BlueSky’s Dedication to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
Back in 2010, we as an organization made the commitment to a mission that was based around learning that was inclusive and compassionate. We started working with the Regional Centers for Excellence and started using SEL. SEL stands for Social-Emotional Learning. We have seen incredible improvements in both students and staff because of using SEL. It’s something we believe in strongly, so we thought we’d share a little bit about this practice with you.
What is SEL?
The MN Department of Education describes SEL as:
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is broadly understood as a process through which people build awareness and skills in managing emotions, setting goals, establishing relationships, and making responsible decisions that support their success in school and in life.(1) SEL develops cognitive social competencies, such as self-awareness, self-management, and social awareness, according to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Developing such competencies in students fosters positive social skills, reduces conduct problems, diminishes emotional stress, and improves academic performance.(2)
When we develop social and emotional skills, our ability to form relationships and build social awareness increases, which enhances our ability to connect with individuals of diverse perspectives, cultures, languages, histories, identities, and abilities. By implementing SEL on a macro-level in schools, we create more equitable, better-performing schools and communities. This type of systemic change creates school environments in which all students learn the skills they need to be prepared for a career, college, and life.
As an educational approach, SEL recognizes that students are complex human beings, whose learning and behavior are just as impacted by their emotions – and their control over those emotions – as they are by the quality of instruction and discipline.
Why Did BlueSky Decide to Start SEL?
SEL was identified through our comprehensive needs assessment while working with the Regional Centers of Excellence. We also had staff that had attended and learned about the program through conferences and workshops they attended. We felt a connection to this form of teaching and we knew it would benefit our students. Social-Emotional Learning is an extension and addition of the Compassionate Schools work that BlueSky has done to be a Trauma-Informed School.
What are BlueSky’s Goals for Social-Emotional Learning?
- To provide a compassionate learning environment where students can be supported to meet their potential
- To instruct students to develop and refine social-emotional learning skills
- To monitor and measure the progress of student performance in all areas linked to SEL (SEL competency ratings, attendance, graduation, course passing rates, College and Career Readiness, etc.)
How Has SEL Impacted Students?
There has been evidence that incorporating SEL leads to improved attendance and graduation rates. Here at BlueSky, since we specifically started focusing on being a compassionate school and SEL, we’ve seen graduation rates improve, retention rates improve, overall and consistent attendance improve, and course passing rates improve. Yes, we’ve done other things in this time, but at the heart of what we’ve changed is adding trauma-informed practices and SEL into what we do.
