Marblehead Public Schools are in the process of rolling out a new system-wide social-emotional learning curriculum called Wayfinder for grades PreK-12. Susan Stelk, a member of the Marblehead Mental Health Task Force, interviewed Julia Ferreira, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, who is overseeing the curriculum implementation to learn more about this initiative.
Q: Can you explain what social emotional learning is all about and why it is so important to be integrated into the course work of all grades?
A: As a district, we work together to ensure all students meet or exceed academic and social-emotional learning expectations within our multi-tiered system of supports framework. Research shows that when students feel connected to their school, they achieve better academically. Integrating a curriculum designed to help teach students social-emotional skills will help positively impact students’ academic, behavior and social-emotional development.
Social-emotional learning is when students engage in lessons that help them develop skills to build relationships and collaborate with others, as well as set goals, manage emotions and build confidence. Social-emotional learning is similar to character education, but SEL focuses more on skills to navigate social environments. Although we have integrated an SEL curriculum in our district for many years now in grades K through 5, this is the first time we have adopted an SEL curriculum for all students in grades PreK-12.
Q: How and why did Marblehead Public Schools decide to go with this particular curriculum?
A: This past summer, a large team of MPS educators, administrators, mental health clinicians, and school counselors gathered for many hours over many days for a comprehensive curriculum review process. I helped co-facilitate the SEL Curriculum Committee alongside an Instructional Coach and together with the Committee members we dedicated ourselves to researching and finding the best curriculum program available for our students based on criteria we established together. As a Committee, we selected Wayfinder and gained the School Committee’s approval to add Wayfinder as our newly adopted SEL Curriculum.
Wayfinder was designed to provide all students grades PreK-12 with authentic learning experiences to help develop their sense of purpose and belonging. Wayfinder’s research-backed social-emotional and purpose learning curriculum aligns with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Educational Vision and grade level standards as outlined in the comprehensive health framework.
We joined the 20+ school districts in Massachusetts who are already using Wayfinder to support their students’ social-emotional development. We used remaining Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to purchase Wayfinder, which aligns perfectly with the guidelines for use of the pandemic funding to support students’ social, emotional and mental health needs post-COVID.
Q: How is this being rolled out?
A: We carefully crafted an implementation plan designed to effectively integrate Wayfinder into our classes for students in all grade levels. To ensure our staff are prepared to do so, we are utilizing professional development time with our educators to train them on the curriculum and Wayfinder’s online platform. Because Wayfinder is a comprehensive multi-tiered system of support solution, we also integrated professional development for our school counselors, school psychologists, and adjustment counselors so they are able to utilize lessons for our students who need additional support beyond the classroom lessons.
We created a few stipend positions for educators to help support the work at each of our five schools this year. The dedicated teachers who took on the role as “SEL lead” have been working very hard to help support their colleagues and lead professional development to support their learning.
In the latest Office of Teaching and Learning online newsletter I sent to all families in October, I shared the links to a family letter for each grade level which outlines the topic of the unit and includes activities to do at home.
Our students are already engaging in Wayfinder lessons and creating connections to foster their sense of belonging. In grades K-5, students are engaging in lessons focused on foundational skills, which include caring for themselves and others, building confidence, and creating connections. One lesson the fifth graders just completed, focused on leadership and what it means to be a leader. For students in grades 6-9, their lessons are focused on belonging and what it means to belong to a community and a classroom of learners. For our students in grades 10-12, their lessons are focused on identifying their purpose and how their purpose will help them achieve their goals during high school and after they graduate.
Our middle and high school students just completed grade-level lessons designed to develop and deepen relationships with their peers to build community.
Q: What are the core skills you are hoping to focus on and develop?
A: Wayfinder is part of the Collaborative for Academic Social, Emotional Learning’s “SELect programming,” which includes a rigorous research evaluation process to be included. Wayfinder’s curriculum helps guide young people to access the skills and tools they need to thrive. Wayfinder’s curricular themes support students to meaningfully connect with their inner selves, their local communities and the wider world. Wayfinder’s research-backed six core skills (self-awareness, adaptability, empathy, collaboration, agency and purpose) go beyond typical SEL competencies to incorporate meaning-making, life readiness and critical thinking skills in order to connect classroom learning to the real world.
For example, for our 10th-grade students there is a lesson called “Love it, leave it, live for it,” which is designed to help students identify their passions as they start to identify their purpose so that they can navigate their lives with purpose.
Q: How does this tie in with the need to have a school-wide bullying prevention program?
A: Wayfinder integrates bullying prevention lessons into the core curriculum for our students. The program promotes empathy, respect and connections which in turn can reduce incidents of bullying. The Wayfinder lessons and activities are designed to help students build a supportive, connected community.
Q: Will you be collecting information to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and the impact on student skill development?
A: Wayfinder has a skill inventory assessment that will help us measure students’ development of the six core skills: self-awareness, adaptability, empathy, collaboration, agency and purpose. As part of our implementation plan, we will begin professional development for rolling out the assessment tool later this school year with the goal of it being fully operational at the start of next school year. The data from the skills inventory will help us evaluate the effectiveness and impact on students. A recent study conducted by Stanford University found that students who participated in the Wayfinder SEL curriculum in other school districts were positively impacted, so we are hopeful for the same results here in Marblehead. Since implementing Wayfinder, we have received positive feedback from both students and staff, which is very encouraging.
This column is part of a Marblehead Current and Marblehead Mental Health Task Force partnership.
