Building Communities of Practice for Local, Sustainable, and Equitable Social Emotional Learning in Schools

• In Event: Teachers Collaborating for Social-Emotional Learning Toward Equity: The Possibilities of Professional Learning Communities

Abstract

Objectives. Although high-quality SEL programs can improve student outcomes (Jones & Kahn, 2017; Corcoran et al, 2018; Cipriano et al, 2023), they have several limitations: they are rigid and often do not address local realities or community-defined goals (Park et al, 2021); they are difficult to implement and sustain over time, often appearing as an “add-on” to the practice of educators and staff (Jones & Bouffard, 2012); and they tend to reflect dominant cultural norms, lacking guidance about how to design and deliver SEL in culturally sustaining and equitable ways (Ramirez et al, 2021; Simmons, 2017; Stearns, 2019). These limitations are particularly harmful for students of color, who are more likely than their white peers to experience inequities at school. This paper describes year one of a research-practice partnership designed to support local construction of equitable SEL in communities of color in New York City. The goal of our partnership is to create a process and supports for communities of practice to explore SEL and equity in their own setting.

Theoretical Framework. A community of practice is a group of people who “share a concern or passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger, 1998). Communities of practice, which can evolve naturally or be created deliberately, have the goal of sharing expertise, diverse perspectives, and experiences related to a specific field. As such, they are a mechanism for professional growth and relationship-building, and they challenge traditional hierarchies that prioritize certain forms of knowledge and expertise over others (Chiu & Sumida Huaman, 2020; CJSF, 2020). We hypothesize that communities of practice can harness the insights of educators and other community members to build local capacity for more relevant, sustainable, and equitable SEL.

Methods. Participants included educators, social workers, families, and youth from a K-8 public charter school serving low-income and immigrant families in the South Bronx. Our approach included three main components: (1) an ongoing community of practice with educators and social workers aiming to answer the guiding question: “What does equitable SEL look like?”; (2) a series of workshops with the broader community; and (3) a set of year-end events, including a Lessons Learned Workshop to reflect on the process and a Leadership Academy to share with other school leaders.

Data sources. We collected data through field notes, video recordings, workshop artifacts, interviews, surveys, and action plans to document the process and outcomes.

Results. Findings from year one include emerging themes, challenges and successes of the approach, and action plans for year two, with a focus on the voices of local educators and staff and their shifts in thinking about SEL in school.

Significance. Current SEL approaches are insufficient when it comes to equity, especially addressing the SEL strengths and needs of school communities of color. Building a community of practice around SEL created opportunities to (1) highlight the expertise of community members and strengthen local capacity, (2) identify and define salient SEL-related topics, and (3) create a school culture of SEL that is sustainable and equitable.

Authors

• Lillian Massaro, Harvard University

• Thelma Ramirez, Harvard University

• Drema L. Brown, Children's Aid College Prep Charter School

• Tamara Tingman, Children’s Aid College Prep Charter School

• Shanda Holt, Children's Aid

• Rebecca Bailey, Harvard University

• Gretchen A. Brion-Meisels, Harvard University

• Junlei Li, Harvard University

• Stephanie M. Jones, Harvard University