Measuring social and emotional learning implementation in a research-practice partnership

Abstract

The measurement of social and emotional learning (SEL) implementation is a critical part of enhancing and understanding the effects of SEL programming. Research has shown that high-quality SEL implementation is associated with social, emotional, and academic outcomes. Schools achieve these outcomes in part through organizational practices that emphasize ongoing communication, collaboration, coordination, shared decision making, and strategic planning, processes that are ideally informed by evidence. The application of implementation science to SEL has advanced our understanding of the role of implementation in achieving student outcomes. However, the development of practical approaches for measuring and supporting SEL implementation have lagged behind work on measuring student SEL outcomes. Research-practitioner partnerships (RPP), long-term, mutually-beneficial collaborations geared toward identifying problems of practice and testing solutions for improvement, are a promising means for addressing this important gap. Though implementation science and RPPs have complementary aims, there has been limited attention to the integration of these approaches in the context of SEL programming. The goal of this paper is to offer practical strategies for measuring and using SEL implementation data in schools, using the example of an RPP that used implementation science practices to guide SEL implementation. We give special attention to structures that can support the collection and use of implementation data to improve practice, as well as considerations around developing measures, considering trade-offs of data collection decisions, and conducting data analysis.

The Relationship between the School as a Learning Organisation and Teacher Job Satisfaction in General Education in Latvia

“…"The teachers expressed the view that the role of the school heads should be mainly associated with the creation of a work environment that enhances the collaboration with the local community, fosters teamwork, mentoring and teacher participation in decision-making at school level as well as the facilitation of opportunities for teacher training and professional growth and development." [43] (p. [47][48]. In comparison, another study conducted in Greece has concluded that the more an organisation prioritises the creation of an environment that enables employees to learn at work, the higher the employees' satisfaction with their work [11].…”