secondaryguide.casel.orgCasel Secondary Guide Beta

2015 CASEL Guide Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs Middle and High School Edition Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Scroll to Introduction ⇓ About This Guide Definition of SEL SEL for Secondary Students Learning Environments for SEL Approaches to Promoting SEL Outcomes of SEL Programming History of CASEL Program Reviews Inclusion Criteria The Review Process Ratings & Tables Description SELect Tables: Middle School SELect Tables: High School Program Description Selecting An SEL Program Systemic SEL SEL-Related Approaches Summary of Lessons Learned The Future of SEL References About This Guide Evidence-based programs designed to promote positive outcomes and prevent problem behavior in students are increasingly being used in educational settings. They have evolved out of different traditions including education, public health, psychology, prevention science, positive youth development, character education, and social and emotional learning (SEL). The 2015 CASEL Guide: Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs—Middle and High School Edition identifies school-based programs that have been evaluated with middle and high school students and that promote students’ personal and social competence. The 2015 CASEL Guide applies a systematic framework for assessing the quality of SEL programs. Specifically, the Guide identifies and rates well-designed, evidence-based SEL programs with potential for broad dissemination to schools across the United States. The main purpose of the Guide is to give educators information for selecting and implementing SEL programs in their districts and schools. The Guide also describes the significant advances the SEL field has made in the past decade, establishes new definitions of SEL at the secondary level, provides suggestions for future research and practice in SEL, and describes innovative approaches to educational practice (e.g., programs that promote mindful awareness) that may also contribute to students’ social and emotional development. We are grateful to 1440 Foundation, the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust, and NoVo Foundation for their generous support of this effort. We also thank the many SEL program developers and researchers who have generously and graciously shared their evaluation reports, curriculum materials, and professional learning strategies during our extensive review process. And we express our sincere appreciation to the CASEL board of directors and the team of colleagues at CASEL and the University of Illinois at Chicago Social and Emotional Learning Research Group who produced this guide. Definition of SEL ⇓ About This Guide Definition of SEL SEL for Secondary Students Learning Environments for SEL Approaches to Promoting SEL Outcomes of SEL Programming History of CASEL Program Reviews Inclusion Criteria The Review Process Ratings & Tables Description SELect Tables: Middle School SELect Tables: High School Program Description Selecting An SEL Program Systemic SEL SEL-Related Approaches Summary of Lessons Learned The Future of SEL References Definition of SEL Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Social and emotional skills are critical to being a good student, citizen, and worker, and many risky behaviors (e.g., drug use, violence, bullying and dropping out) can be prevented or reduced when multiyear, integrated efforts are used to develop students' social and emotional skills. This is best done through effective classroom instruction, student engagement in positive activities in and out of the classroom, and broad parent and community involvement in program planning, implementation, and evaluation. SEL programming is based on the understanding that the best learning emerges in the context of supportive relationships that make learning challenging, engaging and meaningful. Effective SEL programming begins in preschool and continues through high school. CASEL has identified five interrelated sets of cognitive, affective, and behavioral competencies. The definitions of the five competency clusters for students are: Self-Awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and limitations and possessing a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism. Self-Management: The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward achieving personal and academic goals. Social Awareness: The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports. Relationship Skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed. Responsible Decision-Making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others. The five CASEL competencies reflect intrapersonal and interpersonal domains (National Research Council, 2012). Self-awareness and self-management are consistent with the intrapersonal domain whereas social awareness and relationship skills represent dimensions within the interpersonal domain. Responsible decision-making is both an individual and social process and therefore overlaps both domains. SEL for Secondary Students ⇓ About This Guide Definition of SEL SEL for Secondary Students Learning Environments for SEL Approaches to Promoting SEL Outcomes of SEL Programming History of CASEL Program Reviews Inclusion Criteria The Review Process Ratings & Tables Description SELect Tables: Middle School SELect Tables: High School Program Description Selecting An SEL Program Systemic SEL SEL-Related Approaches Summary of Lessons Learned The Future of SEL References SEL for Secondary Students Social and emotional competence provides a foundation for academic success (Zins et al., 2004). Although research suggests that course completion and grades in middle school are the strongest predictors of high school performance and graduation (Farrington et al., 2012), there is increasing evidence that social and emotional competence is also critically important. Interventions that promote SEL promote academic performance (Durlak et al., 2011). Several recent publications on college and career readiness, deeper learning, and 21st-century skills cite personal and social competencies, often called “noncognitive skills,” as fundamental to students’ level of engagement in middle and high school, their post-secondary performance and completion, and their workplace success (ACT, 2014; National Research Council, 2012). Recognition of the unique needs of students aged 10-15 began with the advent of the “middle school movement” and continues today (Association for Middle Level Education, 2010). Current best practice guidelines for education at the middle-school level recognize the diverse developmental needs of this age group and the importance of promoting both academic and personal development, including social and emotional competence. The importance of SEL for high school is also...