Year 1 Findings: Implementation of the Illinois Learning Renewal–Social-Emotional Learning Initiative

• In Event: Roads to Recovery: State and District Approaches to Post-Pandemic Education Renewal

Abstract

The social and emotional consequences of the pandemic on students have been dire. For example, symptoms of anxiety and depression among youth—which were already increasing (CDC, 2020)—doubled during the pandemic (Racine et al., 2021). The Illinois State Board of Education adopted a multicomponent approach to addressing learning and recovery with the largest element consisting of social and emotional learning (SEL) approaches.

The objective of the current study is to describe the implementation of Illinois’ Learning Renewal—SEL (LR-SEL) initiative. LR-SEL has three elements: (a) establishing six SEL Hubs across the state to provide professional learning supports to Regional Offices of Education (ROEs), districts, and schools, (b) Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH), a program to promote trauma-informed educational approaches in schools, and (c) community partnership grants, which connect schools with external partners to support students’ mental health and well-being.

Theoretical framework
This study is rooted in implementation science frameworks (Jackson, Fixsen, & Ward, 2018; Lyon, 2018) that stress the importance effective implementation and enabling contexts for evidence-based practices to lead to positive outcomes. To that end, the implementation evaluation component of this study examines both what activities are being implemented across the state, as well as the facilitators and barriers to successful implementation.

Methods and data sources
Study staff conducted 40 virtual interviews with staff most closely involved in implementing LR-SEL programming across Illinois. Respondents included staff from SEL Hubs, ROEs, districts, and schools. We asked about the topics in which schools were most interested, facilitators of participation, region-specific constraints and solutions, and considerations for sustainability beyond the grant period. Interviews were analyzed deductively in NVivo to map data onto constructs, and then analyzed inductively to capture emergent themes.

Results
We found considerable variation across the state in participation in LR-SEL activities. Core needs expressed by schools included classroom management, teacher and staff self-regulation and well-being, and trauma-informed teaching and restorative practices. Overall facilitators of participation in LR-SEL activities included using school improvement days or institute days to attend LR-SEL activities, using virtual options for training (to address a lack of substitutes), and making professional learning events available at no cost to participants. The most common barrier was lack of capacity, including staff and teacher shortages. Mindsets of district and school staff also posed a barrier, including lack of recognition of the need for or value of SEL and political polarization of language used in LR-SEL (e.g., SEL, trauma). An emergent finding was the increased level of cross-agency collaboration that has resulted from the coordination of staffing, resources, and knowledge across state agencies. Respondents are concerned that SR-SEL activities will not be sustained after the federal funding expires in 2024.

Scientific or scholarly significance
This study is among the first to focus on the role of SEL in pandemic recovery. As such, our findings can shed light on the mechanisms for recruiting and continuing to support schools with implementing SEL-related strategies to address pandemic recovery in Illinois and other states.

Authors

• Iris Daruwala, American Institutes for Research

• Maura Shramko, American Institutes for Research

• Jennie Jiang, American Institutes for Research

• Kimberly Trumbull Kendziora, American Institutes for Research