Social emotional learning curriculum implementation: an evaluation study of fidelity

2019-04-25The United States is noted as having one of the highest depression rates of any developed nation in the world, reaching 20% (Sznitman, Reisel, & Romer, 2011). This rate implies nearly one-fifth of American students are suffering from depression, which multiplies the risk of attempting suicide by 12 (Sznitman et al., 2011). Percentages increase as we explore the needs separating underserved communities. As a result of a lack of social-emotional emphasis in school curriculums, the inability to release common stressors in school through social-emotional support leaves students unwilling to remain engaged with instruction (Slaten, Rivera, Schemwell, & Elison, 2016). Research indicates that a student’s emotional well-being directly correlates with educational achievement (Sznitman et al., 2011). Providing consistent social emotional standards in schoolwide curriculums increases academic achievement by 11 to 17 percentile points (Engle & Black, 2008). Inconsistent access to adequate social-emotional support leaves a student at risk of depression and damages their capacity for self-care (Sznitman et al., 2011). To support academic improvement, fidelity from teacher implementation toward student instructional gain is a priority in approaching social-emotional learning gaps