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There’s more encouraging news coming out about the effect of SEL programs on student development. A recent meta-analysis of 82 school-based SEL interventions found that students who completed the interventions “fared significantly better” over time in some MESH-related areas than those who did not. Researchers tracked “follow-up outcomes” for students in a variety of categories – social-emotional skills, positive attitudes, positive social behavior, academic performance, conduct problems, emotional distress, and drug use – and the results provide evidence for long-term benefits that SEL programs and interventions can have on student trajectories. The analysis has received attention, in part because it builds on the many studies that have demonstrated the short-term benefits of SEL programs. The report was conducted by researchers from CASEL, Loyola University Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of British Columbia, and published in Child Development.
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Source: educationweek.org
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In the Press
MINDSETS, ESSENTIAL SKILLS, & HABITS | MESH
Games Can Help Preschoolers Learn Math Concepts, Study Finds
Education Week – Marva Hinton, July 14, 2017
Crafting a Community of Belonging in a Culture of Digital Connection
Education Week – Nicole Assisi, July 12, 2017
The District Where Kids Beg to Go to Summer School
The Hechinger Report – Wayne D’Orio, July 12, 2017
Student Trauma Is Real. But Connection Can Heal.
Education Week – Gary G. Abud, Jr., July 11, 2017
MEASUREMENTS & INTERVENTIONS
SEL Drive in Schools Is Opportunity for Youth Developers
Youth Today – Katie Brackenridge, July 12, 2017
EDUCATION POLICY & REFORM
Why Americans Think So Poorly of the Country's Schools
The Atlantic – Jack Schneider, July 17, 2017
As Congress Probes the Shift to ESSA Under DeVos, Here's What to Watch For
Education Week – Andrew Ujifusa, July 17, 2017
On Education, The States Ask: Now What?
NPR – Claudio Sanchez, July 13, 2017
Connecting Directly and Utilizing Resources Paramount for College Readiness
Education Dive – Pat Donachie, July 12, 2017
Want Public Approval for Using Student Data? Take a Page from West Virginia
Education Week – Sarah D. Sparks, July 12, 2017
PROJECTS, PARTNERS, & ADVISORS
Fresno Unified Increases Applications to CSUs and UCs
EdSource – Theresa Harrington, July 12, 2017
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Recent Research
Academic Performance in Primary School Children With Common Emotional and Behavioral Problems
Journal of School Health – Lisa K. Mundy PhD, Louise Canterford, Dawn Tucker, Jordana Bayer PhD, Helena Romaniuk PhD, Susan Sawyer, Petra Lietz PhD, Gerry Redmond PhD, Jenny Proimos MD, Nicholas Allen PhD, George Patton MD, July 9, 2017
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Many emotional and behavioral problems first emerge in primary school and are the forerunners of mental health problems occurring in adolescence. However, the extent that these problems may be associated with academic failure has been explored less. We aimed to quantify the association between emotional and behavioral problems with academic performance.
METHODS: A stratified random sample of 8- to 9-year-olds (N = 1239) were recruited from schools in Australia. Data linkage was performed with a national assessment of academic performance to assess reading and numeracy. Parent report assessed emotional and behavioral problems with students dichotomized into “borderline/abnormal” and “normal” categories.
RESULTS: One in 5 grade 3 students fell in the “borderline/abnormal” category. Boys with total difficulties (β = -47.8, 95% CI: -62.8 to -32.8), conduct problems, and peer problems scored lower on reading. Numeracy scores were lower in boys with total difficulties (β = -37.7, 95% CI: -53.9 to -21.5) and emotional symptoms. Children with hyperactivity/inattention scored lower in numeracy. Girls with peer problems scored lower in numeracy.
CONCLUSIONS: Boys with emotional and behavioral problems in mid-primary school were 12 months behind their peers. Children with emotional and behavioral problems are at high risk for academic failure, and this risk is evident in mid-primary school.
A Qualitative Exploration of Primary School Students’ Experience and Utilisation of Mindfulness
Contemporary School Psychology – Bavani Bannirchelvam, Karen L. Bell, Shane Costello, July 10, 2017
Abstract: Despite the increasing utilisation of mindfulness-based interventions in children, research investigating the impact of these interventions in children is still in its infancy. One significant gap in the literature is the general omission of the child’s voice in how they experience and benefit from mindfulness-based intervention. Therefore, the present study explored children’s experiences of a mindfulness-based intervention, as well as why and how they utilised mindfulness techniques. A semi-structured interview was undertaken with eight upper primary school-aged students after completion of a classroom-based eight-session mindfulness intervention. Thematic analysis elicited 11 key themes across the three research questions. Students generally liked the mindfulness-based intervention but preferred experiential over passive program components. Students utilised mindfulness techniques for emotion regulation, typically by focusing on their breathing, shifting their attention to the present, and using a smartphone application. These findings provide insights into factors contributing to program engagement and children’s use of mindfulness as a strategy for emotion regulation.
