It’s no secret that smart, strategic collaboration can help turn education ideas into reality. That’s why the launch of the Excellence Through Social-Emotional Learning (exSEL) Network is so exciting.
exSEL is a partnership between nine Massachusetts school districts–Brockton, Canton, Fitchburg, Mendon-Upton, Millbury, Milton, Monomoy (Chatham and Harwich), Tri-Town (Boxford, Middleton and Topsfield) and Whitman-Hanson—that are committed to fully integrating social and emotional learning (SEL) in their classrooms. These districts, with the support of partners such as the Rennie Center for Education Policy & Research, Teachers21 and Transforming Education, will develop a plan for SEL that fits the needs of their students. The districts will also come together as a network to collaborate and share best practices.
These nine districts serve more than 40,000 students. But hopefully the impact will be much wider, building on the momentum for SEL we’re seeing nationally.
Of course, as we’ve discussed, successfully integrating SEL isn’t easy. But committing to getting it right—especially alongside other districts—is an important first step. We’ll look forward to seeing the impact exSEL has on students.