Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

First Presenter’s Email Address

eric.bieniek@sru.edu

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Eric J. Bieniek, PhD is an associate professor in the Department of Special Education at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. He is also a licensed behavior specialist in the state of Pennsylvania (LBS) and board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D). Dr. Bieniek has a range of educational, clinical and supervisory experiences supporting the needs of learners having autism spectrum disorders and similar neurological, behavioral and emotional disorders across the lifespan in public, private educational settings as well as residential, community and vocational programs. Dr. Bieniek has also served as a curriculum developer for higher education and program developer for vocational and community programs for transition age learners. He also serves as an independent evaluator and expert witness supporting families of children involved in due process disputes. Finally, Dr. Bieniek has presented at a variety of professional conferences locally, regionally, nationally and internationally and is an author, with his most recent peer-reviewed publications being in The 2019, 2020 and 2021 American Association for Employment in Education Handbooks as well as a chapter in "Contemporary Issues in Special Education,1st edition." Dr. Bieniek received his PhD in Instructional Management and Leadership from Robert Morris University in 2011, his graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from Pennsylvania State University in 2003, his M.Ed in Educational Psychology from Indiana University of Pa in 2001 and his BA in Psychology from Edinboro University of Pa in 1999. He resides in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife and three children. He is an avid scuba diver and lover of all things outdoors.

Second Presenter's Institution

Millcreek Township School District

Second Presenter’s Email Address

jablonski@mtsd.org

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Jablonski has been involved in the professional field of education for the past 15 years. Garnering experience in varying public, private, and parochial settings, he has served in various educational capacities such as; teacher, coach, and instructional leader. As an instructional leader, Dr. Jablonski has been an administrator with the Millcreek Township School District over the past six years. His current role is Principal of Grandview Elementary. Dr. Jablonski is an advocate of equitable and inclusive practices for all learners. He currently serves on Millcreek Township School District’s Equity Team and his research interests are centered around individuals’ social and emotional competencies. His dissertation examined the efficacy of social-emotional learning and its regard to student behavioral outcomes, with a specific focus on those students with an emotional disturbance. Dr. Jablonski has an earned Bachelor’s degree from Mercyhurst University, a Master’s degree from Cleveland State University, Post-Master’s Educational Leadership credits from Edinboro University, and a Doctor of Education from Slippery Rock University. Additionally, he holds a Pennsylvania Principal K-12 Certification and has recently matriculated back to Edinboro University to attain his Superintendent Letter of Eligibility.

Location

Session Seven Breakouts

Strand #1

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Strand #2

Health: Mental & Physical Health

Relevance

The presentation will present information based on evidence-based research about the positive effects and impacts of Social Emotional Learning integration in schools.

Brief Program Description

Learners will be able to identify the core competencies of SEL. Learners will understand the research and evidence behind SEL programming. Learners will be able to examine an evidence base of behavioral effects and engage in a discourse about the findings.

Summary

This presentation will examine a school’s implementation of Second Step, an SEL curriculum. Specifically highlighting the behavioral effect on both regular education students and students in need of emotional support. Also discussed will be the impact on the school climate during a year where teachers were re-integrating from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evidence

Since the establishment of social emotional learning (SEL) as a conceptual framework to increase students’ prosocial and emotional competencies, research has been conducted to provide an evidence base to its programmatic effects. The study being discussed examined the efficacy of Second Step, a universally delivered SEL curriculum, during its implementation year. Evidence of efficacy is supplied through a mixed-method research design providing three separate data metrics for quantitative and qualitative analysis. The sample-set was derived from the behavior data of 505 students who attended a suburban K-5

elementary school in northwest Pennsylvania for two consecutive years. Also included in the sample are 22 teachers who participated in a voluntary survey. Quantitative analysis was conducted through a quasi-experimental design utilizing a McNemar test to determine the statistical significance of negative behavior prevalence in comparing two school years. Additional quantitative data was supplied through a Likert-scale questionnaire. Contextual qualitative information was supplied from an open-ended survey.

Through this study, it was determined that the Second Step SEL program had a statistically significant effect on the behaviors of students as well as an impact on the climate of the building. While teachers felt the stress of teaching the newly implemented SEL curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic, results from the study suggest that the benefits of implementing the program outweighed this negative effect. Results also showed an impact on students in the special education emotional support subgroup, a previously unstudied subgroup. The evidence this study provides will help schools work to strengthen their students’ social, emotional, and behavioral capacities in a post-pandemic setting.

Learning Objective 1

Learners will be able to identify the core competencies of SEL.

Learning Objective 2

Learners will understand the research and evidence behind SEL programming.

Learning Objective 3

Learners will be able to examine an evidence based approach teaching an SEL curriculum and engage in a discourse about the findings.

Keyword Descriptors

Social Emotional Learning, Second Step, Student Behavior, Emotional Support, School Climate, COVID-19

Presentation Year

2022

Start Date

3-8-2022 2:45 PM

End Date

3-8-2022 4:00 PM

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Mar 8th, 2:45 PM Mar 8th, 4:00 PM

Examining SEL in schools: an evidenced-based look at program implementation in a post-pandemic setting.

Session Seven Breakouts

Learners will be able to identify the core competencies of SEL. Learners will understand the research and evidence behind SEL programming. Learners will be able to examine an evidence base of behavioral effects and engage in a discourse about the findings.