Examining Sustainability Within Social-Emotional Learning Implementation: An Analysis of Policy Artifacts (Poster 61)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Eight
  In Poster Session: 2023 AERA Undergraduate Fellows Research Poster Fair

Abstract

"The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated issues related to youth behavioral health. These
concerning patterns prompted extensive investments into school-based solutions, like
social-emotional learning (SEL) initiatives. In California, one example is the CalHope Student
Support Project, a statewide research-to-practice collaboration to implement evidence-based SEL initiatives in schools. This study analyzes sustainability within the CalHope project's
implementation of SEL initiatives by California’s County Offices of Education (COEs). Given
that long-term sustained programs produce better outcomes for youth, the goal of this study was to understand how counties planned for sustainability in the project’s inception and identify strengths and gaps. The dataset included implementation plans turned in by 56 California COEs to use state and federal funding. Through a qualitative analysis, this study identified plans which mentioned sustainability (n=19) and inductively coded them to identify how they conceptualized sustainability and what strategies were named. Sustainability was most commonly framed as an action (n=17, e.g. sustainable practices) and a value (n=5, e.g., expressing sustainability as an implementation priority); sustainability expressed as a commitment (n=3) was less frequent. Utilizing the Modes of Reproduction (MoRe) Institutional Framework (Anderson & Colyvas, 2021), excerpts were categorized into modes of reproduction, which are self-activating structures that promote the sustainability of an innovation. The most prevalent examples were organizational routines (n=23, e.g. trainings), and resonant frames (n=7, i.e. shared beliefs that promote a certain course of action). Formal policies and budgets were less commonly mentioned (n=2). The findings revealed that counties predominantly promoted sustainability through organizational routines; however, there may be an opportunity to promote alternative modes of institutionalization, like policies, which can diversify how sustainability is reinforced and produce more transformative outcomes. Next steps involve analyzing subsequent plans from COEs to understand how sustainability strategies may change over time."

Author

• Esmeralda M. Michel, University of California - Berkeley
  Presenting Author