At the end of the last century, social emotional learning (SEL) emerged as a relevant theme in education all over the world. What is SEL? SEL may be defined as a multidimensional construct orchestrating individuals’ ability to identify and manage emotions, feelings, and concern for others, as well as to organize and manage behaviors toward goals, solve problems and develop positive relationships. SEL has been gaining growing popularity among researchers and practitioners. Still, there is a reasonable degree of ambiguity regarding the concept. In fact, the term is often used as an umbrella for many types of programs and interventions from distinct areas such as school, public health, mental health or character education, addressing the vulnerability of children and youth to various social and psychological problems. What is more, topics covered under the SEL umbrella are diverse as follows: emotions, cognition (including multiple intelligences), motivation, socialization in schools and families, and self-regulation and its effects.

Though recent legislation embedded with the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act mandates the use of evidence in school-based practice to demonstrate positive outcomes for all students, school social workers - especially those long out of school - often lack the conceptual tools to locate, evaluate, and apply evidence in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of their work. The first of its kind tailored specifically to this audience, this SSAAA Workshop title guides school professionals in infusing research throughout their daily practice. It shows school service providers a pragmatic approach to informing every major practice decision with the appropriate research so that students receive the best possible services. This includes how to use research to make reliable and valid assessments, how to use research to choose the best intervention, and how to do research to evaluate progress. Raines goes beyond creating a catalog of interventions that will soon be outdated and provides school social workers with a detailed road map of the EBP process. Chapters detail the nuts and bolts of EBP, explaining how to ask a relevant, answerable question; where to search for evidence; how to appraise the literature and avoid the pitfalls of web based information; how to adapt and apply the evidence in a developmentally and culturally sensitive way; and how to evaluate the results. Detailed examples along the way, including sample spreadsheets practitioners can easily adapt to evaluate their students' progress, bring accountability within reach for school professionals who struggle to find the time, resources, and support sufficient to apply the best evidence to their schools.

Americans have long recognized that investments in public education contribute to the common good, enhancing national prosperity and supporting stable families, neighborhoods, and communities. Education is even more critical today, in the face of economic, environmental, and social challenges. Today's children can meet future challenges if their schooling and informal learning activities prepare them for adult roles as citizens, employees, managers, parents, volunteers, and entrepreneurs. To achieve their full potential as adults, young people need to develop a range of skills and knowledge that facilitate mastery and application of English, mathematics, and other school subjects. At the same time, business and political leaders are increasingly asking schools to develop skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and self-management - often referred to as "21st century skills." Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century describes this important set of key skills that increase deeper learning, college and career readiness, student-centered learning, and higher order thinking. These labels include both cognitive and non-cognitive skills- such as critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, effective communication, motivation, persistence, and learning to learn. 21st century skills also include creativity, innovation, and ethics that are important to later success and may be developed in formal or informal learning environments. This report also describes how these skills relate to each other and to more traditional academic skills and content in the key disciplines of reading, mathematics, and science. Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century summarizes the findings of the research that investigates the importance of such skills to success in education, work, and other areas of adult responsibility and that demonstrates the importance of developing these skills in K-16 education. In this report, features related to learning these skills are identified, which include teacher professional development, curriculum, assessment, after-school and out-of-school programs, and informal learning centers such as exhibits and museums.

This handbook presents a diverse range of effective treatment approaches for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Its triple focus on key concepts, treatment and training modalities, and evidence-based interventions for challenging behaviors of individuals with IDD provides a solid foundation for effective treatment strategies, theory-to-implementation issues, and the philosophical and moral aspects of care. Expert contributions advocate for changes in treating individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by emphasizing caregiver support as well as respecting and encouraging client autonomy, self-determination, and choice. With its quality-of-life approach, the handbook details practices that are person-centered and supportive as well as therapeutically sound. Topics featured in the handbook include: Functional and preference assessments for clinical decision making. Treatment modalities from cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy to mindfulness, telehealth, and assistive technologies. Self-determination and choice as well as community living skills. Quality-of-life issues for individuals with IDD. Early intensive behavior interventions for autism spectrum disorder. Skills training for parents of children with IDD as well as staff training in positive behavior support. Evidence-based interventions for a wide range of challenging behaviors and issues. The Handbook of Evidence-Based Practices in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians, scientist-practitioners, and graduate students in clinical psychology, social work, behavior therapy, and rehabilitation.

In the landscape of global education, there is a dire shortage of teachers, exacerbated by declining enrollment rates and a mass exodus of educators, particularly in urban settings. UNESCO's revelation that millions of teachers are needed by 2030 underscores the critical gaps in our ability to provide quality education. As the education sector grapples with these challenges, Transforming Teacher Preparation Through Identity, Development, and Effective Technologies, offers valuable solutions. This compilation responds to the pressing need for a paradigm shift in teacher preparation, offering insights, recommendations, and diverse perspectives from experts worldwide to address the current crisis and shape the future of education. Teacher shortages and diminishing enrollment rates, coupled with the departure of educators, pose a significant threat to the quality of education globally. Urban areas, in particular, witness a disproportionate exodus of educators, creating disparities that impact the most vulnerable students. The COVID-19 pandemic has further emphasized the need for innovative, technology-driven solutions in teacher preparation. As schools deal with these issues, the imperative is to not only reflect on the current state of teacher preparation but also to set forth recommendations that will transform the field, ensuring a robust and resilient education system for the years to come.

Motivating the SEL Field Forward Through Equity looks for a deeper critical understanding of the role of social and emotional learning (SEL) as a lever for equitable access to the competencies and skills individuals will ultimately need to be successful in school, work, and life.

Divided into two volumes, Handbook of Special Education Research provides a comprehensive overview of critical issues in special education research. This first volume addresses key topics in theory, methods, and development, exploring how these three domains interconnect to build effective special education research. Each chapter features considerations for future research and implications for fostering continuous improvement and innovation. Essential reading for researchers and students of special education, this handbook brings together diverse and complementary perspectives to help move the field forward.

Responsive learning and responsible learning have not been considered and utilized appropriately in the past, especially in light of the post-pandemic higher education landscape. A discussion and consideration of the different elements that make up responsive and responsible learning such as agency, agility, mindfulness, connectedness, resourcefulness, active and seamless learning, and regulation of learning are required to advance the field of higher education. Cases on Responsive and Responsible Learning in Higher Education encompasses cases on responsive and responsible learning in higher education and focuses on how the concepts are translated into practice by instructors, learning facilitators, and higher education managers. The book also deals with various practicalities and strategies and adopts existing models and frameworks for 21st century learning. Covering key topics such as learner agency, mindfulness, and personalized learning, this reference work is ideal for administrators, policymakers, researchers, academicians, practitioners, scholars, instructors, and students.

Educators who work with students with disabilities have the unique challenge of providing comprehensive and quality educational experiences for students who have a wide range of abilities and levels of focus. Pedagogies and educational strategies can be applied across a student population, though they tend to have varied success. Developing adaptive teaching methods that provide quality experiences for students with varied disabilities are necessary to promote success for as many of these students as possible. Special Education Design and Development Tools for School Rehabilitation Professionals is a comprehensive research publication that examines special education practices and provides in-depth evaluations of pedagogical practices for improved educational experiences for students with disabilities. Highlighting a range of topics such as bilingual education, psychometrics, and physical education, this book is ideal for special education teachers, instructors, rehabilitation professionals, academicians, school administrators, instructional designers, curriculum developers, principals, educational software developers, researchers, and students.