Supporting the Out-of-School Time Workforce in Fostering Intentional Social and Emotional Learning
Abstract
Extensive research demonstrates that a qualified workforce is essential to out-of-school time program quality, which, in turn, is essential for positive youth development. Recently, the in- and out-of-school fields have witnessed an increase in attention to social and emotional learning practices and programs, yet less is known about how to support the adults who are engaged in the social and emotional learning process. A first step in supporting this workforce is to build the collective knowledge around what social and emotional learning is and what the practices are that support social and emotional development. We also believe there is a need to identify and describe the connection between what has been and what could be—that is, connecting youth development as a foundation for intentional social and emotional learning. We reviewed a selection of widely disseminated, research-based, practitioner-focused resources to identify the specific practices that promote social and emotional learning. This process elevated a set of 8 practices, which we delineated into 2 categories: foundational organizational practices and programmatic practices that support social and emotional development. In addition, we completed a comprehensive crosswalk of those practices with seminal youth development and out-of-school time resources to demonstrate the alignment and progression from youth development to social and emotional learning. This article describes the 8 social and emotional learning practices and highlights connections to foundational youth development practices. We conclude with a set of recommendations for the field leaders who must continue to support the workforce.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
American Institutes for Research. (2015). Social and emotional learning practices: A self-reflection tool for afterschool staff. Chicago, IL: Author. http://www.air.org/resource/social-and-emotional-learning-practices-self-reflection-tool-afterschool-staff
American Institutes for Research. (2017). 50 state afterschool network: Scan of quality systems. Chicago, IL: Author. https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/SAN%20Scan%20of%20Quality_OCTOBER%202017%20Update.pdf
American Institutes for Research. (2019). Ready to assess. Chicago, IL: Author. https://www.air.org/resource/are-you-ready-assess-social-and-emotional-learning-and-development-second-edition
Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, & Academic Development. (2018). From a nation at risk to a nation at hope: Recommendations from the national commission on social, emotional, & academic development. http://nationathope.org/wp-content/uploads/2018_aspen_final-report_full_webversion.pdf
Beyond the Bell. (2015). Social and emotional learning practices: A self-reflection tool for afterschool staff. Chicago: American Institutes for Research. https://www.air.org/resource/social-and-emotional-learning-practices-self-reflection-tool-afterschool-staff
Berg, J., Osher, D., Same, M. R., Nolan, E., Benson, D., & Jacobs, N. (2017). Identifying, defining, and measuring social and emotional competencies. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/Identifying-Defining-and-Measuring-Social-and-Emotional-Competencies-December-2017-rev.pdf
Blyth, D. A. (2018). The challenges of blending youth development and social and emotional learning: Getting more intentional about how competencies are both caught and taught in out-of-school time. In E. Devaney & D. A. Moroney (Eds.), Social and emotional learning in out-of-school time: Foundations and futures (pp. 15-34). Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
Blyth, D., Olson, B., & Walker, K. (2017). Intentional practices to support social and emotional learning. Saint Paul: University of Minnesota Extension. https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/195178/issue-brief-intentional-practices-to-support-sel.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Cole, P. (2011). Building an afterschool workforce: Regulations and beyond. Afterschool Matters, 13, 12-21. https://www.niost.org/pdf/afterschoolmatters/asm_2011_13_spring/asm_2011_13_spring-2.pdf
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (n.d.) Social and Emotional Learning. https://casel.org/overview-sel/
David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality. (2016a). Preparing youth to thrive: Assessing SEL curriculum design. Ypsilanti, MI: Author. Retrieved from www.selpractices.org
David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality. (2016b). Preparing youth to thrive: Assessing SEL practices. Ypsilanti, MI: Author. Retrieved from www.selpractices.org
DePaoli, J. L., Atwell, M. N., & Bridgeland, J. (2017). Ready to lead: A national principal survey on how social and emotional learning can prepare children and transform schools. Chicago, IL: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. http://www.casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/ReadyToLead_FINAL.pdf
Devaney E., & Moroney D. A. (Eds., 2018). Social and emotional learning in out-of-school time: Foundations and futures. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
Durlak, J. A., & Weissberg, R. P. (2007). The impact of after-school programs that promote personal and social skills. Chicago, IL: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., & Pachan, M. (2010). A meta-analysis of after-school programs that seek to promote personal and social skills in children and adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45, 294–309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-010-9300-6
Dusenbury, L., Dermody, C., & Weissberg, R. (September 2018). State scorecard scan. Chicago, IL: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. https://casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/csi-scorecard-sept2018.pdf
Eccles, J., & Gootman, J. A. (Eds.). (2002). Community programs to promote youth development. Institute of Medicine; National Research Council; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Committee on Community-Level Programs for Youth. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Every Hour Counts. (2014). Every hour counts measurement framework: How to measure success in expanded learning systems. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b199ed585ede1153ef29e8a/t/5b19a09e2b6a28c655798a25/1528406174521/Every+Hour+Counts+Measurement+Framework.pdf
Hurd, N., & Deutsch, N. (2017). SEL-focused after-school programs. The Future of Children, 27(1), 95-115.
Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M.T. (2009). The prosocial classroom: Teacher social and emotional competence in relation to student and classroom outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 79, 491-525. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308325693
Jones, S.M., Barnes, S.P., Bailey, R., & Doolittle, E.J. (2017). Promoting social and emotional competencies in elementary school. The Future of Children, 27(1), 49-72.
