October 2025: Newsletter
Celebrating 16 Years
Last month, we celebrated 16 years as a Center alongside our incredible community of supporters and partners at our annual event, Upstream: Changing the Current in Education. It was a joyful night filled with vibrant music from local organ jazz group Jazz the Glass Trio, a photo booth generously donated by Photomatica, delicious Mediterranean fare from La Méditeranée, and incredible wine thoughtfully provided by Cultivar and Oakville East Wines.
Throughout the evening, we highlighted our ongoing efforts in Minneapolis Public Schools and with teacher educators across Oregon, as well as new initiatives with San José State University’s Early Childhood Institute to examine our Framework and develop resources for early childhood educators. We also shared about our partnership with Notre Dame de Namur University to strengthen their work in preparing teachers for the social, emotional, and cultural dimensions of teaching.
A true highlight of the night was honoring Dr. Dawn White of Minneapolis Public Schools with the Dr. Patty Swanson Trailblazer Award (see below) in recognition of her innovative and impactful leadership in supporting special education teachers to nurture the whole child and help all students flourish.
Highlights from our Annual Event, Upstream: Changing the Current in Education (San Francisco, CA)
Gratitude for Our Sponsors
We’d like to thank our event sponsors who helped to make this evening possible!
Dr. Patty Swanson Trailblazer Award: Dr. Dawn White (Minneapolis Public Schools)
Dr. Dawn White has designed an innovative Grow-Your-Own Teacher Preparation Program for Special Education teachers within Minneapolis Public Schools – building a pipeline of diverse teachers who are equipped to reach and teach the whole child. She is a Center champion – integrating our Framework throughout the program modules, assignments, and coursework. Her efforts serve as a model for bringing a whole child approach to the way we prepare teachers in alternative licensure pathways.
Strengthening Our Mission Through Transformative Leadership
We are also thrilled to announce a new role for our very own Rachel Bacosa – Director of Transformative Practice Integration. Rachel has supported, innovated, and pushed the work of the Center forward for 15 years – in her role as our Professional Development Lead and Project Coordinator, as well as a cooperating teacher, SEL Instructional Coach, and Social, Emotional, and Cultural Programmatic TOSA in Sunnyvale School District. Rachel brings an invaluable perspective to our work that centers a focus on equity, culturally responsive pedagogy, and resilience. We are looking forward to the ways in which she will continue to propel our organization forward in this new role!
A New Article from Our Executive Director
Check out a new article from our Executive Director (Dr. Rebecca Baelen) in Learning and Individual Differences, “Suggestions for culturally inclusive learning: Integrating diversity in educational research and promoting inclusive social and emotional learning support for all.” The article focuses on the need for educators to implement culturally inclusive social and emotional learning (SEL) experiences in schools – considering students’ diverse demographics and the intersectionality of different learning needs. In this article, the authors highlight the Center for Reaching & Teaching the Whole Child’s (CRTWC) Anchor Competencies Framework and the importance of using a guiding framework that centers adult SEL to equip teachers for this work early on in teacher preparation.
Interesting Reads
Disentangling the Effects of Social and Emotional Learning Programs on Student Academic Achievement Across Grades 1–12: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (Review of Educational Research)
This systematic review and meta-analysis reviewed 40 empirical studies (n = 40) conducted between 2008 and 2020 and explored the effect of SEL programs on students’ academic achievement across first through twelfth grade. Findings reveal that students in grades 1–12 who participated in universal school-based SEL programs demonstrated better academic achievement compared to those who did not participate. Analyses further confirmed that student standardized test scores and grade point averages are improved by participating in SEL programs. Furthermore, students showed significantly improved achievement in both literacy and math across grades 1–12, suggesting the impact of SEL across academic domains.
5 Powerful New Studies on Teacher Competence, Preparation, and Adult SEL from the SEL Journal
Selected by the managing editor of Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy (otherwise known as the SEL Journal), these five must-read articles highlight the pivotal role of educators in advancing social and emotional learning (SEL) within schools and teacher preparation. Together, they underscore that educator competencies are multifaceted, encompassing not only the delivery of SEL instruction but also teachers’ own social-emotional competence (SEC), their multicultural efficacy, and their perceptions of the policies that shape school contexts. Collectively, these studies reinforce that supporting educators—through training, policy, and system-wide investment—is central to ensuring SEL fulfills its promise of fostering thriving, resilient, and equitable learning environments.
Thank you for your continued belief and support of the Center. Please consider making a donation to help both educators and students to thrive.
