Supporting Social and Emotional Learning Across Washington
To address the impacts of COVID, departments at the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) have provided resources to help educators continue to implement high-quality, equity-focused, and culturally responsive education.
OSPI’s offices of Social Emotional Learning and Native Education focused on the Social Emotional Learning Professional Network and mitigating effects of intergenerational trauma. This included state-wide professional learning opportunities such as webinars, trainings, coaching, and convenings—adding to the resources already available.
Additionally, OSPI’s Elementary and Secondary Education content team focused on integrated content and evidence-based instructional strategies to address the state’s acknowledgement that “reengagement, recovery, and accelerated learning will require the rapid development and provision of integrated, learner centered, whole-child activities and instruction using social emotional learning, trauma-informed and culturally responsive pedagogical strategies integrated across content areas.” (Washington State ARP ESSER State Plan Approved p.63)
New Resources for Equity-Centered Social and Emotional Learning
The Elementary and Secondary Education content team partnered with American Institutes for Research (AIR), 2Ward Equity Consulting, and Education Northwest to develop asynchronous training modules, learning briefs, and instructional resources to integrate SEL across multiple content areas. Based on the brief, Instructional Practices that Integrate Equity-Centered Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning, these resources are designed to help educators understand and implement equity-centered social and emotional learning practices beyond a curricular program. OSPI will soon release the modules and resources on its Social Emotional Learning website.
For now, you can download one of the resources, developed by Education Northwest staff members along with a team of Native education leaders. This infographic, Incorporating Indigenous Practices to Support Social Emotional Learning, provides suggestions and resources for incorporating culturally responsive social and emotional learning into classrooms across Washington state. In addition to supporting the over 61,000 Washington students who identify as Native American and the 29 federally recognized Tribes in the state, this resource benefits all students by providing accurate information about Native students, families, and communities.