Jones, S.M., Brush, K., Bailey, R., Brion-Meisels, G., McIntyre, J., Kahn, J., et al. (2017). Navigating SEL from the inside out: Looking inside and across 25 leading SEL programs, a practical resource for schools and OST providers. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of Education. http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Documents/Navigating-Social-and-Emotional-Learning-from-the-Inside-Out.pdf
Jones, S., & Doolittle, E. (2017). Social and emotional learning: Introducing the issue. The Future of Children, 27(1), 3-11.
Kataoka, S., & Vandell, D. L. (2013). Quality of afterschool activities and relative change in adolescent functioning over two years. Applied Developmental Psychology, 17(3), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2013.804375
Mahoney, J. L., & Warner, G. (2014). Issue editors’ notes. New Directions for Youth Development, 2014(144), 1-10.
McElvain, C., Moroney, D., Devaney, E., Singer, J., & Newman, J. (2014). Beyond the bell: A toolkit for creating effective afterschool and expanded learning programs (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research.
McCombs, J., Whitaker, A., & Yoo, P. (2017). The value of out-of-school time programs. Santa Monica, CA: RAND. https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Documents/The-Value-of-Out-of-School-Time-Programs.pdf
MHA Labs. (2017). MHA Labs practice guide. Available from http://mhalabs.org/skill-building-practice/
Moroney, D. A. (2016). The readiness of the out-of-school time workforce to intentionally support participants’ social and emotional development: A review of the literature and future directions. Washington, DC: National Academies of Sciences.
Moroney, D. A. & Devaney, E. (2017). Ready to implement? How the out-of-school time workforce can support character development through social and emotional learning: A review of the literature and future directions. Journal of Character Education, 13(1), 67-89.
Moroney, D., Singer, J., & Newman, J. (2016, March) The power of SEL. Meeting presentation at the National AfterSchool Association Convention 2016, Orlando, FL.
National AfterSchool Association. (2011). Core knowledge and competencies for afterschool and youth development professionals. Oakton, VA: Author.
Nee, J., Howe, P., Schmidt, C., & Cole, P. (2006). Understanding the afterschool workforce: Opportunities and challenges for an emerging profession. Houston, TX: National Afterschool Association for Cornerstones for Kids.
Newman, J., Dymnicki, A., Fergus, E., Weissberg, R., & Osher, D. (2018). Social and emotional learning matters. In D. Osher, D.A. Moroney, & S. Williamson (Eds.), Creating safe, equitable, engaging schools: A comprehensive, evidence-based approach to supporting students (pp. 213-222). Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Education Press.
Partnership for Children and Youth. (2017). Finding common ground: Connecting social-emotional learning during and beyond the school day. Oakland: Author. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59f76b95268b96985343bb62/t/59fca05be4966b2021139966/1509728349225/Finding-Common-Ground_Connecting-SEL-to-K12-and-ELT.pdf
Schonert-Reichl, K. (2017). Social and emotional learning and teachers. The Future of Children, 27(1), 137-155.
Shernoff, D. J. (2013). Advancing responsible adolescent development. Optimal learning environments to promote student engagement. New York, NY: Springer. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-1-4614-7089-2.pdf
Smith, C., Akiva, T., Sugar, S. A., Lo, Y.-J., Frank, K. A., Peck, S. C., & Cortina, K. (2012). Continuous quality improvement in afterschool settings: Impact findings from the youth program quality intervention study. Ypsilanti, MI: Forum for Youth Investment.
Starr, E., & Gannett, E. (2017). The state of professional development: Past, present, and future. In H. Malone & T. Donahue (Eds.), The Growing Out-of-School Time Field: Past, Present, and Future (195-210). Information Age.
Stone, B., Garza, P., & Borden, L. (2004). Wingspread Conference Proceedings: Attracting, developing, and retaining youth workers for the next generation. https://cyfar.org/sites/default/files/Stone%202004.pdf
Vandell, D. L., & Lao, J. (2016). Building and retaining high quality professional staff for extended education programs. International Journal for Research on Extended Education, 4, 52-64. https://doi.org/10.3224/ijree.v4i1.24775
Vandell, D. L., Larson, R. W., Mahoney, J. L., & Watts, T. W. (2015). Children’s organized activities. In M. H. Bornstein and T. Leventhal (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology and developmental science, Volume 4: Ecological settings and processes in developmental systems (7th ed., pp. 305-344). Editor-in-chief: R. M. Lerner. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Vandell, D., Reisner, E. R., & Pierce, K. (2007). Outcomes linked to high-quality afterschool programs: Longitudinal findings from the study of promising afterschool programs. Irvine: University of California, & Washington, DC: Policy Studies Associates.
Walker, K., Olson, B., & Herman, M. (2017). Social and emotional learning in practice: A toolkit of practical strategies and resources. Saint Paul: University of Minnesota Extension. Available at https://extension.umn.edu/what-youth-development/sel-toolkit
Warner, G., Ham, H., & Fenton, M. (2017). Core competencies for the OST field. In H. Malone & T. Donahue (Eds.), The growing out-of-school time field: Past, present, and future (pp. 103-113). Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
Yeager, D.S. (2017). Social and emotional learning programs for adolescents. The Future of Children, 27(1), 73-94.
Yohalem, N. & Wilson-Ahlstrom, A., with Fischer, S. & Shinn, M. (2009, January). Measuring youth program quality: A guide to assessment tools (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: The Forum for Youth Investment.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5195/jyd.2020.807
Copyright (c) 2020 Jessica Zadrazil Newman

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.