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Research into .....
An Analysis of the Impact of Social Emotional Curriculum on Female Middle School Special Education Students in a Post Pandemic Era

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Background and Need  ​
Many students no longer conduct themselves in the classroom with the behavior and demeanor appropriate to school such as not answering when called on or refusing to interact positively with their peers . There is also the problem of students that show up for class but make excuses for not completing any of their class or homework. Students verbalize that they don’t want to be criticized for attempting to complete work.  The Pennsylvania State University August 2020 article entitled, “ Supporting School Community Wellness with Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) During and After a Pandemic” stated,  “according to a national survey of 3,300 adolescents, since the closing of school buildings, nearly 33% had feelings of depression and anxiety, and more than 25% reported a lack of connection to peers, teachers, and school communities.2 Just two weeks into the pandemic, more than 5,000 teachers reported feeling anxious, fearful, worried, overwhelmed, and sad, with anxiety by far the most frequently mentioned emotion.3” (Cipriano, Rappolt-Schlichtmann, & Brackett, 2020) .
In this era of post pandemic education, it is important for students to return to how classroom life was before quarantine occurred.  Students have been isolated behind a computer screen for a year  and have lost how to deal with being back in the classroom and interacting in face to face situations. During zoom,  students could turn their cameras off and not have to interact/ engage with other peers or their teachers.  
Now that school has returned to face to face, email seems like a logical way to communicate with your teacher if you need any help. But, even that has even turned out to be an obstacle for some.  There is a need for students to start advocating for themselves when they are in a difficult learning situation  and not let their opportunity to learn glide right by them.  The responsibility does not fall on just the students’ shoulders but also the classroom teacher’s.  It is important to see if a targeted Social Emotional Learning program can help increase students' social and academic ability.

Literature Review

Review of the Literature
     Social Emotional Learning has recently become an interest of educators and more so since the Covid 19 Pandemic started changing the landscape of school  instruction. The California Department of Education(CDE) strives to incorporate a high-quality, equity-focused Social Emotional Program throughout the California Education System. The CDE seeks a vision to advance a “Whole Child Approach”   to education, as stated in the California Department of Education’s  Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).  The Whole Child Resources web page discusses what areas are to be implemented to help promote and improve students’ health and learning to thrive in our twenty-first-century skills through high expectations and a positive school climate. (CDE)
According to the California Department of Education, “Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) reflects the critical role of positive relationships and emotional connections in the learning process and helps students develop a range of skills they need for school and life. SEL skills include the ability to:

• set and achieve positive goals
  
• feel and show empathy for others
  
• establish and maintain positive relationships
  
• make responsible decisions
  
• understand and manage emotions
  

All these skills are necessary for  students to function well in the classroom, in the community, in college, in careers, and life in general” (CDE, 2021))
CASEL’s literature discusses that Social-Emotional Learning is a systematic strategy and just an intervention that promotes social-emotional growth for all students regardless of abilities. This program includes opportunities to discuss problems and solutions, challenges, and inequities they see or experience. This purpose is to give them the practice of using their voice in their schools and community. ( CASEL, 2022) 
 
In the YouthTruth, Students Weigh In, Part III : Learning and Well-Being During Covid 19, Out of the 78 percent of students that answered the survey, the most frequently reported obstacles to learning were feeling depressed, stressed, and anxious. 
There is the belief that students in middle school are old enough to take ownership of communicating about their progress and needs. Most schools establish trimester conferences that include students to discuss their reflections about their learning and insight into what skills need to be developed through direct participation. Students are expected before starting high school to be able to identify and self-advocate what obstacles they are facing. In high school, there is the expectation that students are capable of exploring and understanding their motivations,  strengths, and needs. (Bottle, 1998)
      Self-advocacy skills are considered a subset of self-determination. Some programs for self-advocacy instruction focus on specific topics, for example, effective communication, identifying,  requesting modifications and accommodations, and the knowledge of responsibilities and personal rights. (Pock,2002) In the article, Teaching self-determination: Empowered teachers, empowered students, it states  “students need to be overly taught the skill imperative for self-determination to become empowered.” (Jones,2006)  Behavior through Self -Advocacy  states, "The research on self-advocacy clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of placing the student in charge of identifying goals, devising strategies to achieve them, and reflecting on as well as making adjustments based on progress.” (Sebag, 2010).  The ultimate result of self-advocacy is demonstrating different strategies to achieve a specific goal.  
The New Tech Network Rubric was researched and established as a model to guide schools in supporting students' outcomes in their postsecondary and career success.  The rubric describes each outcome as it relates to the student's current functioning. The levels are written as Emerging, Developing, Proficient, and Advance.  The six areas of this rubric have been developed to help ensure that students are provided with regular feedback on their growth of skill acquisition.(NTN,2016)
The Panorama Survey was launched in the fall of 2014 as a valuable tool for schools and school districts. The Panorama Survey was based on research to help schools and districts to learn how to improve their effectiveness with teaching through student voices. The surveys are highly customized, and easy-to-use platforms of questions that provide information on how to engage students. The survey was established by collaborating with Panorama Education and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The Student survey has been substantiated from the most advanced methodology. The scales have been rooted in a body of evidence and across specific topics, uses and contexts. The student surveys provide feedback with valuable information and data on how students see their classes and what can be done to improve the school environment. Collecting and gathering data from students, reveals an effective role to help provide feedback. An important feature of the survey is it is customizable to collect data on specific topics of inquiry.(Panorama Survey Guide, 2015)

Design Process

Support and Next Steps