3 minute read
Aligning Anti-Bias and Social-Emotional Learning
BY EARLEEN KENNEDY, SCHOOL COUNSELOR AND COMMUNITY LIAISON FOR DEI, AND JANET LEE, DIRECTOR OF EQUITY, CURRICULUM, AND INSTRUCTION
As a faculty, in our mission to cultivate belonging at Curtis School, we have been working to integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) with anti-bias work. Our Social-Emotional Learning program follows our school’s mission and seeks to develop, in every child:
a sound mind (self-efficacy). Students develop skills to demonstrate emotional ownership and to believe in their ability to succeed.
in a sound body (self-regulation). Students learn to exhibit, recognize, and understand the impact of feelings on the body and find appropriate ways to express their feelings/emotions.
governed by a compassionate heart (action & kindness). Students show respect and concern for the feelings of others and embrace others with kindness. Students link their identity and how they “show up” in the world to the impact of their actions on other people.
Dr. Dena Simmons, the founder of LiberatED, a collective focused on developing school-based resources at the intersection of social and emotional learning, racial justice, and healing, writes, “There is an urgency to expand the definition and practices of social-emotional learning to ensure that we serve all students more effectively and equitably. To do so, we must teach and create socialemotional learning content within an equity literacy lens.”1 She makes three recommendations for schools:
To collect data and devise action plans from their own listening tours about what belonging means for their school communities;
To check in often with students through surveys and one-on-one conversations to ensure that the school is meeting their needs; and
To take inventory of their curricula, pedagogy, and policies to ensure they prioritize student safety and belonging.
There is an urgency to expand the definition and practices of social-emotional learning to ensure that we serve all students more effectively and equitably.
We continue to follow these recommendations as we structure and evaluate our efforts to teach and create SEL content. For the last three years, we have collected data through our Pulse Survey on Belonging and analyzed the results to determine new action steps. For example, in response to survey feedback, in some grade levels, we have been increasing conversations around body diversity and body positivity. In addition, the thrust of our Social-Emotional Learning Task Force has been to align SEL and anti-bias lessons and learning opportunities that include regular “emotion check-ins” with students.
In the area of taking inventory, several years ago we embarked on a curriculum audit, looking at the types of books and materials we present to our students that include both reflections of the people in our community and avenues to learn about diverse perspectives. The inventory of our curricula, pedagogy, and policies is an ongoing effort. We have trained our teachers and staff to consider equity implications in decision-making in all aspects of our educational programs as a community. Examining our existing practices and evolving our Anti-Bias and Social-Emotional Learning programs are ongoing efforts in our mission to ensure and foster safe, nurturing, and productive spaces for all our students.
¹Simmons, D. (2017, June 7). ’Is social-emotional learning really going to work for students of color?’ Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/education/opinion-is-social-emotional-learning-really-going-to-work-for-students-of-color/2017/06.
