How do you ensure that your social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum is not only engaging, but also effective? Reimagine assessment as an integral part of the learning journey.   Committee for Children is thrilled to announce its partnership with Aperture, the leading provider of assessments that measure the outcomes and effectiveness of SEL curricula. Together, we have developed a set of strength-based, DESSA-aligned assessments for Second Step® Elementary (K–5) and Second Step® Middle School (6–8).   This partnership brings together decades of expertise, innovation, and ..read more

CEO Andrea Lovanhill on SEL Day and How to Really Make an Impact SEL Day is a global campaign that celebrates how social-emotional learning (SEL) supports children’s academic success, mental health, and well-being. From its grassroots origins in 2020, the event has grown to include more than 4,000 SEL champions representing all 50 US states and 88 countries who’ve made 11,000 commitments to promote and advocate for SEL. While every day is SEL Day for us at Committee for Children, we’re marking this year’s celebration with an interview featuring our CEO, Andrea Lovanhill. As a leading voice in ..read more

Discussions about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on students frequently focus on “learning loss” or “unfinished learning.”1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Most agree on the problem: students are struggling in school. But not everyone agrees on a solution. A recent New York Times op-ed titled “We Can Only Fight Learning Loss with Accountability and Action” argues that “we need to bring some tough love back to American education” by ensuring that underperforming schools “face stern consequences” and students “should know that it’s time to hit the books again.”7 Young people I work with at the youth-led Br ..read more

Imagine a classroom where every child, equipped with life skills through social-emotional learning (SEL), grows more empathetic, confident, and resilient every day. The power of SEL is not just a matter of academic theory; it’s a catalyst for profound personal growth. As extensive research highlights, when school communities embrace SEL, it can lead to heightened student well-being and academic achievement, enhanced prosocial behaviors, reduced disciplinary issues, and, overall, a brighter future for our children. But integrating comprehensive social-emotional learning on a school or dist ..read more

5 Easy Strategies Educators Can Use Every Day to Help Students Thrive As seen June 1, 2023, on eSchool News Adolescence is a time of intense change. Hormones released during puberty not only cause visible physical changes but also trigger an intense period of brain plasticity, or the ability of the brain to grow and reorganize based on experience.1 Because of these brain changes, adolescents and their parents navigate challenges even during the best of times—and it has not been the best of times. The US is facing a mental health crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.2 Recent research from t ..read more

In 2022, we launched the All Kids Safe and Well campaign to advocate for lawmakers to invest in primary prevention programs and services that teach life skills like communication, problem-solving, and stress management. Nearly one year later, these skills remain crucial to mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the youth mental health crisis on young people. Here are three key takeaways we’ve learned during the first year of advocating for primary prevention, life skills education, and children’s social-emotional well-being. There is broad agreement and support for prevention and ..read more

We sat down with Liliana Suero to learn more about her and what’s on her mind as she looks forward to the coming year. Thanks for sitting down with us, Liliana! You joined Committee for Children in 2022 as director of product management, and we’re excited to learn more about you. What are three things you’d like educators to know about you? Hello to all our friends, customers, and partners in education! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share a little about myself and our Second Step family of programs. One thing about me that can surprise people is that I have a computer science degr ..read more

The new year is often a time of renewal and change, and for educators, it’s a time to reset midway through the academic calendar. In my work as vice president of policy and advocacy at a global nonprofit that helps positively transform the well-being of more than 24.4 million children annually, this January marks a changing of the guard. Legislators elected in the 2022 midterms will be sworn in across the nation, and new legislative sessions will begin. It will be time for those of us in the field of education advocacy to test our mettle by engaging in the deep work of improving student well-b ..read more

We sat down with Liliana Suero to learn more about her and what’s on her mind as she looks forward to the coming year. Happy New Year, Liliana! You joined Committee for Children in 2022 as director of product management, and we’re excited to learn more about you. What are three things you’d like educators to know about you? Hello and Happy New Year to all our friends, customers, and partners in education! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share a little about myself and our Second Step family of programs. One thing about me that can surprise people is that I have a computer science de ..read more

Committee for Children’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO) Lee Wilson has more than three decades of experience in the K–12 market, with a background in education hardware, software, and textbooks. Most recently, he worked at Headway Strategies as a principal consultant advising more than 70 organizations across the K–12 education industry, including Committee for Children, on strategy and go-to-market programs. Wilson has served on the boards of Presence Learning, the Association of American Publishers, the Association of Educational Publishers, Student Achievement Partners, the Software and ..read more