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As schools receive an influx of dollars for COVID-19 recovery efforts, the topic of social-emotional learning has taken center stage. With the pandemic exposing gaps in the monitoring and assessment of students’ social-emotional health, schools are being encouraged to implement programs to better serve students and promote enhanced mental well-being. However, with an abundance of […]

A 2021 article published by Ashley Cullins of Conscious Discipline titled “Using ESSER Funds for SEL Initiatives” brings to light the importance of maintaining a focus on social-emotional learning (SEL) as our students and schools recover from traumatic personal and academic impacts of COVID-19. The analysis also cites support from the National Education Association (NEA) […]

By Kevin Brown   As schools across the country begin to reopen, the focus has shifted to how districts and educators can facilitate recovery for schools, and more importantly, students. Uncertainty regarding the magnitude of instructional learning loss abounds and many leaders are developing plans to tackle any exacerbated learning gaps while also asking themselves […]

by Kevin Brown Stephen Elliott, Pui-Wa Lei, Christopher Anthony, and James DiPerna of SSIS CoLab conducted a research study regarding the benefits of concurrent screening of social emotional learning (SEL) skills and emotional behavior concerns (EBC). They were able to identify a more accurate, holistic understanding of a child’s social emotional well-being enabled through the […]

By Kevin Brown Social-Emotional Development and Student Outcomes Longstanding debate has taken place over what should be considered appropriate qualifiers of a “good” high school. Districts flaunt their proficiency levels, schools display the various ribbons and accolades they receive, and parents seek to find the largest offerings of AP, Honors, and IB courses. However, based […]

By Kevin Brown With school – and COVID-19 – well under way for the Fall 2020 academic semester, the country has seen school districts take a variety of measures ranging from a “business-as-usual” approach to a strictly online experience. Much of the nation’s focus has been on how to get students back into the classrooms, […]

By Grace Shelton @GraceCShelton In continuing our series on school leadership, this article discusses relevant research on principal effectiveness. More specifically, this article looks at how teacher and student perceptions of leadership can impact performance, and how principals primarily impact school climate in a way that makes all the difference to their ultimate success (or […]

By Kevin Brown COVID-19 & Virtual Learning: What Challenges Did Teachers Face? In a Wall Street Journal article titled “The Results Are In For Remote Learning: It Didn’t Work”, an in-depth review of the successes, failures, and challenges of distance learning is provided. A key theme of the article is the role that technology played in […]

By Grace Shelton @GraceCShelton In our previous school leadership posts, we have discussed how leadership matters. It matters a lot—school leaders need to be instructional gurus, assessment builders, community engagement experts, budget analysts, and much more. The role might appear easy to anyone outside of education, but all those within the education sphere know that […]

By Grace Shelton @Grace C Shelton It has become increasingly apparent that school leadership is the driving force of positive change in schools. Our previous posts on leadership focus on the importance of great principals. If principals and effective leadership are so important, what are some ways school leaders can ensure their success? What makes […]