School leaders have recently been asked to consider how to support the social and emotional learning (SEL) of their students. How this can be done effectively is the subject of a recent brief, "Preparing for Effective SEL Implementation," by the EASEL (Ecological Approaches to Social Emotional Learning) Lab at Harvard University.

Several studies have shown that school-based programming in SEL is linked to a number of positive outcomes such as academic achievement and emotional well-being. But sometimes these programs don't make as much of a difference as prior evidence would suggest. The brief by Stephanie Jones and her team at EASEL, commissioned by the Wallace Foundation, posits that problems in the implementation phase can lead to less powerful results.

My mother’s mission upon learning of her pregnancy with my twin brother and me was to provide us with everything she never had. She wanted to open the world beyond Chicago and expose us to as many experiences and opportunities as possible. Growing up, we were busy kids.

Readiness. Quality. Equity.

These heady words are shorthand for big, complex ideas that, when activated, can change the odds that children, especially our most vulnerable children, will get the opportunities they need to succeed in life.

The Forum for Youth Investment recently brought together senior career federal government staff and leaders from nongovernmental organizations to hear about two promising approaches that utilize evidence-based practices as opposed to evidence-based programs.