Sports-Focused Initiatives: A Way Through the Debate about SEL?

In the ongoing recovery from pandemic-precipitated school and life disruptions, student mental health and the need to integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) into classroom learning and school culture has been at the forefront of elementary education. In many cases this approach to supporting students’ social-emotional and cognitive development is popular with parents while in some instances it’s become a flashpoint for controversy. With sports-oriented SEL initiatives thriving in red and blue states, and rural, urban and suburban communities, a movement is emerging that draws the connections between sports — which include setting ambitious goals, teamwork, an athlete’s mindset to carry them through resilience and persistence — and the skills students need to succeed in the classroom. During the 2024 Summer Olympics, vast audiences were able to experience the grit and courage needed in sports and what it takes for a top athlete to get back up when they fall down, generating lessons that can be brought into the classroom with appeal to a diverse cross-section of students and families at all levels of learning and their families. With Olympic medalists and leaders in the field of sports-based SEL, this session will explore the importance of ensuring that students’ educational experiences include being part of safe and open culture where they can build trusting relationships and advance their developmental needs, and how sports can be a point of unity in the debate about SEL.

Attendees will hear from:

• Steve Mesler, Classroom Champions & Olympic Gold Medalist; and others TBD. 
• Andy Rotherham, Bellwether Education Partners, Moderator