as teammates. Early research on these models has been very promising: a major meta-analysis of 213 studies showed an average 11 percent gain in academic performance for kids receiving such instruction (Durlak et al., 2011).
Why We Must Teach Social-Academic Skills Now
A variety of factors has emerged to drive the awareness of SEL, to raise our sense of urgency, and to fuel its implementation in today's schools.
The Common Core State Standards Requirements
The CCSS standards for Speaking and Listening (2010) explicitly call for all students to develop the social skills of academic interaction. The anchor standards require students to collaborate effectively “in pairs, small group and large group discussions” from kindergarten through high school. Grade-level standards get more precise and challenging as kids move up. In kindergarten, the CCSS expects children to:
• Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups
• Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion)
• Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges
• Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood
• Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood
By grade 5, kids should:
• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly
• Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material, and explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion
• Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles
• Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others
• Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions
• Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally
• Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence
And, by grades 11 and 12, students are required to:
• Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 11—12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively
• Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study, and explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas
• Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed
• Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives
• Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task
• Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data
• Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric; assess the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used
Now we're talking real “college and career readiness.” While critics complain that some CCSS targets are irrelevant or archaic, these goals couldn't be more appropriate and realistic.
Now we're talking real “college and career readiness."While critics complain that some CCSS targets are irrelevant or archaic, the above goals couldn't be more appropriate and realistic. School graduates who have mastered these speaking and listening skills are going to be miles ahead in their later studies, in career achievement, and in life.
Given that forty-five states initially adopted these guidelines, the CCSS has given the explicit teaching of social-academic skills a huge push. Even though a few states never joined up or have recently parted company with the national standards, each of those states has its own set of targets that are often very similar to the CCSS. For example, the Texas standards require fifth graders to “participate in student-led discussions by eliciting and considering suggestions from other group members and by identifying points of agreement and disagreement." And in high school, to “work productively with others in teams, building on the ideas of others, contributing relevant information, developing a plan for consensus-building, and setting ground rules for decision-making” (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, 2008).
Concern About School Climate, Violence, and Bullying
The socioemotional climate of our public schools and the relationships among the people who inhabit them have populated the headlines in recent years. The horrific school shootings, like those at Columbine and Sandy Hook, remind us that our schools are too often crime scenes, not safe harbors. And while the rate of major violence in U.S. schools has actually been shrinking since 1993, there are still ample reasons to worry about kids' safely.
The Centers for Disease Control (2013) reports that in a nationally representative sample of youth in grades 9-12:
• 12 percent reported being in a physical fight on school property in the twelve months before the survey.
• 5.9 percent reported that they did not go to school on one or more days in the thirty days before the survey because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school.
• 5.4 percent reported carrying a weapon (gun, knife, or club) on school property on one or more days in the thirty days before the survey.
• 7.4 percent reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property one or more times in the twelve months before the survey.
• 20 percent reported being bullied on school property and 16 percent reported being bullied electronically during the twelve months before the survey.
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