Culturally Responsive Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD)

Abstract

Culturally responsive social-emotional competencies continue being essential skills for college, career, and life success, especially today, as the world seeks global citizens prepared to respectfully navigate relationships and interactions between people from different nations and ethnicities. These skills are more than valuable assets that a modern economy is dependent on, but skills that students, educators, employees, and society need in order for healthy and sustainable co-existence. In academia, educators are increasingly expected to bridge diverse cultural gaps and foster more equitable, respectful, and safe learning environments, but evidence-based implementation methods are limited. To contribute to the body of literature, this chapter presents three case studies and how each of their approaches can increase essential SEL skills at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels in addition to the in-service educator level. The chapter concludes with a discussion around themes that emerged from the three case studies, implications for practice, and recommendations.