Findings from our 2018 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Data Lab
SSN's shared SEL measurement helps members learn from each other
Student Success Network creates, grows and fuels a community of nonprofits committed to every student reaching their full potential. To this end, members work together toward common goals, using data to drive improvement. In the SEL realm, SSN partners with the Research Alliance for New York City Schools at NYU to answer two questions: (1) Which SEL competencies move the needle on academic outcomes? (2) What can programs do to improve their students’ social and emotional learning? Research Alliance uses NYC Department of Education data in conjunction with SSN’s SEL survey data to answer the first question. To answer the second question, Research Alliance conducts a positive deviant analysis using network-wide survey data to identify 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.
SEL improvement affects academic and attendance outcomes
SSN found that high school students who improved in self-regulation also improved their GPA. Similarly, middle school students who improved in growth mindset improved ELA and math scores. While this is consistent with other research in the field, SSN’s research partner, Research Alliance for New York City Schools at NYU, announced one finding that is new: An increased sense of belonging among SSN’s overage, under-credited students has a strong relationship with improved attendance. These findings provide some insight for teachers and youth workers in selecting which SEL competencies to focus on with their students.
"Bright Spot" sites have a greater positive effect on youth SEL
At our SEL Data Lab, several leaders of “Bright Spot” sites-- sites where youth showed exceptional SEL growth compared to sites with similar students-- shared their practices, including:
Colin Murfree and Micah Finkelman of City Squash cited their YouTube Challenge for increasing growth mindset among middle schoolers. City Squash gives students 7 weeks to choose and demonstrate mastery of a new skill learned from YouTube videos.
Jamel Davis, Joseph Satoo and Michelle Duran of YMCA Prospect Park Leaders Club attribute growth in students’ interpersonal skills and sense of belonging to their group meeting model where older students play leadership roles in setting the agenda and encouraging all students to share insights and advice.
Christina Jean-Louis, Shelly Strothers and Morgan Little credit Sadie Nash Leadership Project’s Community Guideline Process with their participants’ growth in interpersonal skills. The process creates a space where young people and adult facilitators openly explore their lived experiences and social issues. Participants feel their different perspectives are valued and learn how to be with others in community.
Explore more of our Bright Spot sites' Promising Practices -- those they hypothesize lead to their positive effect on youth SEL-- and the underlying conditions they emphasize are necessary for practices to be effective on our blog.
Explore our Network SEL Survey Data
This spring, the SSN data team created multiple, overlapping categories that group member programs by the services that programs provide, the populations they serve, and program size. Learn more about our effort here.Curious about our member programs? Highlight groups to see how the change between the pre- and post-SEL survey results of programs within that group compare to the network. Watch how the average line shifts as you highlight different groups of programs.
What do you notice about different groups?
Are there any trends you think you can explain?
Are these categories defined clearly? Are they important for understanding youth program types? Would you add or remove any categories?
Was anything surprising?
What trends would you like to explore further?
Learn more about our SEL survey measures and questions here. If you are a member of the network and would like to know your program ID, reach out to Kavya Beheraj at kavya@ssn-nyc.org.