Filling the Buckets: Preparing Educators to Lead Social and Emotional Learning

• In Event: Perspectives on Curriculum Policy Implementation: History, People, and Places

Abstract

Teacher and school leader preparation program experiences contribute to the development and delivery of social and emotional learning (SEL) practices in K-12 education. The degree to which educators interpret these experiences contributes to their perceptions about their capacity to effectively foster SEL skills in their classrooms and schools. Our study finds that there are few SEL course options for teachers and schools leaders, and that while most preparation programs incorporate at least one classroom management course, it is far less likely that an SEL component is embedded in the course. Our findings also indicate that current SEL delivery is not meeting the needs of students as there is a lack of clarity around how teachers and school leaders perceive SEL.

Authors

• Whitney Toledo, University of Georgia - Athens

• Jerome Graham, Michigan State University

• Richard O Welsh, New York University