PowerMyLearning, a K-12 nonprofit that unleashes the power of collaboration between families, teachers, and students, today shared research findings from its program “Nurture Student Growth Through Social Emotional Learning (SEL)” at Jeanne R. Meadows Elementary School (“Meadows”). Research shows that integrating SEL practices into school instruction can accelerate reading and math scores and improve student behavior. students and SEL skills such as self-efficacy.
At the start of the 2021-2022 school year, management and staff at Meadows, a Title I school that is part of the Franklin-McKinley School District in San Jose, California, were acutely aware of the impact of the pandemic. , the economic downturn, as well as political and racial unrest on student learning and mental health.
Customize Skills
After a year of distance learning, Meadows management sought an evidence-based approach that addressed three priority areas:
- Strengthen the capacity of teachers to meet the academic and socio-emotional needs of students.
- Improve student behavior and SEL skills.
- Strengthen relationships with families.
PowerMyLearning partnered with Meadows to implement an SEL intervention that included professional development workshops and small group coaching sessions for teachers as well as workshops for families focused on their own well-being and that of their children.
With support from PowerMyLearning, Meadows effectively addressed all three focus areas and accelerated reading and math results. An impact study showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of students who exceeded or met district benchmarks before and after the SEL program for Star Reading (+13%; p<.001 and star math p=".03).
More from the program
- Strengthening the capacity of teachers: Through flexible, small-scale professional development, teachers became significantly more confident in supporting students’ SEL skills, including self-efficacy (+11%; p<.10 sense of belonging p and security>
- Improved student behavior and SEL skills: By integrating SEL into the curriculum, students became better equipped to manage their emotions and developed key skills to support their learning. Students had significantly better self-efficacy (+12%; p
- Stronger relationships with families: Meadows has succeeded in strengthening relationships between students, teachers and families. The SEL program significantly improved teacher-family relations (+13%; p<.01 and school climate p=".03).
“The results of our work with PowerMyLearning have far exceeded our expectations,” said Magdalena Moore, director of Meadows. “We received workshops on trauma-based practices, transforming discipline into learning opportunities, and mindfulness. These topics were perfect for what we needed coming back from a year of distance learning. in a way that reconnected children. As the study shows, rebuilding our community created an atmosphere in which our students felt empowered to succeed academically.”
A program for students and teachers
“We are thrilled to see these results, given the huge need for learning recovery and SEL support across the country,” said Elisabeth Stock, CEO and co-founder of PowerMyLearning. “Our program has helped teachers integrate SEL into their teaching so that it doesn’t feel like ‘one more thing’ and that students’ SEL gains can directly benefit their learning recovery. We commend the community for Meadows for its success.
Funding for the implementation of PowerMyLearning’s SEL program at Meadows was provided by the Lowenstein Foundation.
PowerMyLearning is a national nonprofit education organization that unleashes the power of collaboration among families, educators, and students to advance equity in education and accelerate social-emotional learning and academic achievement . The organization’s “Learning Relationships Triangle” approach focuses on activating the exponential power that occurs when the trio of students, teachers, and families collaborate on the same learning goals, transforming poor results into exceptional results in all school communities. Through meaningful, evidence-based programs, PowerMyLearning empowers K-12 communities to thrive.
Featured Image: kotoffei, iStock.
