Moving from Trendy to Transformative Social-Emotional Learning

Description: PreK-12 schools across the United States are adopting social and emotional learning (SEL) programs for both students and educators. However, most of these schools are adopting non-contextualized, trendy, and traditional SEL programs, in which students and educators are conditioned to apply certain knowledge and skills that speak to only a small subset of students rather than utilizing authentic, equity-driven SEL models. As such, SEL programming must be transformed and sustained to reflect new and shifting identities of both students and educators, like the expanding ability, cultural, gender, linguistic, race, religion, and socioeconomic formations and their intersections, as well as tensions within predominantly white institutions.

Moving from Trendy to Transformative Social-Emotional Learning presents a diverse collection of chapters that discuss authentic and contextualized equity and justice models that are focused on the possibilities of transformative SEL programming. The book's primary focus is on innovative and creative methodologies and practices that aspiring and practicing educators can use right away. Because the editors and contributors are former or current PreK-12 practitioners and/or educational scholars, this book is written for a broad educational audience. Directed to both preservice and practicing teachers across PreK-12 grade levels, school types, and geographic regions looking to improve their practice, the text provides entry points for transforming the SEL landscape in favor of liberatory, justice-based, and equitable practices. Additionally, this book is ideal for teacher and administrator preparation programs, as well as PreK-12 professional development, because it guides readers through theoretical and empirical discussions, punctuated by hands-on applications that enable real-time application, and concludes with interactive features, including case studies, extension activities, and discussion prompts.

Specific topics include enacting culturally-relevant SEL; addressing youth mental health through cultivating authentic belonging and mindfulness in classrooms; equitable SEL curricular and pedagogical practices; developing adult SEL; culturally-grounded identity development, ensuring safe environments for building identity and relationships; and SEL in teacher education and mentorship.

Perfect for courses such as: Introduction to Educating For Equity And Social Justice; Introduction to Cultivating Culturally Responsive Classrooms; Foundations of Classroom Management; Introduction to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Schools; Principles of Professional Collaboration In Education; Introduction To School Improvement, Introduction to Teacher Leadership And School Improvement; Introduction to Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment; Principles of Building Classroom Communities; Principles of Teaching Diverse Learners; Principles of Youth Voices in Education

Brief description: Linsay DeMartino, Ph.D. (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Educational Leadership & Innovation housed within Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. Her research considers equitable advancements in educational spaces, with an emphasis on the transformative possibilities and opportunities within justice-based educational communities. Prior to her role as a scholar-practitioner, Dr. DeMartino served as a special education teacher, inclusion specialist, special education department chair, and instructional data and intervention coordinator. She was honored to be mentored as a preservice and early career teacher by a veteran Mexican-American Studies (MAS) educator in Tucson Unified School District. The opportunity to co-teach in the Social Justice Education Project (SJEP) was a life-changing experience for her. The educators, students, and families affiliated with the MAS program educated her, whereas the university schooled her. She will be forever grateful for the gifts of knowledge, activism, and fierce love. Dr. DeMartino currently resides in the shadow of Tonto National Forest with her perfectly imperfect pup, Lorca.

Review Quotes: "This collection is ideal for new and practicing educators. The contributing chapters take readers through the process of identifying practices for the adoption of transformative social and emotional learning that are unique to traditional school practices. Through this critical guidance, educators are taken on a journey of sociocultural and justice-based best practices that center authentic, equity-focused social and emotional learning to support the entire school community rather than a select few. This collection contributes sustainable, research-based frameworks that promote equity and justice in schools. It is a must-read for transformative-minded educators."----Dr. DeAnne J. Tucker-White, Administrator, The Elise Ford Allen Academy, Peoria Public Schools