Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) mandates that states measure at least one nonacademic indicator of school success. This could be school climate, how safe students feel at school, the prevalence of fights, suicidal thoughts, or other measures. SEL (social emotional learning) might not be core content, but it's the core of all content. New research indicates that school-based interventions to promote social and emotional skills have large--and long-term--positive impacts: an average of $11 for every dollar invested, according to an analysis by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Another study finds that when SEL skills increase, there is more classroom time for academics, and students achieve more. Panelists share some data on social emotional learning, ideas of how to measure it, where to place it in the curriculum, and how technology is a contributor in this area. In addition, ideas for funding it will be discussed. For those who may be unfamiliar with this area, some background from organizations such as CASEL, Edutopia, and The Wallace Foundation is provided. Digital tools can be part of the assessment, the instruction, monitoring, and more. (Presenter(s): Rita Oates, Oates Associates, and Cynthia Waltman, Plymouth State University, and Wendy Weiler, Weiler Associates LLC)