14 Promising Practices for Improving Youth Social-Emotional Learning
5 years ago, 15 NYC nonprofit leaders had an idea: What if we all measured student social-emotional learning (SEL) the same way? Could we then look at results across all our program sites, identify who is moving the needle and learn from practitioners at those sites? This was the start of the Student Success Network (SSN), which today has 60 member organizations serving middle school, high school, and opportunity youth at 200 sites across NYC. The Research Alliance for NYC Schools at NYU used 2017-18 Student Success Network Survey data to identify 18 Bright Spot Sites -- member sites that had a stronger positive effect on youth SEL compared to other sites serving similar youth. SSN staff and youth interviewed practitioners at Bright Spot sites; participants in each interview collaboratively documented promising practices to share across the network.
Themes
Bright Spot practitioners are very clear that practices alone are not the answer. They emphasize the importance of creating underlying conditions that foster effective practices:
A Culture of Care - Staff prioritize relationships among themselves and youth to build trust and community, resulting in a safe space where staff and youth can talk frankly, set goals and come up with plans to move forward.
Inclusive Decision-Making- Staff seek out and incorporate youth feedback in program decisions, including hiring, curriculum planning, and policy changes. All levels of staff and students feel empowered to share new ideas to improve programming.
Personalized Attention to Individual Student Goals - Staff prioritize understanding individual student strengths, challenges, and goals, and staff support students in using their strengths to address challenges in meeting goals.
Nicole Rodriguez of Phipps Neighborhoods shares her Promising Practice with SSN members.
2017-18 Promising Practices
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Practices for Middle School Youth
Urban Assembly Unison Nadia K Selby Self-Advocacy
Youth Advocating for Club Choice
Citizen Schools students apply to participate in multiple extracurricular activities throughout the year, and the rigorous selection process requires students to justify and advocate for their top choices. Applications improved over the year, as did students’ Self-Advocacy responses on the SSN SEL Survey.
Over the course of 7 weeks, students are tasked with choosing and learning a new skill from a list of possible choices on YouTube. Each student demonstrated an increased understanding of Growth Mindset and more than 75% of the class demonstrated mastery of the skill. 7th Grade (Harlem) L’Toya Jones, Krystal Bostick, Bill Mitchell Academic Self-Efficacy
To maintain a strong college-going culture, HEAF staff hold monthly Roster Reviews, focused on student social-emotional and academic development. Meetings are informed by relationships staff build with students, as well as academic and program data. Staff create plans that ensure student well-being and success. Students in the 7th grade Harlem cohort benefited from reviews, increasing in academic self-efficacy on the SSN Survey. PS 149 (Boys) Richie Hurley, Joel Censer Growth Mindset
Short-Term Goal Setting… On and Off the Field
PS 149 students reviewed progress reports and set weekly challenges with the Program Director to support academic growth. Staff leverage strong relationships to set goals and create action plans with students. Students improved in growth mindset and academic results.
Using a Coach-Mentor Model to Inform “Kid Talks”
Soccer coaches acting as mentors attend weekly “Kid Talks” meetings with staff, where they speak about each student-athlete on their roster, prioritizing academics, athletics, personal growth. Kid Talks help soccer teams build stronger bonds with each other and staff.
Mood Meter
**In Progress**
To ensure that “all kids are included and no kids are left out”, staff use a Mood Meter — a check-in system that provides space for students to share how they are feeling throughout programming. Students demonstrated growth in belonging and increased interest in participating in additional programming.
Practices for High School Youth
Alumni Student Panels
9th graders often enter CPEHS feeling unsure about how to envision and achieve their future. CPEHS aims to maximize positive peer-to-peer contact; one way is through panels between alumni and current students. Students see how students with a similar academic profile can succeed, and learn growth mindset language. Graduates from CPEHS have high levels of college persistence.
Student Ownership of Program
GWS staff elevate their student leadership cohort by allowing them to share responsibility and ownership of program design and implementation, including but not limited to staff hiring decisions. This creates a culture of inclusivity and “holistic learning,” and reinforces participants’ sense of belonging. GWS students improved in academic behaviors and self-efficacy as well as belonging on the SSN Survey.
Personal Journey Modeling
**In Progress**
OneGoal recognizes that a difficult component of the college application process is writing a personal statement. Facilitators share their personal journeys to build trust and model a reflective process. By the end of the year, students improved their interpersonal skills and all students drafted a personal statement.
Prioritizing Student Choice and Voice in Lesson Plans
Phipps staff created a curriculum that allows space for students to vote on the lesson they teach in after-school courses from among three different choices. Students buy in more when they are the “deciders.” As a result, students reported growth in belonging on the SSN Survey.
“How We Are Going to Create Community”
Through their community guideline process, the program strives to create a space where young people and adult facilitators can be their whole selves, be vulnerable, and openly explore their own lived experiences and social issues. Participants feel valued as individuals with different perspectives and learn how to be with one another in the community, leading to overall improvement in interpersonal skills on the SSN Survey.
Building Community and Confidence Through Experiential Learning
**In Progress**
SAYA! presents experiential learning opportunities for youth to step out of their comfort zone and try new things, building a feeling of community. These experiences allow students to build confidence and see their own growth as leaders. This led to growth mindset and belonging improving on the SSN Survey.
