Examining Educators Capacity for Social Emotional Learning in Juvenile Court Schools

• In Event: How Policy Failures Fuel the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Abstract

Juvenile court schools are a byproduct of racial inequity in the school-to-prison pipeline but provide the last educational opportunity for incarcerated youth to re-engage in schools (Osher et al., 2012). Social-emotional learning (SEL) can foster resilience among marginalized youth and has become more widely adopted by schools in the juvenile justice system. Given disproportionate minority contact, it is important to address the persistent racial injustice these youth have experienced over the years to enhance their social-emotional well-being. This mixed methods study seeks to understand how juvenile court schools are integrating SEL practices and antiracism concepts into their curriculum. Specifically, we assess the extent to which personal well-being and school support enhances the integration of SEL and anti-racism concepts.

Theory. Organizational climate and culture theories will be used to explore shared perceptions of the work environment, normative beliefs, and behavior expectations (Glisson & Green, 2006). Climate and culture can impact areas including service quality, staff attitude, turnover, and employee commitment to achieve goals (Glisson & Green, 2006). Thus, they can also influence staff perceptions, well-being, skills, and ability to adopt the enhanced curriculum.

Methods. This study used a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design using two phases. We administered surveys to 137 staff working at the local County Office of Education (COE) across eight juvenile court schools; then, conducted follow-up interviews with 19 staff. The survey respondents included 33% Black and 58% female individuals. Multilevel models (staff nested in schools) assessed the extent of SEL and antiracism content integration into the curriculum as predicted by race, gender, personal well-being, and perception of school support.

Results. Accounting for variation across schools, we found that staff's perception of school support was positively associated with integration of SEL (β = 1.23; p < 0.001) and anti-racism (β = 0.97; p < 0.01) into the curriculum. Also, staff members reporting that racism affected their well-being were more likely to integrate anti-racism concepts (β = 0.66; p < .05) into the curriculum. No variation was found by race and gender.
Qualitative data provided further context for these findings. Across sites, staff expressed different degrees of confidence in the role of the curriculum to meet the social-emotional needs of students. Some reported that staff lacked adequate professional development to understand what it meant to support students’ social-emotional needs. Staff also reported some evidence of school culture where anti-racist practices had not been fully embraced.

Significance. To date, there is very little empirical work on the role of social-emotional curriculum in addressing the needs of youth in juvenile court schools and whether and how curricula are addressing racist practices in schools. The study’s findings offer new and needed insights on the importance and challenges of integrating SEL into juvenile court schools. Discussions of social emotional learning in juvenile court schools cannot be understood independently of both macro and micro manifestations of structural racism. School support is crucial in increasing the use of SEL and antiracism. Educators need to be equipped with the proper knowledge and content to support student learning.

Authors

• Jessica Leila Carranza, University of Southern California

• Jessenia De Leon, University of Southern California