Instructional Strategies that Promote Social, Emotional, and Academic Development

ISA’s social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD) project, supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, has engaged schools across the country in devising and adapting learning strategies for students to use to successfully complete challenging work. Click here for 12 classroom strategies that have proven effective in nurturing student agency, growth mindset, metacognition, perseverance, and academic success.

Guest Blog Post: How to Address the Burnout Epidemic Among K-12 Educators

In this guest blog post by Dr. Rebecca Branstetter of the Thriving Students Collective, she shares that burnout and educator turnover were here long before the pandemic. The pandemic just put gasoline on that fire. As she explains, most solutions focus on trying to fix what’s wrong with the school system by adding more to educators’ full plates. Dr. Branstetter wants to focus on what’s already strong in any school district by leveraging that asset: Its educators.

From the Education Trust: Fostering STEM Aspirations for Students of Color in Middle School

Recently, the Education Trust published a brief called Fostering STEM Aspirations for Students of Color in Middle School.

As the Education Trust wrote, “many students are told they are not a ‘math person,’ or a ‘science person’…and…Black and Latino students have long been denied access to advanced coursework, from elementary through high school. In particular, middle school students of color and students from low-income backgrounds are not being given equitable access to rigorous and empowering courses, including advanced Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) courses, which set students on college-ready pathways.”

In its brief, the Education Trust explains “the importance of giving middle schoolers access to STEM coursework as part of their social, emotional, and academic development, as well as gives five recommendations to state leaders so that they can ensure that all middle school students have access to high-quality, rigorous, relevant math and science courses, and that all schools have equitable policies in place for enrolling more Black and Latino students in advanced coursework.”

Another Blog Post: Unicorn in the Classroom: Instructional Strategies That Build Skills and Confidence

In her blog post, long-time NYC educator Janet Price writes, “what is the most productive focus for [teacher] professional development? Clearly, the way to go is to promote teaching and learning strategies that accomplish several important goals at the same time. Why not support  teachers’ mastery of strategies that facilitate content coverage and academic skill building while simultaneously increasing student engagement and nurturing their growth mindset? And what if the strategy can also help students get better at working and communicating with others?”