Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

– CASEL

INTRO

Schoolwide norms are a set of agreed-upon expectations of how all students and staff will behave and interact to contribute to a positive school climate. This activity helps define what your schoolwide norms will be.

OBJECTIVES

Develop schoolwide norms with feedback from the entire school

RESOURCES

PDF: The CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL Essentials

Below are some suggested approaches for collaboratively developing schoolwide norms.

Schoolwide social and emotional learning (SEL) is a systemic approach to infusing social and emotional learning into every part of students’ educational experience — across all classrooms, during all parts of the school day and out-of-school time, and in partnership with families and communities.

Schoolwide norms are a set of agreed-upon expectations of how all students and staff will behave and interact to contribute to a positive school climate. Once developed, it’s important to create opportunities to share and reinforce these norms with all staff, students and community partners.

Student-Led Classroom Voting:

With older youth, norms can be more powerful and engaging if students are invited to lead the norm-development process.

Identify student representatives from each classroom that represent the diversity of the school. It’s important that representatives are not your traditional school leaders, but students who represent different perspectives, achievement levels, behaviors, cultures, values, etc.

Engage the group in a discussion around the meaning and purpose of schoolwide norms. This group should then decide on a process for engaging the larger student body in creating norms. You may choose to use the following steps as guidance for a process.

In each classroom or homeroom, the student representative introduces the exercise by explaining that as a school they will be developing schoolwide norms, and that all students and staff are invited to submit recommendations for norms.

The student representative then explains the definition, purpose and importance of norms and gives examples of what norms might look like.

The student representative asks students to share reflections on guiding questions such as:

What type of school do you want to be a part of?
What would it look like and sound like?
How would people talk to each other?
How would people resolve a problem or a conflict?

Next, the student representative opens the floor for suggestions, keeping notes on a whiteboard or chart paper until they have 5 to 10 suggestions for norms. Student representatives then submit their classroom’s suggestions to the SEL team.

SEL Team

The SEL team can then create a survey in which all students and staff vote on the norms that best represent the common themes, and choose the top three to five norms.

In addition to posting the norms throughout the building, many schools develop lesson plans, host school assemblies, and embed norms into daily school activities. It’s vital to regularly reflect on the norms, celebrate examples, address lapses, and keep them alive and authentic throughout the school community all year long.

What is CASEL?

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is the country’s leading PreK-12 SEL practice, policy and research organization. For 25 years, CASEL has been a trusted source for knowledge about high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) and has made the case for SEL as an integral part of education. Through research, practice, and policy, CASEL collaborates with thought leaders to equip educators and policymakers with the knowledge and resources to advance social and emotional learning in equitable learning environments so all students can thrive. Watch the below short video about CASEL to learn more.