Sow, Nurture, Thrive: Cultivating Inclusion from Pre-K to College

Social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD) addresses the whole child/student, which means taking a holistic approach to supporting students within a positive school climate that creates learning spaces where students feel emotionally and mentally safe to be their authentic selves.

September 11, 2023 by Ed Trust
Sow, Nurture, Thrive: Cultivating Inclusion from Pre-K to College #PlantingSEADs

All students deserve to learn in a school environment that supports their social and emotional growth from pre-K to college. This is especially crucial for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, who are disproportionately impacted by the pitfalls of a preexisting biased environment that does not consider the context in which students live.

When school and district leaders consider contexts like societal realities (e.g., racism, sexism, homophobia), individual realities (e.g., socioeconomic status, family dynamics, experiences in schools, access to opportunities), and cultural backgrounds to support students, it all influences social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD).

Social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD) addresses the whole child/student, which means taking a holistic approach to supporting students within a positive school climate that creates learning spaces where students feel emotionally and mentally safe to be their authentic selves.

What is SEAD?

Social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD) addresses the whole child/student, which means taking a holistic approach to supporting students within a positive school climate that creates learning spaces where students feel emotionally and mentally safe to be their authentic selves.

Students want to learn in a safe environment but today, Black and Latino students are grappling with a host of issues that negatively impact their mental well-being. Gun violence, discriminatory school discipline practices, an unending student-debt burden, classroom censorship, and an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, pose a constant threat to a safe and nurturing school climate.

To create physically safe and emotionally supportive environments for all students, schools and colleges must adopt evidence-based approaches. In this campaign, #PlantingSEADs, we are amplifying resources to support advocates, educators and school leaders in their efforts to cultivate an intentionally inclusive school environment from the P-12 to the higher-ed level. Learn more and share the resources below.

Honest History and Anti-DEI Bills

@edtrust There has always been representation in curricula & that representation is predominantly White. In a study that looked at 300 books, we found that almost 1/2 of the people of color centered in these books were stereotyped. That’s why we created a new book tool for representational balance to help curriculum publishers understand how people, groups & topics are represented in material. Check it out here: https://edtru.st/BookTool.#Teachers #teachersoftiktok#BookBans #representationmatters ♬ original sound – The Education Trust – EdTrust

@edtrust Anti-#Woke and anti-#CriticalRaceTheory legislation is not just an issue for the state of #Florida, says state Sen. Shevrin D. Jones. These kinds of legislation have devastating implications for the entire country. #fyp ♬ original sound – EdTrust