
Handle With Care: Expanding and evaluating trauma supports for students
Now more than ever, many children and youth are exposed to potentially traumatic events, whether it be from community or school violence, natural disasters, or the sudden loss of a loved one ...

Which Kindergarteners are at Risk of Being Bullied and/or Becoming Bullies, and What Can Educators and Parents Do About It?
Bullying occurs when children experience unwanted and aggressive behavior from more powerful peers repeatedly over time ...

Supporting Youth in a Social Media Boom
The popularity of social media is widespread and continues to rise, especially among youth. According to a recent general advisory report released by the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, up to 95% of youth aged 13-17 regularly use at least one social media platform ...

Top 5 Myths About SEL and Exclusionary Discipline
CASEL defines social-emotional learning (SEL) as “…the process through which young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that help us to understand ourselves, connect with others, achieve our goals and support our communities” ...

Promises and Pitfalls of PBIS Part 3: Strategies for educators to reduce implicit bias when responding to challenging behaviors
We highlight strategies educators can use to reduce implicit bias when responding to challenging behaviors, which is one of the five key components to reduce disproportionality in school discipline when implementing a PBIS approach ...

5 Things that Everyone in Schools Should Know about Suicide Prevention (5 cosas que todos en las escuelas deberían saber acerca de la prevención del suicidio)
With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a significant increase in symptoms of mental health problems among school-aged youth. Most notably, the percentage of children with symptoms of depression and anxiety has become much larger ...

Why Participate in Research with SRI?
Since 2019, we’ve not only engaged with educators, community members, and mental health service providers to co-author blogs about their challenges and accomplishments on the ground, but we also compiled helpful resources from our colleagues to promote collective work in the field and across the country ...

How empowered do multilingual students with disabilities feel to make their own choices?
In a recent descriptive study of high school students who are multilingual learners (MLs) with disabilities, SRI researchers found that these students attribute fewer self-determination behaviors to themselves than MLs without disabilities or students who are not MLs ...

Promises and Pitfalls of PBIS Part 2: Engaging Students and Families in Equity-Focused PBIS
In this second post in this series, we will discuss how to elevate the voices of students and families – one aspect of implementing a positive behavior framework that is preventive, multi-tiered, and culturally responsive ...

Promises and pitfalls of PBIS Part 1: Importance of an equity-centered approach
Students who are Black, Latinx, and Native American are more likely than White students to be suspended or expelled – even when comparing consequences for the same infractions ...

Practice-Based Coaching on the Pyramid Model: “It builds you up and finds your strengths”
SRI Education researchers are conducting an evaluation of the Pyramid Model, a three-tiered framework that supports early childhood education (ECE) teachers in preschool classrooms. The main goals of the Pyramid Model are to support ECE teachers as key figures in promoting the social-emotional skills and competence of children with and ...

How can teachers build and enhance their students’ social-emotional skills?
One intervention, BEST in CLASS (Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Training: Competent Learners Achieving School Success), was specially designed to address young children’s persistent and intensive challenging behaviors ...

Missing the mark or moving the needle? Reflections on how to center equity in research
Issues of race are deeply ingrained in every facet of our history and society. As researchers, we strive to promote children’s development and opportunities to succeed both in and out of school, but our work is not immune from a legacy of racism ...

What a long, strange trip it’s been
Going back to the classroom this year will be tough. That’s why we're focusing on bringing you resources to help with recovery from all sorts of trauma ...

Reflecting on a year of distance learning as teachers plan for school reopening
After over a full year of school closures, several teachers and school administrators are busy preparing for the long-awaited return to in-person classes this fall. But while worries of student learning-loss, momentum, and social-emotional well-being remain at the forefront of parent and school administrators’ concerns, the significant impact that this ...

Free professional development opportunity: how to support students and educators dealing with trauma
Join us and REL Appalachia on August 16-17, 11:00am – 4:00pm EDT. Between the ongoing opioid crisis and all of the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted students and families, educators’ number one learning need for the 2021-2022 school year is supporting students experiencing trauma ...

Social-Emotional Learning Program Study: Tools for Getting Along
After a turbulent 2020-2021 school year, it is more important than ever that educators have feasible and effective options to support students’ foundational social-emotional skills. Prior studies have found that students who participate in social-emotional learning (SEL) programs improve their behavioral and academic functioning and reduce their challenging behaviors.1 When ...

How a researcher learns from practice
We know that research informs practice in education, but how does practice inform research? Dr. Michelle Woodbridge, one of our lead researchers, recently attended a webinar on supporting students impacted by racial stress and trauma. In our latest blog post, she shares her response to that learning experience (spoiler alert ...

How early childhood education providers can use COVID-19 relief funds to establish lasting mental health supports for staff and children
Did you know? The recent influx of federal COVID-19 relief funds provides an opportunity to fund early childhood educational mental health supports and services! State agency leaders and early childhood educators can use infant and early childhood mental health consultation (IECMHC) to meet children’s social and emotional needs during and ...

Strategies for engaging students in in-person, virtual, and hybrid instruction
As schools begin a post-pandemic transition, educators should consider how to strengthen the social, emotional, and behavioral supports for students. Three foundational components are important to keep at the forefront of efforts to support students, regardless of the learning environment ...

Celebrating how school social workers can help students Bounce Back even in virtual settings
We celebrated National School Social Worker week from March 7 - March 13, 2021 as part of Social Work Month. This school year provided unique challenges for school social workers (SSWs) as well as opportunities for innovation ...

