Student Well-Being

Topic

Social and Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning occurs when teachers and school staff help students develop the interpersonal skills they need to succeed in school and work. This skill-building happens in the course of everyday instruction, when teachers pause to encourage students to pose a question in a more respectful tone, imagine how others feel, take a deep breath to calm themselves down, break a goal into manageable pieces and more. Social and emotional self-management is thought to set the stage for productive, cooperative learning.

Commentary

April 13, 2023

How our schools can address California’s youth mental health crisis — now

California's new investments in the long-term mental health of our children are laudable, but students need help today.

Cora Palma

Student voices

November 9, 2022

We cannot allow our education to be automated

An overreliance on technology eliminates the verbal interaction between students, their peers, and their teachers and takes the learning out of the classroom and onto the screen.

Adam Abolfazli

Teacher Voices

October 18, 2022

Restorative practices create belonging and trust for teachers as well as students

A punitive approach to students' missteps does nothing to show them that adults care about them.

Louise Williamson

Commentary

October 11, 2022

College not always the answer to teaching students how to live meaningful lives

We must begin the courageous process of decentralizing college as the primary option after high school and focus on careers and ways of being that actually lead to sustainability.

Tiffani Marie

Commentary

September 26, 2022

We need to fix professional development for teachers

Instead of long, arduous training about content they are already experts in, schools should offer training that is engaging and focused on content enrichment.

Kati Begen

Commentary

August 23, 2022

To solve our mental health crisis, give more children equal access to play

Many public schools have defunded sports programs, and most offer physical education just a few days a week, reinforcing a pay-to-play youth sports culture with few free and low-cost opportunities at a time when they are most needed.

Renata Simril

Discipline

August 19, 2022

Hope, relief and lessons learned: Teachers anticipate a smoother school year

EdSource roundtable put a spotlight on teachers' challenges and expectations for the year.

Carolyn Jones

Commentary

July 6, 2022

Berkeley High foils attack but schools still need help to keep students safe

Students at Berkeley High — and every other school in the United States — are being made to feel less safe by a Supreme Court intent on expanding “gun rights.”

Louis Freedberg

Los Angeles Unified

June 22, 2022

Strategic plan aims to prepare students for life beyond Los Angeles Unified

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho's plan, which aims to create a foundation for student success, will shape district priorities for the next four years.

Kate Sequeira

Social and Emotional Learning

June 9, 2022

Can arts education help kids heal from the trauma of the pandemic?

The arts can be a safe haven for California schoolchildren to face big emotions, experts say, to channel fears and frustrations into acts of creativity.

Karen D'Souza

Commentary

May 10, 2022

Reframing school as an identity playground: A space for exploration and affirmation

When students are encouraged to explore exactly who they are and who their classmates are — and not to expect everyone to conform to one homogenous view of the world — school becomes not just a place of education, but one of humanity.

Leigh Dela Victoria

Commentary

March 22, 2022

Graduate profiles help districts prepare students for college and careers

California school districts are developing "graduate profiles" that help focus teaching and learning on ensuring students can think critically and creatively, collaborate with others, tackle real problems and contribute to society.

Roman Stearns and Mary Perry

Student voices

February 28, 2022

How adults can help youth avoid violence, maintain mental health

Supportive relationships with adults in their lives can help youth weather pandemic-related stress and steer clear of abusive relationships.

Angel Quintanilla

Commentary

December 7, 2021

What’s the point of high school? Where I teach, it's more than a diploma

We need to get back to the reasons teachers start teaching in the first place: to support students, to inspire futures and to create fulfilled adults.

Laura Ochoa

Commentary

November 2, 2021

Why controversial issues must still be taught in U.S. classrooms

Teaching controversial issues is a cornerstone of democratic education and a powerful vehicle for developing independent thinking, civic reasoning and discourse in all subjects.