Social-Emotional Learning: The Frame That Holds the Portrait of a Graduate

Statia Paschel, Director of Social Emotional Learning and Cultural Proficiency & Inclusiveness at Austin Independent School District

Statia Paschel, Director of Social Emotional Learning and Cultural Proficiency & Inclusiveness at Austin Independent School District

It was a warm June afternoon, and the family had made the trip to Mount Pleasant, SC, to be a part of the celebration. My mother gifted me with her beautiful pearl necklace and earrings for the occasion because she said pearls were classy, a sign of sophistication and womanhood. “Every lady needs a nice set of pearls,” she would say. I could see the pride and joy in her eyes as she clasped the necklace and laid it neatly on my collarbone. My grandfather wasn’t used to wearing a tie, so he grumbled slightly as I straightened his collar. He smiled at me and pinched my cheek like he had done so many times before. Prior to the familiar sounds of pomp and circumstance filling the auditorium, families, just like mine, are ecstatic to celebrate this major milestone in the life of their young scholar. For many, this accomplishment is a feat that some have not been able to achieve. There is a shared joy and pride that comes when their students graduate. It is the end of a thirteen-year journey of projects, quizzes, reports, and standardized tests. Graduating comes with the promise that you are ready for the next step in life. Whether that pathway leads to college, the workforce, or the military, caregivers expect that their youngster is prepared to navigate the world more independently.  I don’t think there is anyone who would say, “I am not really interested in my students graduating and being prepared for the world.” So what does it mean? What are the skills you need to meet the demands of the world? Some school districts have summarized these skills in a profile they call A Portrait of a Graduate.  According to Panorama Education:

A Portrait of a Graduate represents a school district's vision for the 21st century skills, character traits, and social-emotional competencies that students need to succeed in college, their careers, and life.

It is the promise of a holistic educational experience for scholars, ensuring that they complete their K–12 journey ready for college and career and prepared to contribute to and thrive in society. If you do a quick internet search for examples of A Portrait of a Graduate, you will notice a repetition of skills like collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. Which have been categorized as the 4Cs of 21st-century skills. These are the skills that are vital to the success of a student in today’s world. The skills that employers and higher education institutions are looking for in their respective prospects. So, how does social emotional learning (SEL), more specifically transformative social emotional learning (tSEL), play a part in this? It is the frame. It is actively developing the competencies and constructs of tSEL through community building, explicit SEL instruction, mindfulness activities, empathy exercises, identity work, reflection, and introspection.

“ When graduation is viewed as an important step but not the final goal for scholars, districts take a more holistic approach and their metric of success goes beyond the GPA.”

Taking a deeper dive into the 4Cs of the 21st Century Skills and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Transformative Social Emotional Learning (tSEL) constructs, we can see the bridge between these skills.

Adults intentionally focusing on their own tSEL growth in order to effectively support student skill development will yield the results that are articulated to families in the portrait of a graduate. When graduation is viewed as an important step but not the final goal for scholars, districts take a more holistic approach, and their metric of success goes beyond the GPA. So, tSEL champions, the next time you hear pomp and circumstance, take extra pride in knowing that you contributed to maximizing your scholars' learning potential and contributions to their community.