By: Ann Rankowitz

Hindsight is always 20/20, it offers us clarity and sharpness of vision after something has happened. At CASEL’s recent Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Exchange in October 2019, current and former leaders from the original Collaborating Districts Initiative (CDI), who have been implementing SEL since 2011, shared important lessons learned. They were in agreement that they should have focused more on the adult SEL in the beginning.

Like so many of us, it’s easy to focus on the children and in so doing we often lose sight of the health and well-being of the adults in the room. If teachers are not well, their students aren’t well. Research has shown that teacher burnout and student stress levels are correlated. Building both adult and student SEL competence supports critical long-term outcomes for students, and what strategies they can implement to achieve this goal.

Three districts—Oakland, Sacramento City, and Tulsa—have been leading the way in supporting adult SEL and self-care for the past several years.

To read more about CASEL’s findings, click here.