Abstract:
Students face increased mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, trauma, racial trauma, and suicide risk, in addition to opportunity gaps. Despite educators’ work to support students through mental health services and despite the existence of social emotional learning (SEL) programs within the school environment, the impact on student learning and long-term post high school outcomes can feel overwhelming. There is also a perception that the responsibility for SEL belongs only to social workers, psychologists and counselors. The primary research question is; how does embedding of SEL practices vary within instructional, non-instructional, and leadership roles? The related questions are: to what extent does staff capacity building for SEL practices incorporate support for the social emotional competence of both staff and students, and how does race relate to social emotional learning practices for staff and students? This study explores the context, conditions, culture, and competencies (Wagner et al., 2006) for District 321, utilizing qualitative and existing quantitative data. The findings detail the critical role of ongoing professional development to increase culturally responsive social emotional learning practices, build social emotional competencies of all staff, model SEL for students, and embed SEL within all practices and instruction. In addition, moving beyond social emotional learning programs for District 321, the consistent social emotional competency development of every employee is emphasized in consideration of the positive impact on student learning, school culture, and student and staff wellbeing.
","abstract_html":"<p>Abstract:</p> <p>Students face increased mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, trauma, racial trauma, and suicide risk, in addition to opportunity gaps. Despite educators’ work to support students through mental health services and despite the existence of social emotional learning (SEL) programs within the school environment, the impact on student learning and long-term post high school outcomes can feel overwhelming. There is also a perception that the responsibility for SEL belongs only to social workers, psychologists and counselors. The primary research question is; how does embedding of SEL practices vary within instructional, non-instructional, and leadership roles? The related questions are: to what extent does staff capacity building for SEL practices incorporate support for the social emotional competence of both staff and students, and how does race relate to social emotional learning practices for staff and students? This study explores the context, conditions, culture, and competencies (Wagner et al., 2006) for District 321, utilizing qualitative and existing quantitative data. The findings detail the critical role of ongoing professional development to increase culturally responsive social emotional learning practices, build social emotional competencies of all staff, model SEL for students, and embed SEL within all practices and instruction. In addition, moving beyond social emotional learning programs for District 321, the consistent social emotional competency development of every employee is emphasized in consideration of the positive impact on student learning, school culture, and student and staff wellbeing.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kinzie, Taya"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Educational Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Harrington Gibson","Beth Minor","Angela Elkordy"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-09-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-09-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z","subjects":["social emotional learning","wellbeing","embed","race and equity","culturally responsive","professional development","Curriculum and Instruction","Disability and Equity in Education","Educational Leadership","Secondary Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/721","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Harrington Gibson","Beth Minor","Angela Elkordy"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kinzie, Taya"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-03-12T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["social emotional learning","wellbeing","embed","race and equity","culturally responsive","professional development","Curriculum and Instruction","Disability and Equity in Education","Educational Leadership","Secondary Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/721"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Abstract:
Students face increased mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, trauma, racial trauma, and suicide risk, in addition to opportunity gaps. Despite educators’ work to support students through mental health services and despite the existence of social emotional learning (SEL) programs within the school environment, the impact on student learning and long-term post high school outcomes can feel overwhelming. There is also a perception that the responsibility for SEL belongs only to social workers, psychologists and counselors. The primary research question is; how does embedding of SEL practices vary within instructional, non-instructional, and leadership roles? The related questions are: to what extent does staff capacity building for SEL practices incorporate support for the social emotional competence of both staff and students, and how does race relate to social emotional learning practices for staff and students? This study explores the context, conditions, culture, and competencies (Wagner et al., 2006) for District 321, utilizing qualitative and existing quantitative data. The findings detail the critical role of ongoing professional development to increase culturally responsive social emotional learning practices, build social emotional competencies of all staff, model SEL for students, and embed SEL within all practices and instruction. In addition, moving beyond social emotional learning programs for District 321, the consistent social emotional competency development of every employee is emphasized in consideration of the positive impact on student learning, school culture, and student and staff wellbeing.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Life is Complicated: The Urgent Call to Support Student Wellbeing through Social Emotional Learning"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Harrington Gibson","Beth Minor","Angela Elkordy"],"dc:creator":["Kinzie, Taya"],"dc:date.available":["2023-03-12T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Abstract:
Students face increased mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, trauma, racial trauma, and suicide risk, in addition to opportunity gaps. Despite educators’ work to support students through mental health services and despite the existence of social emotional learning (SEL) programs within the school environment, the impact on student learning and long-term post high school outcomes can feel overwhelming. There is also a perception that the responsibility for SEL belongs only to social workers, psychologists and counselors. The primary research question is; how does embedding of SEL practices vary within instructional, non-instructional, and leadership roles? The related questions are: to what extent does staff capacity building for SEL practices incorporate support for the social emotional competence of both staff and students, and how does race relate to social emotional learning practices for staff and students? This study explores the context, conditions, culture, and competencies (Wagner et al., 2006) for District 321, utilizing qualitative and existing quantitative data. The findings detail the critical role of ongoing professional development to increase culturally responsive social emotional learning practices, build social emotional competencies of all staff, model SEL for students, and embed SEL within all practices and instruction. In addition, moving beyond social emotional learning programs for District 321, the consistent social emotional competency development of every employee is emphasized in consideration of the positive impact on student learning, school culture, and student and staff wellbeing.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/721"],"dc:subject":["social emotional learning","wellbeing","embed","race and equity","culturally responsive","professional development","Curriculum and Instruction","Disability and Equity in Education","Educational Leadership","Secondary Education"],"dc:title":["Life is Complicated: The Urgent Call to Support Student Wellbeing through Social Emotional Learning"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z"}