Research-Practice Webinar, September 18 | Leading Toward Justice with Transformative Social Emotional Learning

Webinar highlights

Research Perspective

Drs. Mai Xi Lee and Valerie Shapiro's research focuses on the CalHOPE student support effort and transformative social emotional learning (SEL) which aims to shift the paradigm of SEL to include focused attention on community and partnerships as key levers of change.

Dr. Lee noted, “We're aiming to co-construct sustainable and supportive systems where all Californian young people and adults can thrive." This means implementing systemic SEL that engages all levels of the educational system, as well as transformative SEL. According to Dr. Shapiro, “Transformative SEL goes beyond just teaching this young person to manage their emotions in the context of injustice... they also need agency to make change in the world, the change that they'd like to see." Their research highlights the importance of diverse partnerships, robust supports (e.g., training and technical assistance), building educator capacities, and implementing effective structures and routines for SEL. Overall, their work points to the power of research-practice collaboration and continuous improvement to create more equitable, justice-oriented SEL approaches.

Intersection of Research and Practice

Practitioner panelists considered how they, as school leaders, think about systems transformation through equity- and justice-centered social emotional learning. They all actively cultivate a foundation for transformative SEL in schools by fostering trusting relationships and developing a sense of belonging for students, families, staff, and the broader community. Practitioner panelists highlighted the need to center student voices, leverage community partnerships, and engage in ongoing learning and self-reflection as school leaders supporting transformative SEL.

Practitioner panelists offered examples of how they enact transformative SEL. Trusting relationships and a sense of belonging can be developed through welcoming orientations, learning about students and families experiences and needs (via home visits and community circles, for example), exploring community cultural wealth, prioritizing authentic joy and laughter in classrooms, and modeling humility and accountability. Once these relational foundations have been fortified, school leaders leverage community partnerships such as mental health practitioners, behavior intervention teams, and parent engagement teams to support their students and families. The effort to be transformational requires leaders to engage in critical self-reflection, explore and disrupt one’s own biases, and have the courage to have crucial conversations to build consensus among partners.

Discussion/Reflection Questions

• What do current SEL efforts look like in your school/education context? Are they transformative? Systemic? 
• What kinds of partnerships do you engage in your SEL efforts?
• What structures and routines are established in your SEL work related to examining bias and engaging in hard conversations?
• Are there approaches to SEL, as identified by the practitioner panelists, that you might want to implement in your own context?