competencies.
This self-reflection tool focuses on five social and emotional competencies, including self-awareness, self-management/emotion regulation, social awareness, relationship/social skills, and responsible decisionmaking. The tool is designed to help afterschool program staff reflect upon their own social and emotional competencies and their ability to support young people’s SEL through program practices.
