Social and Emotional Learning Resources

With widespread need for virtual learning over the previous year, the importance of centering learning on social and emotional development and student and educator well-being emerged as an essential strategy to develop engaging, relevant learning and to address student trauma. In this briefing, students, members of Congress, and experts in child development discussed the importance of social emotional learning concepts and how they can be advanced through federal policy.

As districts work to reopen schools in the pandemic and post-pandemic era, how can they support schools in creating high-quality summer learning experiences focused on acceleration rather than remediation? The Accelerating Learning Series kicked off with the panel, “Strategies for Whole Child Summer Learning and Beyond.”

How can districts assess students’ experiences and needs and provide targeted supports for accelerating learning? In the fourth of a five-part series, panelists discussed strategies to assess students’ social and emotional well-being, as well as to illuminate student growth and learning through authentic diagnostic and formative assessments. Panelists also explored best practices to avoid separating students into tracks and to foster heterogeneous groups.

Experts share examples of effective student-centered approaches being used in schools, focusing on the social, emotional, and mental health of students. They also discuss mentoring to develop social and emotional learning skills and ways that districts can utilize federal COVID-19 relief funds to meet short-term needs, accelerate learning, and develop relationship-centered schools.