Cleveland Metropolitan District Launched Social-Emotional Learning Program With CASEL in 2008

In 2008 Cleveland Metropolitan School District in Cleveland, Ohio, launched its Humanware initiative, of which social-emotional learning was a large part.

According to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s website, “Humanware is the safety strategy that addresses a scholar’s emotional well-being. It was formally established in 2008 to support the implementation of evidence-based Social Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies that will positively affect conditions for learning. Through the integration of the SEL framework into the educational instruction, all students will be academically and socially equipped to succeed.”

The Humanware section of the school district’s website features the CASEL Social and Emotional Learning Framework & Guides. CASEL, or the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, is an educational consultant that implements social-emotional learning in schools.

According to CASEL’s website, Cleveland Metropolitan School District was part of the 2011 Collaborating Districts Initiative which sought to integrate social-emotional learning into “complex” school districts, of which Cleveland Metropolitan School District was one.

According to CASEL’s website,

The bottom line: When implemented systemically, SEL can undergird all other educational priorities in ways that shape the district’s staff culture, family and community partnerships, and student outcomes.

In addition to a myriad of CASEL resources, Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s website features the “Curated List of SEL Resources for Remote Learning” and “Curated List of Anti-Racist Resources .” Below are some of the materials featured in the lists.

The “Curated List of SEL Resources for Remote Learning” lists a Medium article, “Addressing Prejudice and Building Racial Equity into America’s Schools” which states that “our educational system remains racially segregated….”

The list also references Panorama Education’s “15 Questions Your District Needs to Ask to Investigate and Address Equity.” One of the questions is, “How are our students thinking and feeling about equity and inclusion at school? “and recommends surveying students twice per year for “benchmarking.”