Grad Nation Community Summits
Social Emotional Learning Toolkit
Guide Content
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Introduction
Resources and Best Practices (GradNation.org)
Speaker Recommendations
Additional Alliance Partners
Multi-Media Resources
1. Introduction
The Center for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) describes social-emotional learning
in this way: “Social and emotional learning involves the processes of developing social and
emotional competencies in children. (SEL) programming is based on the understanding that the best
learning emerges in the context of supportive relationships that make learning challenging,
engaging, and meaningful; social and emotional skills are critical to being a good student, citizen,
and worker; and many different risky behaviors (e.g., drug use, violence, bullying, and dropout) can
be prevented or reduced when multi-year, integrated efforts develop students’ social and emotional
skills.” The broad term “social-emotional learning” covers a wide range of programming and
activities including character education, arts integration, bullying prevention, communication and
conflict resolution to name a few. This toolkit will provide a brief introduction to some of the major
subtopics that fall under the heading of social-emotional learning.
2. Resources and Best Practices (GradNation.org)
Visit the Social Emotional Learning Channel at GradNation.org where you will find a large variety of
resources and best practices on this topic.
3. Speaker recommendations
Below is a sampling of speaker recommendations for this topic. In a few cases the contact
information is included for a speaker. If you would like to find out more about a specific speaker or
discuss additional speaker options, please contact your Summit Manager.
Joe Cavanaugh founded Youth Frontiers, Inc., a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization that
partners with schools to build positive school communities. Through programs that help young
people realize the importance of living a life of character, Youth Frontiers is transforming the day-today experience in schools across America so that our schools – and therefore our kids – can thrive.
The founder of Youth Frontiers, Joe Cavanaugh, is a nationally-renowned speaker promoting
timeless values and personal character to audiences of all ages. Whether it is the Nobel Peace Prize
Forum, a PTA luncheon, an educator conference or a room filled with 200 teenagers, Joe loves to be
in front of a crowd to share his passion for raising a generation of young people with good character.
Joe often speaks about the greater need for reflective leadership and the critical building blocks
needed to create a healthy school. With over 25 years of experience working with young people, he
is one of the foremost communicators to youth on the topics of respect, integrity, courage and
compassion.
Contact Information: Alison Sipkins, Executive Assistant at Youth Frontiers,
asipkins@youthfrontiers.org, or (952) 922-0222 ext. 32
Mark Hyatt is President and CEO of the Character Education Partnership (CEP). He leads the national
effort to “help parents and schools develop students of good character for a just and compassionate
society.” Prior to coming to CEP, Mark was Executive Director of the Colorado Charter School
Institute (CSI). Under his leadership CSI grew 50% to more than 10,500 students at 36 locations
statewide in its portfolio of schools. Mark led CSI’s first strategic planning effort to transform CSI
into a “model authorizer” for the state and nation. He also served on the Colorado Governors P-20
Education Counsel on school reform.
Contact Information: mhyatt@character.org
Arianna Ross is the Executive Director and Master Educator at Story Tapestries, Inc. She is also a
storyteller, educator, and dancer at Story Tapestries. Story Tapestries presents arts inspired
strategies that people can immediately implement at home. Communities who have chosen to
include the arts as a part of their education reform strategy are already documenting positive
changes. Arts integration seeds creativity, which is required for students to write stories, solve math
problems, work out scientific principles, and invent a new product, and it helps the generation of
young minds bloom into future leaders. The program by Story Tapestries provides techniques to
reach the whole child, aligns school curriculum to Common Core, and empowers community
leaders/educators. The staff partners with community leaders and educators to understand the
specific needs of your community and custom design the presentation accordingly.
