Can SEL assessments support racial equity in schools? Demystifying the disrupter role of the SEL Specialist
By Melissa Lucas, PhD and Christina Cipriano, PhD
In 2022, Yale University partnered with Trajectory of Hope and the Urban Assembly to understand what it takes to really do SEL work in schools that’s sustainable towards the end of promoting racial equity and social justice. With funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, we introduced full-time staff into partner schools —SEL Specialists— and are following their respective and collective journeys navigating difficult conversations, how school communities are engaging around SEL and racial equity, and what opportunities exist to support implementation using novel SEL assessments as an intervention to support actionable and sustainable change in schools.
