Are Educators Setting Goals for Social-Emotional Learning? Evidence from Nationally Representative Surveys

Teacher Perspectives on Social and Emotional Learning in Massachusetts: Findings from the American Teacher Panel

“…Were More Likely to Report Receipt of In-Service Training on SEL Than Their Counterparts in the Nation Although Massachusetts teachers reported similar amounts of preservice SEL training in all types of schools analyzed, Massachusetts teachers in secondary and nonurban schools were more likely to report in-service SEL training than their national counterparts were. This finding is notable because, nationally, elementary school teachers were more likely to report in-service SEL training compared with secondary school teachers (Hamilton, Doss, and Steiner, 2019), and there is some evidence that urban schools are implementing SEL initiatives more systematically than nonurban schools are (DePaoli, Atwell, and Bridgeland, 2017;Doss, Johnston, and Akinniranye, 2019). Massachusetts teachers therefore report receiving more in-school SEL training in areas where, nationwide, teachers typically receive less SEL training or are less likely to systematically implement SEL initiatives.…”

“…In particular, elementary schools have greater access to stand-alone SEL curricula than do secondary schools; secondary schools tend to approach SEL though informal practices (Grant et al, 2017;Yeager, 2017). Past research has also shown that teachers and school leaders in urban schools report implementing SEL to a greater extent than those in nonurban schools do (DePaoli, Atwell, and Bridgeland, 2017;Doss, Johnston, and Akinniranye, 2019). 4 Our comparisons between teachers in Massachusetts and teachers nationwide are intended to illuminate differences between Massachusetts educators and other educators in implementation and perceptions of SEL and help Massachusetts policymakers identify areas where more support might be needed.…”