Committee for Children Blog

Congressional Briefing, New Bill on Social-Emotional Learning

What’s Happening

On April 30, 2014, Seattle-based Committee for Children and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) hosted a congressional briefing that focused on effective social-emotional learning (SEL) programs in all stages of the educational system from preschool through college…

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A New Model of School Reform

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vicki-zakrzewski-phd/a-new-model-of-school-ref_b_5375221.htmlRead More


Student Support Plan

This planning tool from the Second Step Child Protection Unit can help you choose and implement strategies that will meet the social-emotional needs of a student who needs support.

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A New Model of School Reform

Oakland Unified is transforming its schools by embedding social-emotional learning into the district culture—one adult at a time.

This article first appeared on The Greater Good on May 21, 2014.

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In Massachusetts, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Advocates Meet to Plan for Effective SEL in Every School

More than 150 mental health providers, teachers, and school administrators gathered at Wellesley College on May 22nd for the Social Emotional Learning Alliance for Massachusetts’ (SAM) third annual conference, entitled “Leveraging Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in an Era of Accountability.”

SAM’s mission is to bring the educational process known…Read More


Remember the Read Aloud…

One of the first activities I do with my classroom in the beginning of the year is to brainstorm reasons of why we read. Always, the list we create is full of the great benefits of reading and the list hangs on our wall all year long as we continue to revisit WHY we read.Read More


Importance of Celebrations…

We must celebrate in our classrooms. We must teach that learning is about fun, excitement, and joy! Celebrations are the perfect opportunity! What do I mean by celebrations? They can take on many forms. Here is a list of ways you can bring celebrations into your classroom and teach our children that in life and learning, happiness and pride are great feelings to acknowledge, feel, and celebrate.Read More


Fostering School and Family Partnerships

Schools and families both play critical roles in students’ social-emotional and academic success. To meaningfully strengthen these important partnerships, we must first abandon the notion that family engagement is about whether family members attend school events or volunteer in the school buildings. It also includes the things that families do at home with their children (Wilson, 2013). It encompasses both parent voice and presence.Read More