An Examination of Factors Influencing Teachers' Fidelity to Social and Emotional Learning

• In Event: The Complexity of School Reform Implementation: Evidence From Broad-Scale Innovations

Abstract

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is increasingly recognized as an important aspect of the school improvement process as more states, districts, and schools seek to improve the socioemotional and academic outcomes of students. Despite its growing popularity, and the centrality of teachers in SEL, only a paucity of current scholarship empirically and/or theoretically examines their roles in promoting social and emotional wellness in students. Thus, this proposal sheds light on a myriad of issues influencing teachers' fidelity to SEL, noting explicitly the roles of school climate and school-level sociodemographic factors. I find that schools staffed with teacher who hold more favorable school climate perceptions are more likely to have teachers who engage in classroom practices that build students’ SEL skills.

Author

• Jerome Graham, Michigan State University