Special Report

Social-Emotional Learning 2017

It Starts With Teachers
June 7, 2017
Fostering a sense of calm and joy in the classroom must start with the teacher. This special report explores the social-emotional competencies needed for classroom teachers, and how they can then convey those skills to their students. The stories in the report, which include perspective pieces by current teachers, look at new research surrounding teacher stress and burnout, innovative ways to incorporate social-emotional learning into everyday lessons and with different groups of students, and strategies for self-care, mindfulness, and cultural responsiveness, starting in teacher preparation programs.
  • Education Q&A How Teacher-Prep Programs Can Embrace Social-Emotional Learning
    Nancy Markowitz, founder of the Center for Reaching & Teaching the Whole Child, discusses how she helps preservice teachers apply a social-emotional lens to all aspects of their work in the classroom.
    Kate Stoltzfus, June 7, 2017
    8 min read
    Education Teaching Social-Emotional Competence: A Video Collection
    In these videos from our editorial partner The Teaching Channel, peek into other teachers' classrooms as they demonstrate strategies they use to foster social and emotional learning.
    June 7, 2017
    1 min read
    Education Can Yoga Help Prevent Teacher Burnout?
    Researchers and schools are exploring whether regular yoga practice can reduce teacher stress and equip educators with strategies to stay calm during chaotic moments in the classroom.
    Madeline Will, June 7, 2017
    6 min read
    Danna Thomas, a kindergarten teacher at Windsor Hills Elementary School in Baltimore, and the founder of Happy Teacher Revolution, smiles and snaps her fingers while a fellow teacher shares a good moment from earlier in the day.
    Danna Thomas, a kindergarten teacher at Windsor Hills Elementary School in Baltimore, and the founder of Happy Teacher Revolution, smiles and snaps her fingers while a fellow teacher shares a good moment from earlier in the day.
    Erin Irwin/Education Week
    Teaching Profession Happy Teachers Practice Self-Care
    Teachers must develop their own social-emotional competencies, before they can effectively model these skills to students.
    Madeline Will, June 7, 2017
    7 min read
    Education How Teachers' Stress Affects Students: A Research Roundup
    High stress levels among teachers can harm their students' academic achievement, new research shows.
    Sarah D. Sparks, June 7, 2017
    4 min read
    Teacher Perry Hollins listens to one of his students talk about how he works through emotional situations in his life. Hollins, a 4th-grade teacher at Oakton Elementary School in Evanston, Ill., teaches his students social-emotional competence by helping them learn to redirect feelings of injustice toward positive actions. Also pictured are students Jace Meeks, left, and Iman Bell —Alyssa Schukar for Education Week
    Teacher Perry Hollins listens to one of his students talk about how he works through emotional situations in his life. Hollins, a 4th-grade teacher at Oakton Elementary School in Evanston, Ill., teaches his students social-emotional competence by helping them learn to redirect feelings of injustice toward positive actions. Also pictured are students Jace Meeks, left, and Iman Bell <br/>—Alyssa Schukar for Education Week
    Education Harnessing Student Emotions in Service of a Cause
    Some teachers are incorporating social-emotional learning into their everyday lessons to prepare students for civic engagement and promote social justice.
    Brenda Iasevoli, June 7, 2017
    6 min read
    —Ryan Lash
    —Ryan Lash
    Education Opinion 'Is Social-Emotional Learning Really Going to Work for Students of Color?'
    There is an urgency to expand the definition and practices of social-emotional learning in order to create equitable school environments for students of color, Dena Simmons writes.
    Dena Simmons, June 7, 2017
    8 min read
    Education Opinion Happiness Before Homework: Focusing on Feelings in the Classroom
    Cultivate a classroom culture that fosters productivity and resilience in the face of internal struggles, writes Ronen Habib. Students and teachers alike must invest in self-care to deepen learning and to make strides in personal growth.
    Ronen Habib, June 7, 2017
    6 min read
    Teaching Profession Opinion The Life Lesson a Teacher of the Year Learned in Rehab
    After suffering from burnout, Justin Ashley learned the keys to happiness and to becoming a better, more emotionally balanced teacher.
    Justin Ashley, June 7, 2017
    7 min read
Coverage of social and emotional learning is supported in part by a grant from the NoVo Foundation. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.