Target audience: Educators in the elementary and secondary grades
interested in evidence for the value of social and emotional learning
and practical ideas for implementing it

Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important -- there's no doubt of
that. But it takes more than those basic academic skills for students
to grow into happy, successful adults.

As educators know well, children also need to learn self-esteem,
self-discipline, and strong communication skills in order to succeed in
school and life. But it's easy for those essential lessons to get lost
in the race to raise standardized test scores.

In this session, two pioneering educators and a national education
leader explain why social and emotional skills deserve time and
attention -- SEL has been shown to raise test scores -- and how they
provide it effectively in their schools. Learn more at the
webinar's resource page.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

On December 10, 2008, my American Leadership Forum Class held the Building a Coalition for the Children of Texas Conference. In putting on this Conference, the intent of our Class, which included business leaders,
educators, non-profit leaders, and community leaders was to create a coalition of people and organizations to bring social and
emotional learning on par with academics in every classroom in Texas
and to recognize the critical impact social and emotional learning has
on academic achievement and workforce readiness.

One of our speakers was Daniel Goleman, the well-known author of Emotional Intelligence. Mr. Goleman's presentation included approximately 25 minutes of prepared video, which I am including below. Mr. Goleman truly captures the critical importance of social and emotional learning for today's students.

The Bill provides that the Texas Education Agency "shall establish an advisory panel under this section to develop the required foundation curriculum to teach students skills in social, emotional, and behavioral interaction to prepare students for adult responsibility. A primary purpose of the adult responsibility curriculum is to teach students advanced methods of thinking, speaking, learning, and reasoning, including methods for:

Regular readers of this blog know that I am a very strong believer in the value of exactly the items included in this Bill. Indeed, my American Leadership Forum Class held a Conference last December focused on the need for Social and Emotional development of students. For additional posts on Social and Emotional learning and its importance to student success, please click here.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Today I came across The Partnership for 21st Century Skills which I think has accurately stated one of the main things missing from today's high stakes testing regimen, the lack of focus on 21st century skills.

Here is how the Partnership's website describes the issue with one of the best graphics I have seen (click on the graphic to enlarge):

The
Partnership for 21st Century Skills has developed a unified, collective
vision
for 21st century learning that can be used to strengthen American
education. The key elements of 21st century learning are represented in
the
graphic and descriptions below. The graphic represents both 21st
century skills student outcomes (as represented by the arches of the
rainbow) and 21st century skills support systems (as represented by the
pools at the bottom):

21ST CENTURY STUDENT OUTCOMES:

The elements described in this section as “21st century
student outcomes” (represented by the rainbow) are the skills, knowledge and
expertise students should master to succeed in work and life in the 21st
century.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

For the past year and a half, I have been part of the American Leadership Forum's Education Class I. This group of business leaders, educators, non-profit leaders, and community leaders has come together to create a coalition of people and organizations to bring social and emotional learning on par with academics in every classroom in Texas and to recognize the critical impact social and emotional learning has on academic achievement and workforce readiness.

Monday, November 03, 2008

A study released last month demonstrates the importance of socialization skills. The study found that "ten years after graduation, high-school students
who had been rated as conscientious and cooperative by their teachers
were earning more than classmates who had similar test scores but fewer
social skills."

"Good
schools do more than teach reading, writing, and math. They socialize
students and provide the kinds of learning opportunities that help them
to become good citizens and to be successful in the labor market," a
University of Illinois assistant professor of human and community
development said.

Released October 15, 2008

URBANA, Ill. - Ten years after graduation, high-school students
who had been rated as conscientious and cooperative by their teachers
were earning more than classmates who had similar test scores but fewer
social skills, said a new University of Illinois study.

The study's findings challenge the idea that racial, ethnic,
and socioeconomic gaps in educational attainment and earnings can be
narrowed solely by emphasizing cognitive skills, said Christy Lleras, a
University of Illinois assistant professor of human and community
development.

"It's important to note that good schools do more than teach
reading, writing, and math. They socialize students and provide the
kinds of learning opportunities that help them to become good citizens
and to be successful in the labor market," she said.

"Unless we address the differences in school climates and
curriculum that foster good work habits and other social skills, we're
doing a huge disservice to low-income kids who may be entering the
labor market right after high school, especially in our increasingly
service-oriented economy," Lleras added.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Here is a really good video from the CASEL Forum in December 2007 in which George Lucas joins a panel of national experts moderated by Daniel
Goleman that explores the value of social and emotional learning.