Getting Developmental Science Back Into Schools: Can What We Know About Self-Regulation Help Change How We Think About “No Excuses”?

Abstract

Research from education, psychology, and human development indicates that social and emotional skills are essential to success in school, work, and life, and that high-quality social and emotional learning (SEL) programs can benefit students’ mental health, academic achievement, and behavioral outcomes. While many schools are adopting an SEL approach, there remains a concerning gap between SEL research and policies and practices related to discipline and behavior management. Following the No Child Left Behind Act and education reform driven by a culture of high-stakes standardized testing and accountability benchmarks, there has been an increase in elementary schools adopting a “no excuses” model of education. This model is characterized by extended time in school, highly structured in-service teacher training, frequent assessments, and “zero tolerance” policies to strictly manage and control children’s behavior. These behavior policies are problematic as they run counter to what research tells us about children’s social and emotional development. Reactive and exclusionary discipline policies inhibit children’s abilities to build and practice self-regulation skills and jeopardize the relationships between students and teachers. The developmental science perspective on children’s regulatory skills suggests that the early years of school are a central context for developing and practicing self-regulation with the support of educators and peers. Research also indicates that warm, caring, reciprocal relationships based on trust are critical to learning and development. Yet, this research base is often overshadowed by pressures to improve standardized achievement scores or misinterpreted in the form of hyper-vigilance about children’s behavior in the classroom. Finally, the “no excuses” approach to behavior management is used disproportionally in schools serving low-income students of color and thus may contribute to unequal rates of suspensions and expulsions, both of which are linked to negative developmental outcomes later in life. This is particularly true for students who have experienced trauma, in part because the act of social exclusion is often re-traumatizing. This article summarizes research on self-regulation, trauma, and developmental relationships, highlights potential consequences of “no excuses” policies and practices in schools, and presents an alternative view of learning environments which promote effective self-regulation skills in young children.

Towards an Integrative Taxonomy of Social-Emotional Competences

“…(3) develop progressively as children mature; (4) are shaped through socialization experiences and learning (in formal and informal settings) and are thus understood to be malleable and responsive to intervention; (5) are manifested in more or less consistent patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors, although they can vary across contexts and over time; (6) are dependent on situational factors for their expression; and (7) are crucial to success in school, across a wide range of socio-economic outcomes in later life, as well as health and wellbeing (Blair, 2002;De Fruyt et al, 2015;Duckworth and Yeager, 2015;Gutman and Schoon, 2016;Domitrovich et al, 2017;Bailey et al, 2019).…”

“…Despite differences in terminology and assessment, there is agreement in that social and -emotional competences refer to individual-level capabilities involved in understanding and accepting oneself, in negotiating every-day situations and interactions with others, to deal with challenges and to adjust to changing conditions. Social-emotional competences (1) are conceptually different from academic abilities and subject-matter achievement; (2) originate through reciprocal interactions between biological predispositions and contextual influences; (3) develop progressively as children mature; (4) are shaped through socialization experiences and learning (in formal and informal settings) and are thus understood to be malleable and responsive to intervention; (5) are manifested in more or less consistent patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors, although they can vary across contexts and over time; (6) are dependent on situational factors for their expression; and (7) are crucial to success in school, across a wide range of socio-economic outcomes in later life, as well as health and wellbeing (Blair, 2002 ; De Fruyt et al, 2015 ; Duckworth and Yeager, 2015 ; Gutman and Schoon, 2016 ; Domitrovich et al, 2017 ; Bailey et al, 2019 ).…”

Equity in Social Emotional Learning Programs: A Content Analysis of Equitable Practices in PreK-5 SEL Programs

“…The low prevalence of equityoriented emotional and behavioral regulation in SEL programs is particularly problematic because SEL programs often place a large focus on self-regulation, self-management, and related SEL concepts which are often misapplied and can further inequities. Research shows that the misbehavior of low-income students and students of color is often perceived as an inability to self-regulate and is responded to with punishment or demands for compliance (Green, 2018;Bailey et al, 2019). Framing emotional and behavioral skills as a way to practice self-care and self-preservation can be transformative for students because it moves self-management away from compliance and conformity to empowerment while at the same time allowing students to build the crucial navigational skills they need to manage behavior and express emotions in an unjust world (El-Amin, 2015;Simmons, 2019).…”

Developmental science aimed at reducing inequality: Maximizing the social impact of research on executive function in context

“…In a similar vein, recent analyses suggest that unsafe school climate as well as increased contact with armed and uniformed school safety officers in schools are associated with clear disruptions not only in children's reports of mental health but also in their sleep, neuroendocrine function, and EF. Additional research on police presence in schools suggests that the presence of armed police officers contributes to greater feelings of threat, anxiety, and disrespect/hostility rather than making students feel more safe or respected (Bailey, Meland, Brion‐Meisels, & Jones, ).…”