On September 14, Committee for Children (CFC) and Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) will co-host a congressional briefing in Washington, DC to address how teaching social and emotional learning skills in the classroom curriculum can ultimately help employers find qualified job applicants. This briefing is timely as Congress is now considering reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, the primary federal funding source for training programs offered at the secondary or postsecondary level. Find the details of the briefing here and extend this invitation to policymakers and their staff.

Recent literature shows that low income and minority students may not have full access to educational opportunities. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to examine poverty and racial discrimination in schools and investigate efforts to counter them by the Departments of Education and Justice. Highlights of the May 2016 report can be found  here. Education Secretary John B. King, Jr  shared his thoughts on poverty and racism with a network of schools in Hartford, Connecticut and also suggested that  teaching empathy in schools is one way to tackle the problem of racism. 

On August 24, 2016, the Economic Policy Institute sponsored a briefing on Incorporating SEL into Education. The report, " Making Whole Child Education the Norm,"  explains the importance of SEL in public education and lays out the steps necessary to make that happen. Research on non-cognitive skills like SEL suggests these skills not only result in student success but are responsive to differences in school quality, children's environment, and various parental investments. The conclusion?  Establish resources, supports and accountability at the federal and state level and prioritize SEL as a core component of public education.

Cross-cultural misunderstandings can occur between a teacher and student, but  a recent study showed that when teachers saw similarities between themselves and their students, the achievement gap was reduced by more than 60 percent. In  another study, researchers found that middle school students who developed a more positive relationship with their teacher displayed significantly more prosocial and less aggressive behavior toward their peers over students who felt ambivalent or negative toward their teacher. The researchers believe the evidence is so strong that it might show that teacher relationships are more important in intervening with defiant behavior than intervention programs like counseling or "other anti-bullying therapies."

Do you believe corporal punishment in schools is a thing of the past? While it has declined rapidly in the United States in the last 15 years, it is still widely used today. Currently, educators in  19 states can use corporal punishment to discipline students, including paddling, swatting, and physically harming them in other ways. Data shows that African-American students and students with disabilities are disproportionately affected by this policy.  If your state allows corporal punishment, share Committee for Children's policy position with your elected officials and encourage them to see that corporal punishment has  no place in our schools. Learn more about " Corporal Punishment in US Schools."

A recent article shows that SEL can help children with significant behavioral problems and be more effective than the traditional regimen of rewards, punishments, or even medications for disruptive behavior.