As a CHAI graduate student intern, I had the opportunity to support the Community Affairs Department school partnerships team that included attending local meetings and conferences such as the OSSE Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Symposium. This blog includes highlights from the symposium and an introduction to SEL in the District. 

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is the state education agency for the District of Columbia (D.C.) charged with raising the quality of education for all D.C. residents. On May 16, 2024, OSSE announced that it published the first-ever K-Adult SEL standards for all DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools. The standards will be implemented in schools across the District beginning in the 2024-25 school year.

On June 12, OSSE held a symposium to launch D.C.’s first-ever SEL standards for pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade students. The conference theme, Thriving Together: A Symposium to Advance Social and Emotional Learning for Students and Staff, invited educators and stakeholders from DCPS, public charter schools, and partner agencies to attend SEL skill-building workshops and learn about best SEL practices across the District. To help build school health connections and better understand SEL strategies, Children’s National attended workshops designed to teach SEL competencies while fostering a safe and inclusive learning environment. Key highlights from the symposium include 1) presentations from local nonprofits such as Peace of Mind, 2) SEL competency strategies among adults, and 3) integration of the D.C. SEL standards into schools. 

What is SEL?

SEL is the process through which children and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to help develop identities, handle and regulate emotions, build relationships, and learn how to empathize with others.  

What are the SEL Competencies? 

• Self-Awareness – understanding thoughts and emotions and how they influence behavior across contexts 

• Self-Management – effectively managing thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to achieve goals and aspirations 

• Social and Cultural Awareness – understanding perspectives of and empathizing with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures and contexts 

• Relationship Skills – establishing and maintaining healthy relationships in diverse groups 

• Decision-Making and Agency – making caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations 

What are the Key Settings for SEL? 

• Classrooms 

• Schools 

• Families and caregivers 

• Communities 

Local D.C. Nonprofit Peace of Mind (PoM) 

Peace of Mind (PoM) is a local D.C. nonprofit that teaches SEL among students, pre-K through 8th grade. Their curriculum focuses on six pillars: 1) Mindfulness, 2) Brain science, 3) Kindness and compassion, 4) Gratitude, 5) Conflict resolution, and 6) Social justice. By integrating these pillars, PoM aims to equip students with practices to manage their own well-being, build respectful, compassionate relationships, and develop the agency and courage to believe in themselves and make positive change in their communities. What sets PoM apart from other SEL curricula is their brain science component, which teaches the parts of the brain, what they do, and how they affect their emotions. The PoM curriculum integrates mindfulness and brain science as the foundation for effective SEL and conflict resolution skills.  

PoM is taught by educators, teachers, counselors, and social workers nationwide, and supports the D.C. OSSE’s new SEL standards. For more information about PoM’s program and resources, visit teachpeaceofmind.org.  

SEL Competency Strategies for Adults 

To promote SEL competence among students, it is also important for schools to simultaneously promote SEL competence among adults. The concept of co-regulation in the classroom illustrates this relationship between educator well-being and student success. For student SEL to be effective, the wellness of educators and school staff members must also be a priority. Healing adult relationships will also help address issues such as teacher retention, burnout, and wellbeing. 

The workshop discussed strategies to enhance educator wellness, focusing on increasing self-awareness and self-management of triggers, enacting cognitive behavioral change, fostering social support, and engaging in mindfulness practices. By applying a trauma-informed, healing-centered lens to school-based SEL, both students and adults will be equipped with strategies to manage their SEL and wellness practices. 

New D.C. SEL Standards 

As part of the 2023-2025 Strategic Plan, OSSE developed the first SEL standards for all D.C. students from kindergarten to adult education. OSSE received support from the Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) to draft the standards using CASEL 5 Framework. The D.C. SEL standards are organized across five SEL competencies as defined by CASEL: 1) Self-Awareness, 2) Self-Management, 3) Social and Cultural Awareness, 4) Relationship Skills, and 5) Decision-Making and Agency. Each standard is accompanied by indicators for each grade level and is intended to be incorporated with all subjects, rather than as a standalone class. The new SEL standards will be implemented in all DCPS and public charter schools beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year. For more information on the standards, visit the OSSE website: https://osse.dc.gov/page/social-emotional-learning. 

SEL Across School Districts 

Although K-12 SEL competencies have been established across the DMV, only D.C. has required SEL standards be implemented in all schools. Maryland has provided schools with recommendations and resources to incorporate their own policies, standards, or guidance for SEL into fine arts, health education, and physical education programming. Virginia’s SEL standards were established in 2021 and guide schools to adopt SEL, but do not require school divisions to. Early Learning Standards across the DMV also incorporate SEL competencies and standards for children from birth up to age 5. 

To view the finalized standards and learn more about the DC social and emotional learning standards development process, visit the OSSE social and emotional learning standards webpage.