MO families critical of state's proposed social-emotional learning framework for schools

Asked to weigh in on a set of proposed social-emotional learning standards for Missouri public schools, the public did not hold back.

Parents, teachers, community members and others submitted in excess of 1,800 comments — significantly more than usual.

Social-emotional learning, or SEL, includes teaching self-awareness, self-control and interpersonal skills needed for success in life, work and school.

The state Board of Education is expected to discuss the feedback, which included heavy opposition, and possible next steps at its meeting Tuesday.

"We wanted to see input from any Missouri citizens that had something to say or had some specific feedback on the work," said Mallory McGowin, chief communications officer for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The agenda item for the meeting is 698 pages long and include hundreds of pages of comments, the bulk of which question or reject the proposed standards.

"You can see in the comments there is a lot of confusion about what we're doing here and so it is clear that we need to have some important conversations," she said. "Any and all next steps are on the table."

Opposition associates SEL with culture war issues

Parents dominated the comments, followed by community members, and both groups leveled sharp criticism.

They described the standards as neo-Marxist indoctrination, leftist or socialist propaganda, and a "Trojan Horse" for diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum.

Numerous comments allege the SEL framework is akin to "grooming," that it includes "gender ideology" and is being pushed by outside forces including teacher unions.

"I don't trust the school or teachers' ability to develop a child's sense of self without bias," a commenter wrote. "There are many teachers that have personal agendas that are detrimental to our youth. Teachers see themselves as activists and promote anti-bias, anti-racist ideals, gender ideologies, etc. in the classroom."

Commenters argued the type of interpersonal skills referenced in the framework ought to be taught at home.

"We abide by Biblical principles of right and wrong and will not agree with your views of right and wrong," a commenter wrote. "My child's emotions will not be steered by a school or outside of the home. It is up to parents, not teachers."

Another recurring theme is that SEL allegedly encourages "teachers to practice psychology without a license" and there should be more of an emphasis on academics and less on addressing students' social and emotional needs.

A comment read: "This seems like a waste of time and money when scores are down."

There were comments questioning who would decide what feelings and emotions were acceptable.

A limited number of comments involved swear words, accusations and name-calling. Some comments were identical, suggesting the same person commented more than once or multiple people copied and pasted the sentences.

Others were short and to the point including "waste of time," "not acceptable" and "unneeded."

Support from teachers, education professionals

Though not as outspoken, there was also strong support for the proposed framework, especially among teachers and school leaders in the school setting.

They argued the standards will prepare students to navigate social interactions and relationships effectively, foster empathy, and build the communication, teamwork, and conflict resolution skills needed in and out of the classroom.

Support was also high among mental health providers in the schools and in private practice.

"Emotional regulation has to be learned for someone to become a well-adjusted adult," one commenter wrote. "I would hope this is something students are learning at home but I think we can recognize it is often not. I am grateful Missouri plans to prioritize this in public education."

Another wrote: "If more of us had this type of instruction incorporated into our formal K-12 education decades ago, we would likely be better able to engage in dialogue about different viewpoints now rather than the deplorable personal attacks that seem to permeate both local and national 'discussions' where differences are evident."

There were comments calling the standards appropriate, necessary and "well defined."

"I really like the piece about respecting others who may be different than us," one commenter wrote.

Of the 1,800 comments, 153 were from Greene County, the third highest behind St. Louis and St. Charles, and just ahead of Boone and Christian counties.

SEL part of teacher recruitment, retention efforts

The push to develop social-emotional learning standards originated with the work of the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Blue Ribbon Commission.

McGowin said the first phase of the commission — dominated by business and community leaders — was focused on teacher pay but concern about workplace culture and climate surfaced early on.

"We keep hearing over and over from educators that there are growing issues related to student behaviors and their ability to manage their classrooms and students within them with the behaviors they're presenting," she said. "We are also hearing more recently from more and more Missouri students ... that this is a real limiting factor for some of them. They're saying the behavior of their classmates and their teachers' inability to manage all of those behaviors in a classroom setting really stands in the way ... of their learning."

As a result of that feedback, the state board asked DESE to create the SEL standards work group to come up with a set of proposed standards.

There are a smattering of schools and districts across Missouri that have implemented SEL-related programs and the goal with creating standards was to bring consistency to the approach.

McGowin said goal of all parties was to explore if SEL could improve student behavior and classroom management to reduce distractions and improve the learning environment.

"Improved teacher retention would hopefully be a byproduct of these standards if they move forward and if they are implemented," she said.

But, she noted, there are many other positive outcomes possible outside of school.

"We continue to hear from business and industry that schools need to work with students on those employability skills. They used to be referred to as soft skills ... just those basics of learning how to work with people to people ... learning how to have respect for one another, learning how to have healthy debate and dialogue. These are all things we use every day in the workplace."

There are many comments arguing that SEL is not the role of the school and that teachers ought to focus solely on the academic lessons.

McGowin said DESE is trying to balance that feedback with input from teachers and students who say that student behavior and classroom management issues must be addressed.

Feedback process creates confusion

In developing the SEL standards, DESE opted to used a public comment process that was used to develop Missouri Learning Standards — what students ought to know and be able to demonstrate in various subjects and grade levels — as well as rule-making.

McGowin said by using the same process to gather feedback, there has been confusion about how SEL will be used and even if it will be measured as part of accountability and accreditation. She said it will not.

"These social-emotional learning standards wouldn't be used in the same way as the Missouri Learning Standards are used in the (state-mandated) testing world and the accountability world in determining what concepts students should be mastering in what particular grade level," she said.

She said DESE used the format because it was familiar and a reliable way to get widespread input.

DESE sought to develop standards so schools and districts that wanted to implement SEL standards were aligned on the same page.

McGowin said schools across Missouri have embraced SEL in different ways — imbedded the standards into other lessons or teaching them separately — and urged parents to ask questions.

"There has been so much misinformation about what social-emotional learning is and more importantly what is it is not and we would encourage Missouri families to reach out to their schools if they have questions about those concepts," she said.

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DESE officials have said the concepts and skills taught as part of SEL are critical for any graduate to obtain as they navigate college and careers.

"We certainly see them as integral to the educational process," McGowin said. "You'll see a lot of comments that talk about this is the role of the family. It is important to note that from a (DESE) perspective, we couldn't agree more. The very best climate and culture examples that you see in schools across the country are those that have incredible engagement with their families ... It does take everyone."

She added: "There are instances, however, where that doesn't happen at home and in order to make sure those students can be successful, we need to have some of those conversations at school also."

Proposed SEL learning standards

The proposed K-12 framework includes developing a healthy sense of self, relationship-building skills critical to employment and life success and social skills that foster healthy relationships to treat others with kindness and respect.

Examples of what students should be able to demonstrate as a result of SEL:

• Processing and managing one's own thoughts and behaviors to regulate emotions in a healthy manner;

• Examining one's own behavior, taking ownership and being accountable for one's actions;

• Setting, monitoring and achieving goals with perseverance;

• Effective teamwork, collaboration and cooperation;

• Constructive decision-making, problem solving and conflict resolution;

• Understanding others' feelings or emotions accurately;

• Respect, kindness and civility while treating others with dignity;

• Advocacy for self to promote health, safety and personal needs;

• Adjusting behavior to different settings and situations as needed;

• Advocacy for others as individuals or communities.

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Proposed social-emotional learning plan in MO schools criticized