By Nova Biro, SEL4MA
The National Governors Association (NGA) hosted a cross-state Learning Collaborative on the topic of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) on October 21 and 22 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Three representatives from the SEL4US network were among the presenters: David Adams from SEL for New York, Sarah Butcher from SEL for Washington, and Deborah Donahue-Keegan from SEL for Massachusetts.
The convening brought together 15 governors offices and 40 state officials and featured speakers and discussion related to the relationship between SEL and workforce readiness, school climate and safety, measuring SEL student outcomes, promoting an SEL-ready teacher workforce, advancing equity through SEL, applying SEL lessons from early childhood education to K-12, and communicating SEL with various stakeholders.
David Adams helped open the event with an interactive activity showcasing and defining SEL skills.
Sarah Butcher and Deborah Donahue-Keegan both presented on a “Teacher Preparation and Development” panel that explored best practices for embedding SEL into educator preparation and professional learning, as levers that governors can use to strengthen educator practice in this area.
The convening’s overall approach involved presenting research and best practices for SEL from many different angles, including: professional development and training, adult social-emotional competency, student voice and perspectives, school climate and safety, workforce readiness and development, school discipline, equity, and data-informed instruction. In addition, the convening covered implementation considerations such cross-agency collaboration and engaging key partners. View the full agenda and event resources at Improving Workforce Readiness Through Social-Emotional Skills And School Climate.
NGA plans to continue engaging its constituents around SEL, so we look forward to seeing more great learning and partnership opportunities!