Contact Information: Debbi Arsenaux, administrator@storytapestries.com, or (301) 916-6328
Robert F. Sherman, Ph.D, serves as Director of the Initiative for Social and Emotional Learning at the
NoVo Foundation. Partnering with the field’s leading intermediary, the Collaborative for Academic,
Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), NoVo is working to institutionalize social and emotional
development, delivered through evidence-based programs in classrooms, at the heart of every
student’s experience, school, and district nationwide. The goal is stronger outcomes for students
who are academically, socially, and emotionally prepared to lead successful lives and contribute to
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community and society. Most recently, Robert served as Executive Director of the Action Center to
End World Hunger, a division of Mercy Corps. He also founded and directed the national Effective
Citizenry grant-making program at the Surdna Foundation in New York where he served for 15
years. In addition, he worked in the New York City government for 8 years, directing the Increase the
Peace Volunteer Corps for the Office of the Mayor and serving as Director of the Community
Relations Institute at the NYC Commission on Human Rights. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology
from Adelphi University and a BA from Haverford College.
Jill Vialet is CEO and founder of Playworks. Jill has worked for more than 25 years in the nonprofit
sector, focusing her entrepreneurial skills on creating and developing two successful nonprofit
organizations. In 1996, Vialet launched Sports4Kids, now called Playworks, in two Berkeley, CA
elementary schools. Playworks is a national nonprofit organization that improves school climate,
reduces bullying and increases student engagement in school through play and physical activity.
Playworks is the only organization in the country that provides trained, full-time program
coordinators, called “coaches,” to low-income schools in major urban areas to focus on recess and
play to support learning. Playworks brought play and physical activity to more than 130,000 children
in 300 schools in 23 US cities during the 2011-12 school year. In addition to its direct service,
Playworks provides training and technical support so that all schools can enjoy healthy, inclusive
play at recess and throughout the school day. Playworks plans to expand to 27 cities by 2015. Its
ultimate goal is to serve millions of children daily through direct service and training.
Roger P. Weissberg is NoVo Foundation Endowed Chair in Social and Emotional Learning. He is a
Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) Distinguished Professor and a Professor of Psychology and Education
at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He is also President and CEO of the Collaborative for
Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), an organization committed to making evidencebased social, emotional, and academic learning an essential part of preschool through high school
education across the United States. Weissberg has authored more than 200 publications focusing on
preventive interventions with children and adolescents. He has received various awards including
the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Contribution Award for Applications of
Psychology to Education and Training, the Society for Community Research and Action Distinguished
Contribution to Theory and Research Award, and the "Daring Dozen" award from the George Lucas
Educational Foundation for being 1 of 12 people who are reshaping the future of education.
Recently he was elected to the National Academy of Education.
Contact Information: Cynthia Coleman, Executive Assistant, ccoleman@casel.org, or (312) 226-3767
4. Additional Alliance Partners
View our list of Alliance Partners for information about their work and for potential local
engagement and/or strategy development regarding your summit. If you would like to make a
connection, contact your Summit Manager at America’s Promise, who can help facilitate an
introduction.
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5. Multi-Media Resources
2013 National Mentoring Summit Opening Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0al5k8_nHI&feature=youtu.be
http://www.americangraduate.org/what-works/mentoring
Conversation on Social-Emotional Learning from 2013 Grad Nation Summit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH8Iu0_03LI&feature=youtu.be&t=10m30s
Factors in Dropping Out: Bullying:
http://www.americangraduate.org/dropout-factors/bullying
An Introduction to Social-Emotional Learning - George Lucas:
http://www.edutopia.org/social-emotional-learning-introduction-video
TED Talk - Angela Duckworth, Ph.D. - True Grit: Can Perseverance be Taught?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaeFnxSfSC4
TED Talk - Jill Vialet of Playworks – What Play Can Teach Us:
http://youtu.be/STYU-iz8bUQ
Ideas in Action- A Matter of Leadership:
http://www.americangraduate.org/learn/national-reach/437-ideas-in-action-leadership.html
“Keeping Kids Safe: Opportunities and Challenges in Bullying Prevention,” hosted by the Department
of Education
http://www.c-span.org/video/?321013-3/bullying-prevention-summit-social-emotional-learning
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