How can school leaders support teachers in shifting their perspective on behavior and social-emotional development from expecting children to “know how to behave” to providing developmentally appropriate support through guidance, a supportive environment, and a positive classroom culture?
This module prepares education leaders to foster equitable P–3 learning environments by deepening their understanding of young children’s social-emotional development and the foundational competencies outlined by the California Department of Education, in addition to other research studies, and early-learning related frameworks. Leaders will learn to recognize how implicit bias shapes perceptions of student behavior—particularly for Black boys and multilingual learners—and how those perceptions can contribute to exclusionary discipline practices. The module challenges leaders to consider how racism, trauma, and historical oppression influence children’s development.
Key themes include social-emotional development, school readiness, identity, implicit bias, and exclusionary discipline, with attention to how these areas intersect. Leaders will explore how to support teachers in shifting from viewing behavior as solely a child’s responsibility to providing developmentally appropriate support through guidance, classroom culture, and a nurturing environment.
Participants will:
- Explore how educator practices influence the development of healthy student identities and affect disciplinary outcomes.
- Deepen your understanding of key social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies and their role in student growth.
- Analyze systemic factors contributing to disproportionate discipline for Black and Brown children.