EDC to Continue Leadership of Social, Emotional, and Behavior Academy
EDC has received a three-year award from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to continue to lead the Social, Emotional, and Behavior (SEB) Academy. The May Institute, a nonprofit specializing in implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), will continue to partner with EDC in the SEB Academy.
The SEB Academy is a statewide training and coaching initiative that helps schools and districts implement multi-tiered systems of supports to promote students’ social and emotional learning, positive behavior, and mental health. To date, the SEB Academy has reached over 196,600 students in 180 schools and 60 districts across Massachusetts. The academy’s unique evidence-based approach to training, customized coaching, and tools is enabling participating Massachusetts districts to establish data-driven, sustainable, and culturally responsive supports that help their students thrive.
Over the next three years, a key priority will be to incorporate the five elements outlined by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy in his 2021 advisory, Protecting Youth Mental Health, with a focus on the use of data and evidence-based practices to identify and address barriers to equity.
Dr. Shai Fuxman, a principal research scientist at EDC who leads the project, says, “We are so pleased to continue this partnership with Massachusetts DESE and the May Institute to ensure students’ wellbeing across the state. We look forward to building on the current successes of the SEB Academy to respond to Dr. Murthy’s call to action and support districts in sustaining a strong systematic approach to promoting equity and meeting students’ needs.”
Participating schools and districts are anticipated to achieve the following outcomes:
- Increase students’ social and emotional competencies
- Increase students’ academic achievement
- Decrease mental health and behavior-related challenges
- Decrease disparities in mental health and behavior-related referrals
- Increase students’ and educators’ positive perceptions of school climate and sense of belonging
Watch a video about the SEB Academy’s work:
Explore EDC Solutions for Education & Wellbeing, and learn more about our social and emotional learning work.