Social Emotional Learning
In support of the Whole Student and Equity goals of the Portland Promise, Portland Public Schools is working hard to ensure that ALL students feel safe, believe there is an adult at school who cares about them, and perceive themselves as having the habits and skills to manage relationships and self effectively.
Additionally, PPS is vigilant in supporting each and every student’s particular path to achieving high standards and rooting out systematic and ongoing inequalities.
We are working to achieve these aims by:
- Engaging with high quality/rigorous instruction,
- Collecting and using disaggregated discipline data,
- Developing policies that support disciplinary equity,
- Learning to identify and address implicit bias, and
- Strengthening our behavioral health continuum.
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults:
- Understand and manage emotions
- Set and achieve positive goals
- Feel and show empathy for others
- Establish and maintain positive relationships
- Make responsible decisions
At the elementary level, our district has adopted Second Step and is launching a pilot of Facing History and Ourselves at the middle and high school levels, both evidence-based programs designed to explicitly teach students how to identify and manage their emotions, get along with others and problem-solve. Second Step is a tier I, universal support that fits within the PBIS framework.
For more information:
