![]() In the last two years, NPR found evidence of disputes specifically concerning social-emotional learning in at least 25 states. Social-emotional learning just seems like the latest."Īlthough its core concepts have been around nearly as long as public education itself, social-emotional learning is emerging as the latest lightning rod in the battles over what gets taught in schools nationwide.Īcross the country, parents and community members have protested angrily at school board meetings, administrators have distanced themselves from the term and legislators have introduced bills trying to ban it. "We saw multiple terms being linked to critical race theory. "Our school board meetings have been tense and they've gotten heated," says Natalie Allen, the district's chief communications and community engagement officer. Parents were asking their child's classroom teacher."īut one of the most visible places these concerns emerged was at the school board meetings. "Principals were being asked, 'Can you talk to me about how you use social-emotional learning in your school? Are there connections to critical race theory?" says Nichols, who coordinates professional learning for the district. That's because the questions involved a decades-old teaching concept many educators thought was settled, uncontroversial territory: the idea that, in order to learn, students need to know how to manage themselves and get along with others. ![]() ![]() ![]() What she does know is that no one really expected them in the first place, and no one expected them to keep coming – week after week, and now, year after year. Angelyn Nichols, an administrator for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, thinks it was sometime in early 2021. It's hard to pinpoint when exactly the questions started coming in. ![]()
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