Certain environmental factors in schools best lay the groundwork for social and emotional development: Aligned Vision Consistent Language everyone using the same terms for habits Structure & Predictability i.e. breaks for teachers, discipline systems for students Core of Experienced High-Performing Teachers year 5 teacher has promise! (see insight #2) “Space” physical- teacher’s lounge emotional- safe space to talk for students and teachers

All “teachers” need support in maintaining well-being, but the social and emotional development of some “teachers” can be most impactful to the well-being of all. The “teacher” is the primary caregiver from year 0-5 and then primarily it is the classroom educator after that. For Caregivers: Mitigating stress (i.e. childcare, financial upward mobility) helps the social and emotional development of not only the parent, but the child. For Classroom Teachers: Year 5 of a teacher’s career in teaching is an important year because the fundamental skills are in place, but a teacher's will can start to wane if well-being (i.e. work/life balance) is not taken into consideration. Teacher well-being is helpful for retention too! There’s more unraveling to do when we talk about adults than when we talk about kids.

There are many habits that contribute to one’s well-being, but human connection stands out as a strong need and an impactful entry point into habits development. Connection can mean connection to self (self awareness), connection to others (relationships), or connection to world (communities). Learning happens through relationships. For 0-12, the most important relationship is the parent/caregiver(s). At the beginning of adolescence, this changes to peers. Human connection works best in person (i.e. Circles, retreats). It also might happen within online communities.

Guiding “teachers” toward a personal and sustained practice first, sets the stage for a successful and long-term adoption of a program. Micro Moves: Little things go a long way. Ex: Instead of saying “I can’t do this” say “I haven’t figured it out yet.” Adults model and teach through their own examples. In a school setting, teacher choice is helpful to motivate teachers to develop habits/skills. Ultimately, developing well-being in “teachers” (teachers/parents/caregivers) first helps students because students mirror adults.

A positive experience can be the impetus to a mindset shift that can motivate an educator to develop habits, which in turn can lead to a practice. Fredrickson’s “Broaden and Build Theory”: Positive emotions broaden and open up the mind to novel experiences, thoughts, ideas, which in turn build up one’s psychological resources over time. Sometimes a mindset shift comes from one catalyzing experience, and sometimes from a series of smaller multiple experiences. Stages matter: For new teachers they might need a "big and novel" experience to ellicit change. For experienced teachers, they might not want a "big and novel" experience. They might already know what they want to refine, and a more subtle experience will get them there. Environment matters: The “experience” needs to fall somewhere between novel enough (so positive emotions are felt) and familiar enough (so it doesn’t feel overwhelmingly different than home).

Integrated whole-school approaches help create sustainability and support; teacher choice helps create motivation and empowerment. Both are needed for success. It’s important to take a look at what already exists in the environment- the strengths and the gaps. We’re not yet sure which comes first- aligning on a vision or giving choice to teachers- but at some point, both should happen. If you start with a schoolwide approach that not everyone is aligned with, then you could run into teacher resentment and de-motivation. If you start with all teacher choice and no schoolwide approach, it’s hard to figure out what is working and students may not actually develop any habits. Different teachers will have different social and emotional well-being needs at different times and so differentiation and choice is important. This is true for students too. A movement cannot take off if not everyone is aligned on the vision.

There’s no true consensus on how to measure social and emotional development, but we know growth over time and transfer of skill to another context (as evidenced through qualitative research) are indicators of impact. The SEAD Commission (from CASEL) is continuously working on improving social and emotional development competencies and standards. There are equity issues. The social and emotional development data shows low-income communities are disadvantaged again. Mental health surveys are tricky to conduct. BIG DATA is a challenge- as there are only 20-30 kids in one classroom. Quality review includes: school culture, schedule, attendance, observing teacher meetings, interviews, tour of the school. Self assessment can work if student can also provide evidence to back it up. 360 assessments are promising. Ex: Student reaches out to 5 people in their life to ask how they have demonstrated kindness this week. Age matters. The bar has to shift as we move from childhood to adolescence to adulthood.