Social Emotional Learning: Crafting an Agenda for Equitable Well-Being

Diana Wildermuth, PhD, NCC, LPC, Assistant Professor, Psychological Studies in Education, Temple University

Beth Tomlinson, MSS, MLSP, Director of Education, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley

DonEl Brown, Temple University Counseling Psychology Graduate Student

Samantha Horchos, Temple University Counseling Psychology Graduate Student

❑ Disruptive student behavior in class?❑ Chronic absenteeism?❑ Disrespectful students?❑ Inattentive students?❑ Bullying?❑ High rates of depression and anxiety amongst your students?❑ Poor academic performance?❑ High teacher absenteeism rates?❑ Low staff morale?❑ High rates of teacher burnout?

Do any of your districts or schools struggle with…

Human Brain Hasn’t Changed That Much…

You’re walking in the woods and…

Fight

Flight

Freeze

Survival Responses

But what if the “bear” lives with you…

1 in 3 experienced at least one ACE & 1 in 8 reported 4 or more ACEs

Original ACE Study (1997)

Childhood Trauma is COMMON

The world our children live in….

Survivor Brain VS Learning Brain

https://youtu.be/KoqaUANGvpA

Trauma’s Impact on Brain Development

Youth who have 2+ ACEs are:

2.6x more likely to fail a grade2x more likely to be suspended5x more likely to have attendance problems6x more likely to have behavioral problems

“1 in every 4 children attending school has been exposed to a traumatic event that can affect learning and or behavior”, NCTSN Child Trauma

Toolkit for Educators

Why do schools need to be trauma informed?

Signs & Symptoms of Trauma

Importance of Teaching Social-Emotional Learning

PA has standards with ONLY PreK-2nd grade on competencies

PA is one of 7 states that has resources and tools on how to support implementation of SEL

https://www.pdesas.org

Based on the CASEL Framework (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning)

Positive School Climate Resources

https://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Safe%20Schools/Pages/School-Climate.aspx

PA SEL Standards

Meta analysis through CASEL concluded with 213 Schools (270,034 students):

6% increase in graduation rates11% increase in college going rates

US national teacher survey called "The Missing Piece“ supports the idea that teachers widely endorse SEL.

95% of those surveyed believe that SEL skills are teachable and that the curriculum can benefit students from all backgrounds. (report for CASEL, 2013)

https://casel.org/2017-meta-analysis/

Research suggests….

Academic Outcomes:In 6 cities- GPAs were higher within 1-3 years of implementation of SEL. (2015)* Chicago, IL- GPA average 2.19 went up to a 2.65 (21% increase)*Tacoma, WA- 86% on time graduation rate in 2017 up from 70% in 2012 (Whole Child Initiative)

Behavioral outcomes:Attendance improved in 4 of 6 districts that collected this data.Suspensions declined in all five of the districts that collected this data.

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/03/09/how-one-district-is-spreading-social-emotional-learning.htmlhttps://casel.org/key-findings/

Implementation research findings-improvements (CASEL)

PA Equity & Inclusion Toolkit (2017)

Building a Trauma Informed School Environment

A Trauma Informed School Builds Core Values:● Safety● Trustworthiness and Transparency● Choice● Collaboration ● Empowerment, voice and choice● Positive relationships (attachment)

And Reflects These Values:In every contact, physical setting, relationship and activity

A school cannot be trauma-informed without being culturally responsive…(gender, sexual identify/orientation, race and

ethnicity, immigration status, religion, poverty)

Concept Mantra Strategy

The stress is coming from outside of school.

It’s not about me. Drop your personal mirror.

Allow the student to de-escalate and regulate before solving the issue at hand.

Problem solving and solutions can’t be worked through while “in the moment”.

Designate a quiet place(s) where students can feel safe to de-escalate.

It’s never about the issue at hand. It goes much deeper.

What’s really driving this child’s behavior?

Be the one who listens and values the student’s voice….ask how you can help. Explore the underlying issues behind the behavior.

It’s a brain issue, not a behavioral issue.

My job is to help this student regulate, not simply behave.

Incorporate regulatory activities into the culture of the classroom and support students in their ability to learn how to self-regulate.

Discipline is to teach, not to punish.

Discipline should happen through the context of relationships.

Use consequences that keep students in school and foster the building of trust and safety with caring adults.

Five Critical Steps To Implementing A Trauma-Informed School*James Sporleder and H.T. Forbes

Traditional Trauma Informed

Punitive = punishment, exclusion from classroom/school, suspension

Restorative = accountability, coaching child to process trigger/behavior, making amends to those hurt

“What’s wrong with you?” “What happened?”

Behavior = a “choice” = sign of character = bad kid

Behavior = an involuntary reaction to triggers = sign of emotional state = hurt/ afraid child

School to prison pipeline Lower behavior rates, higher graduation rates, higher academic outcomes, building relationships, building resilience

Traditional School Vs. Trauma Informed School

Building Resilience

Some other definitions and responses:

- an individual’s ability to properly adapt to stress and adversity.- a person’s ability to adapt to stressful situations or crises.- the capacity to withstand stress and catastrophe.- about removing the struggle to manage your emotional

reactions.- the ability to spring back emotionally after suffering through

difficult and stressful times in one's life.- partially inborn, but it can (and should) be learned and

developed.- includes several overlapping factors such as self-esteem and

confidence.

Emotional Resilience

•Connectedness (to self, community, school, etc.)•Perseverance•Self awareness•Self regulation (Emotion regulation)•Character•Optimism- focus on what you can control

Factors in Resilience

● Recognize the signs of trauma in students● Understand traumas need not predict individual failure if sufficient

focus on resilience and strengths is present● Avoid practices that may re-traumatize students● Create connected communities and positive school climates that are

trauma-sensitive to keep students healthy and in school and involved in positive social networks

● Implement effective academic and behavioral practices, such as positive behavioral interventions and supports and social emotional learning

adapted from ASCA Position Statement on Trauma Informed Care

https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/PositionStatements/PS_TraumaInformed.pdf

Trauma Informed Care- ASCA

✓ Strong partnership with Lehigh University (tutors, mentors, counseling)✓ Full service community school model (dental, physical health, vision)✓ Dedicated full time community school staff (2)✓ After school programs, summer learning programs✓ Strong family and community engagement✓ Using Restorative Practices & Circles

And yet…

➢ Lowest performing middle school in the Lehigh Valley➢ Negative PVAAS➢ High rates of suspensions & ODRs➢ Low staff morale

Broughal Middle School: Getting to the Root Cause

Lack of cultural/trauma awareness and responsiveness of staff:

Q. Do we understand our students, their lives and experiences outside of school? How we can ensure equity if we don’t understand the true needs?

A. Cultural awareness and trauma awareness training for staff, trauma informed practices, restorative practices

Discovered Underlying Root Causes

Since becoming a trauma informed community school (2 years):

➢ The number of students failing a grade dropped from 12% to 7%➢ Average GPA for students increased from 2.17 to 2.51 (half grade

increase)➢ Office discipline referrals have dropped by 39%➢ Out of school suspensions dropped by 16.7%

✓ Significantly improved staff morale

“Our kids are actually learning now! Our students feel that teachers care about and understand them now, and our staff really enjoy our students now. It’s been revolutionary!”

- Rick Amato, Broughal Principal

Broughal Middle School Success Story!

Q & A

Diana Wildermuth- Diana.wildermuth@temple.edu

Beth Tomlinson- betht@unitedwayglv.org

DonEl Brown- donel.brown@temple.edu

Samantha Horchos- samantha.horchos@temple.edu

Contact Information