Special educator reflections on distance learning during COVID-19
Due to COVID-19, educators have been tasked with finding new ways to continue teaching their students virtually with little time to prepare. In particular, since the start of the school closures, federal requirements for (IEP) compliance have changed ...

Overcoming the early childhood suspension & expulsion problem
If preschool is designed to set a foundation of learning for children, expose them to structure, and build social, emotional and behaviors skills, then what is happening to produce these alarming rates? ...

Strategies for communicating effectively with students across learning environments
This school year has presented many uncertainties for teachers as they continue to navigate virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning environments. Using clear and positive communication can build trusting and supportive teacher-student relationships, especially with students who experience behavioral challenges. But what exactly does effective educator-student communication look like, particularly in ...

How to boost wellness for high school students during distance learning
Spring 2020 school closures left teachers and district officials scrambling to restructure their classrooms with as few disruptions as possible. High school teachers faced the difficult task of trying to preserve their students’ motivation to finish strong and stay on track to graduate, despite the looming anxiety and uncertainty that ...

A lifeline of support: Arkansas’s innovative program to help early childhood educators support young children
Teaching preschool is simultaneously joyous and challenging. Students differ widely in their temperaments and their experience sharing space and resources with peers. Although many children adapt quickly to a group care environment, for others it can be challenging. Some early educators can access related professional development or external specialists that ...

It takes a community: How a community school can serve the whole child and family
In our work with schools, we often learn about innovative ways that educators and others can support students and their families. Our Student Behavior Research Team’s work with Project SECURE, funded by the National Institute of Justice, brought us to Hillcrest Elementary School, ...

Educator reflections on distance learning during COVID-19
We spoke with two teachers at the beginning of school closures and again at the end of the school year to learn about their adjustment to distance learning ...

5 things educators can do virtually to support students experiencing trauma
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we adapted strategies from the “Common trauma symptoms in students and helpful strategies for educators” handout to help educators address student’s social-emotional and mental health needs associated with trauma in virtual settings ...

Educating and speaking with children about racism
Our Student Behavior Blog team at SRI Education is deeply heartbroken and outraged by the racism, brutality, and hatred that plague Black children, families, and individuals, not only with regard to recent events, but with recognition that these are pervasive issues they face in every moment of their lives. Consistent ...

Food access for families with school-aged children during COVID-19
On a typical day, schools provide low- or no-cost lunch to 29.7 million children. As the COVID -19 pandemic stretches on and the unemployment rate continues to skyrocket, many families are finding it increasingly challenging to provide meals for their children. National food assistance programs, community food banks, and local school districts have ...

Maintaining wellness in crisis: Boosting children’s emotional health
Measures taken to address the spread of COVID-19, from precautionary social distancing to shelter-in-place orders, have dramatically impacted children and their families. In addition to navigating their own stress during a period of uncertainty and change, parents are faced with addressing the questions and concerns of their children, many of ...

Thinking about working with researchers at your school? See what one of our closest school partners has to say
Jennifer Donahue is a program administrator at the San Francisco Unified School District’s Student, Family and Community Support Department and has been a close partner of SRI’s Behavior Research team for many years. We recently interviewed Jennifer on what her experience has been and being involved in a researcher-practitioner partnership ...

Questions to ask before implementing a school-wide program
Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) typically include school-wide or universal support (tier 1), targeted interventions for at-risk students (tier 2), and individualized services for students with intensive needs (tier 3). Read our post for more information about multi-tiered frameworks. MTSS have been increasingly adopted across schools in the U.S. and ...

How can we keep students safe at school?
Acts of violence at school place pressure on educators and school leaders to better ensure the safety of their students. A comprehensive approach addresses school climate, student mental health programs, strategies to prevent violence, and physical security mechanisms. Our research has identified several promising practices to help keep students emotionally ...

Screen time can be good: 3 ways to support children’s social-emotional learning (SEL)
Given the ongoing debate about the value of screen time, many parents and educators are seeking research-supported best practices for using TV and videos to help support children’s learning and development. Look no further – we’ve summarized the research to give you 3 strategies for using videos to support SEL ...

How can we incorporate mental health education into schools? Consider the 5 T’s.
Mental health is a critical part of students’ overall health and well-being. Students today face a range of demands that can impact their mental health. From meeting high academic expectations to navigating the world of social media to maintaining relationships with their peers, students often have busy schedules that result ...

Want to build an equitable classroom? Start with social-emotional learning (SEL)
We expect teachers to handle a lot: create engaging learning experiences, differentiate instruction based on student needs, manage behavior, motivate students to learn, and tackle persistent gaps and inequities. More and more, teachers are meeting this challenge by embracing social-emotional learning (SEL), which can support academic learning, teach and reinforce ...

When you really want to focus on social-emotional learning (SEL): Selecting a standalone SEL program
Standalone social-emotional learning (SEL) programs are helpful tools for teachers who want to build students’ social-emotional skills in the classroom setting. However, it can be challenging to select an appropriate, practical, and effective classroom-wide curriculum that will work for all students. We have simplified the process to help teachers and ...

Incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) into everyday academic instruction: How do I do it?
Although most teachers recognize the importance of teaching social-emotional skills, many are also concerned about having time to fulfill their other responsibilities. Here we highlight one approach to teaching social-emotional skills in the classroom: incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) into everyday academic instruction ...