Second-Order Change: Supporting Staff Social-Emotional Learning for Anchorage Youth Program Quality

• In Event: 51.073 - Interdisciplinary Reconnection Through Mixed-Method Bodies of Evidence: Adult Social-Emotional Learning

Abstract

1.
The experience of a youth participating in out-of-school-time (OST) programs rests largely in relationships: of that young person to the adults around them, of their experience of the relationship between the adults in the OST program, and in the resulting quality of the youth to other young people being served by the program. This paper’s objective is to explore the design of effective and engaging SEL skill building for adults through a second-order change project, with the explicit purpose of enhancing their leadership skills and increasing the degree to which they model and promote SEL skills in their workplace.

2.
This project has been underway for 1.5 years, including a development period during which an array of PD resources from across the nation were explored, leading to a year-long PD experience of monthly meetings for three layers of OST leaders: executive directors, managers and direct-service workers. Five CASEL SEL competencies provided the foundation for the entire experience, supplemented by individual self-study through the EQ-i 2.0 and related coaching.

3.
Formative assessments included the RCS completed monthly by session participants in all three cohorts, and used by the facilitation and planning team for development and revision. Anonymous aggregate results from the EQ-i data were examined at the end of the Year-1 cycle. The project manager and SEL PL Consultant participated in an on-going cycle of inquiry, examining both content and process impact on facilitator and participant experiences.

4.
Data collection spanned seven RCS aspects as described more fully in the afore-going papers. Facilitator reflections were qualitatively captured in interviews each month. Participants also completed the EQ-i 2.0 self-assessment as part of the series; pre-post data were analyzed for evidence of SEL development.

5.
Along with the formal formative and summative findings presented in the first two papers, substantial practice outcomes resulted from this engagement. A combination of thoughtful design and facilitator self-study went into the initiative as foundations for success, along with the relational cornerstones of intentionally building collaboration within the team, a willingness to examine participant feedback as learners, and having an openness to change responsively. These efforts created the conditions for trust, sharing, exploration of challenges and, most importantly, personal self-awareness and goal setting related to explicit SEL skill building. Relational support as applied to the content design and the intentional process development and refinement were key learnings, transferrable to other adult learning and leading situations.

6.
The importance of how adults treat one another and the youth in their care cannot be underestimated. In this ‘post-truth’ era, building trusting communities within which one can be open while exploring experiences and strategies for leading and serving is critical. The ability to initiate and sustain positive, effective relationships affect the degree to which youth succeed in learning and life. Adult SEL skill development is an emerging field; it is imperative that the related PD has measures that inform actual impact, rather than relying only on the perceptions of the facilitators/designers.

Author

• Ann McKay Bryson, SEL Rising