Social/Emotional Learning Model Helps Students Develop a Sense of Purpose and Belonging

As parents living in Scarsdale, one can easily assume we all value a quality education and want our children to flourish at school and in life. But “flourishing” in such a rapidly changing world often encompasses much more than good grades and top test scores. In fact, when colleges and companies are reviewing applicants, they often tend to look for far more than just a stellar GPA, and instead want to see qualities such as: critical thinking, the ability to collaborate and work well with teams, flexibility, a willingness to learn, problem solving skills, communication skills, and much more.

The Scarsdale School District is well-known for carefully working to develop the “whole” child and in this vein it has developed a “Profile of an SHS Graduate” that outlines similar qualities to those named above. It has long been the District’s hope that upon graduation, each student will embody these characteristics to ensure that they are prepared for college, the workforce, and the world beyond our small community:

In addition to making sure students engage in first-rate, core academic learning, an integral element of this Profile of a Graduate is the District’s work on Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) and “Belonging”.

According to Edgar McIntosh, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, “There is sometimes a misconception that Social/Emotional Learning (SEL), is just about feeling good, when in actuality it is about so much more. The results are in and conclusive, students thrive (not only socially, but also academically) when they feel a sense of purpose and belonging, and that they matter in a community.” Simply put, the Responsive Clasroom model is about understanding that all of children's needs—academic, social, emotional, and physical—are important. The teacher creates an environment that responds to all of those needs so that your child can do his or her best learning.

As Dr. Drew Patrick once said in a BOE meeting, these are the fundamental building blocks which enable students to fully attend to their learning.

In a recent conversation, Dr. McIntosh added, “The concept of creating inclusive spaces that acknowledge the importance of belonging, mindset, and risk-taking is not new in Scarsdale. Our teachers take part in purposeful STI courses and are guided by research-supported frameworks like PERMA, Habits of Mind, and CASEL which have been studied and shown to meaningfully impact teachers' practice. Also, secondary structures such as Keystone, the HS tutorial model, the Freshman Seminar, and Civ Ed acknowledge the key role well-being and belonging play in student learning and success. The recent Belonging Survey energized and informed this work.”

In addition to these important frameworks, over the last few years the District has begun to engage teachers in Responsive Classroom (RC) training which, according to their website, “is an evidence-based approach to teaching and discipline that focuses on engaging academics, positive community, effective management, and developmental awareness. Our professional development, books and resources help elementary and middle school educators to create safe, joyful, and engaging classrooms and school communities where students develop strong social and academic skills and every student can thrive.”

Also according to their website, “Independent research has found that the Responsive Classroom approach is associated with higher academic achievement, improved teacher-student interactions, and higher quality instruction.”

When asked, Dr. McIntosh explained that the District chose the Responsive Classroom framework because they “were looking for an approach rather than a set of prescribed activities or set of lessons. To have the best impact, we were looking for a set of guiding core beliefs and a set of strategies and structures that attend holistically to students' social, emotional, and academic needs.”

Importantly, the Responsive Classroom isn’t a set of activities that need to be added into the school day, but rather a foundation which fosters a consistent approach to SEL and provides a common language, tools, and strategies for teachers to employ at each of our seven schools. McIntosh further clarified that RC is not something in addition to core academic learning, but rather a set of tools and strategies that are interwoven throughout all instruction and learning. He related that the District’s new math curriculum already has some SEL components built into the math practices that recognizes individuality, gives students voice, and encourages them to take risks.

McIntosh also noted that, “While the RC training has been open to all educators, the focus of the training has been at the elementary. There is a range of formal training with Responsive Classroom (Introductory, Advanced, and two teacher leaders in the process of becoming RC trainers). So far, the formal training has happened during non-school hours through the STI (Scarsdale Teacher Institute) in partnership with the District. We are in our third year of offering the training (Summer and weekend) and have had full classes at all levels. Informal sharing, modeling, and application have also happened at faculty meetings, grade-level meetings, and during summer program improvement planning sessions. In a positive way, the opt-in training is making its way through our educators across the elementary level.”

He went on to explain that as teachers experience real-world success employing RC strategies, their powerful, positive outcomes motivate other teachers to take part in workshops and training as well. Adding, “There is growing excitement as teachers engage in the work across all schools. As we approach critical mass, we will provide assured opportunities for all educators to experience the vocabulary, structures, and core values of RC.”

In all, studies prove that students only truly thrive if they feel like they belong, like they matter, and that they are essential members of the community. To see what Responsive Classroom might look like in a classroom, please click here.

The Scarsdale School district has long worked to create this sort of environment where in turn, students feel safe to be critical thinkers, to take risks, to challenge themselves and much more, all while celebrating differences and recognizing the various strengths of each student. For more information about Responsive Classroom and how it supports the District’s mission and the Profile of an SHS Graduate, please click here.