Using a Survey of Social and Emotional Learning and School Climate to Inform Decisionmaking

Summary

The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has prioritized efforts to support students' social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies, such as perseverance and social awareness. To measure students' SEL competencies and the school experiences that promote SEL competencies (school climate), DCPS began administering annual surveys to students, teachers, and parents in 2017/18. DCPS partnered with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory to study how the district could use these surveys to improve students' outcomes. The study found the following: Students' SEL competencies and school experiences are the most favorable in elementary school and the least favorable in middle school and the beginning of high school.