Bibliotherapeutic Book Club Intervention to Promote Reading Skills and Social–Emotional Competencies in Low SES Community-Based High Schools: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Journal of Research in Reading – Jurgen Tijms, Mirthe A. Stoop, Jody N. Polleck, July 12, 2017
Abstract: Reading skills and social–emotional competencies are two important skills for both academic achievement and long-term quality of life. The present study evaluated the effects of a school-based intervention to promote reading skills and social–emotional competencies in young adolescents from urban, low socioeconomic status (SES) communities in their first year of secondary education. A small group intervention was conducted, using book clubs in which students read and discussed literature with the objective to enhance reading attitude, reading comprehension and social–emotional competencies. Participants were randomly allocated to either the book club intervention condition (n = 50) or a business-as-usual control condition (n = 40). Results revealed that the intervention group accrued significant greater gains than the control group in (recreational) reading attitude, reading comprehension and social emotional competences.
School Readiness as a Longitudinal Predictor of Social-Emotional and Reading Performance Across the Elementary Grades
Assessment for Effective Intervention – Matthew Quirk, PhD, Erin Dowdy, PhD, Ariel Goldstein, MA, Katherine Carnazzo, PhD, July 12, 2017
Abstract: This study is a brief psychometric report examining the Kindergarten Student Entrance Profile (KSEP). Multiple regression models were tested examining associations between kindergarten teachers’ ratings of children’s social-emotional and cognitive readiness during the first month of kindergarten with academic and social-emotional outcomes almost 6 years later. Significant associations (p < .05) were identified between children’s cognitive readiness at kindergarten entry and reading fluency in Grade 5, as well as between children’s social-emotional readiness and multiple aspects of their social-emotional well-being in Grade 5. This study provides evidence supporting the long-term predictive validity of KSEP screener ratings and highlights the importance of screening for social-emotional, as well as cognitive, indicators of readiness when children enter kindergarten. Practical implications are discussed.
The Relationship Between Intelligence and Mindset
Intelligence – Brooke N. Macnamara, Natasha S. Rupani, September-October 2017
Abstract: Intelligence mindset refers to one's belief that either intelligence is a malleable trait that can improve with effort—a “growth” mindset—or is a relatively stable trait—a “fixed” mindset. According to proponents of mindset theory, holding a growth mindset is beneficial (e.g., greater academic persistence) while holding a fixed mindset is detrimental. Is there a relationship between one's intelligence mindset and one's intelligence? Proponents of mindset theory suggest that the answer is yes, and that this relationship differs by gender, with more intelligent females holding more of a fixed mindset (aka, the “bright girl effect”). However, investigations of all three factors—measured intelligence, intelligence mindset, and gender—have only been conducted with children and adolescents. Therefore, we tested whether, among adults, women have more of a fixed mindset than men, and whether women with higher intelligence are more likely to hold fixed mindsets. We found no evidence for women holding fixed mindsets more so than men. We found very limited evidence for a “bright woman effect”: Three-way interactions between age, gender, and intelligence predicting mindset emerged, however, the relationships were not consistently driven by brighter women (young or old) holding more of a fixed mindset than their less intelligent female counterparts or men. Furthermore, we did not find evidence to support the notion that holding more of a growth mindset results in greater academic persistence. We conclude that neither gender nor intelligence is consistently associated with mindset.
Teachers' Dispositional Mindfulness and the Quality of their Relationships with Children in Head Start Classrooms
Journal of School Psychology – Brandon D. Becker, Kathleen C. Gallagher, Robert C. Whitaker, December 2017
Abstract: The quality of teachers' relationships with children is a key predictor of children's later social emotional competence and academic achievement. Interventions to increase mindfulness among teachers have focused primarily on the impacts on teachers' subjective well-being, but not on the quality of their relationships with children. Furthermore, none of these interventions have involved preschool teachers. To consider the potential of mindfulness-based interventions to improve the quality of teachers' relationships with preschool-aged children, we examined data from an online survey of 1001 classroom teachers in 37 Pennsylvania Head Start Programs. Using path analysis we investigated the association between teachers' dispositional mindfulness and the quality of their relationships with children (conflict and closeness). We further examined whether this association was mediated by teacher depressive symptoms and moderated by perceived workplace stress. Higher levels of dispositional mindfulness among teachers were associated with higher quality relationships with children (less conflict and greater closeness). The association between greater dispositional mindfulness and less conflict was partially mediated by lower depressive symptoms, and the conditional direct effect of mindfulness on conflict was stronger when perceived workplace stress was lower. These findings suggest that preschool teachers who have higher levels of dispositional mindfulness may experience higher quality relationships with children in their classrooms. Interventions to increase levels of dispositional mindfulness among early childhood educators may improve their well-being along with the quality of their relationships with children, potentially impacting children's educational outcomes. The potential impacts of such interventions may be even stronger if structural and systemic changes are also made to reduce workplace stress.
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