The impact of social emotional learning on school culture

1. Teacher Leader Project
Kristen Joe
KIPP Heartwood Academy
Community 1

2. KIPP Heartwood Academy
• Founded in 2004
• Located in East San Jose
• 413 Students
• Demographics
▫ 82% Latino
▫ 18% Asian
▫ 1% African American
▫ 1% Other
• 84% qualify for free and reduced lunch

3. Context
• The 2014-2015 school year: first time that our
school blocked out a specific 25 minute advisory
time in the schedule
• Purpose of Advisory: Team Building & Proactive
Restorative Circles
• A huge shift from being reactive to proactive

4. Result of the 2014-2015 Year
• At the end of last year it was apparent that the
advisory block slipped through the cracks and
most teachers did not consistently use the time
for what it was originally intended.
Reasons Due To:
• Lack of Professional Development & Planning
Time
• Implemented without an end goal in mind
• Accountability

5. Roles & Responsibilities
• 5th Grade Level Chair
• SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Grade Level
Coordinator
• Implement the Second Step Curriculum on a
weekly basis
• Provide support to grade level teachers as they
implement and teach the lessons to their
homerooms

6. Goals
Performance Goal
By January, 85% of 5th grade
students will average a 4.0 or
higher on the five data points
from the HSR survey.
• I know how I am supposed to
behave at school
• I respect the feelings of others
• I find solutions when I have
conflicts or problems with
others
• Students at the school are well
behaved
• I would recommend KIPP to
my friends and family
Developmental Goal
Drive results by collecting and
analyzing HSR and SEL data
monthly team meetings,
evaluating the progress toward
our goals, and creating logical
action steps.

7. Historical Data
I know how
I’m
supposed to
behave at
school
I respect
the feelings
of others
I find
solutions…
I would
recommend
KIPP to my
friends and
family
2013-2014
4.3 4.0 3.6 3.5
2014-2015
4.4 4.0 3.6 3.6
Our School Culture Goal
The average score for students who would recommend KIPP to
friends and family will increase to an average of 4.0 on the HSR
data

8. Leadership Skills
Drive Results by pulling data from Kickboard and
HSR survey to bring to grade level meetings for
analysis.
Manage People by leading an effective team and
creating a positive team culture with open
communication and collaboration. Invest all team
members in the SEL block and its purpose.

9. Action Plan
• Prepare Second Step lesson materials bi-weekly
and distribute at team meetings.
• Overview lessons with teachers and preview any
videos
• Review data from Kickboard and HSR Google
form surveys with team members on a monthly
basis
• Create action steps as a result of the trends in
the data
• Invest all team members into the benefits of
teaching the Second Step curriculum

10. Results: Kickboard (Negative Behaviors)

11. Results: Kickboard (Positive Behaviors)

12. Results: HSR Data Points
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
November '15
January '16

13. November 2015 – 72.16%

14. January 2016 – 81.19%

15. Impact
Grade Level Culture
• Students are better able to articulate their
feelings in various situations
• Understand the meaning of empathy, and how
we show empathy in different context
Leadership
• Communication – frequent, open, & often
• Consistent use of data to develop action steps
• Building relationships with all grade level team
members

16. What Students Have to Say…
“I have learned to feel what other people are
feeling and get to know them more better.”
“One of the skills that I learned over SEL is
predicting feelings. This means you have to use
clues to guess someone's feeling depending on
their actions”
“I showed empathy by I showed love to a person
when they had trouble with the question and they
were frustrated”

17. Future Implications
• Invest all staff members into the Second Step
Curriculum – SEL in all grade levels
• Model SEL lessons for teachers
• Weekly check-ins during grade level meetings
• Monthly check-ins during staff meetings
• Build strong culture in each homeroom before
beginning the Second Step lessons
• Older grade levels can review previously learned
material from younger grades before starting their
grade level curriculum

18. Future Implications Continued..
• Continue to use and analyze data – Kickboard,
HSR, and other surveys
• Meet with other grade level chairs and
encourage them to use and analyze data for
culture and SEL
The Second Step curriculum, when implemented
correctly, can be a helpful tool for social emotional
learning and building a positive culture within the
grade level.