Connect with IFSEL

Session Presenters

Meet with IFSEL

We at IFSEL are passionate about SEL! We want to learn more about your districts and schools, and share our SEL implementation experience.

We are offering 15 minute 'non-salesy' meetings for any educator.

To make this a productive 15 minutes, you can use our SEL Audit & Reflection Tool and we can review your responses when we meet or we can discuss other topics.

We promise to make this meeting worth your time.

Schedule a Meeting

Session Resources & Lessons

Social & Emotional Competencies

Student Skills & Mindsets

Educator Practices

Session Slides

Check-In

Layers of Feelings

Ants on a Log Cooperative Challenge  

Traffic Jam Cooperative Challenge

Boundaries

Unfolding Perspectives

Resources

Boys Do Cry
Matt Pinkett

Schools are undergoing a mental health crisis and adult statistics surrounding male suicide paint a bleak picture of the future for boys in our schools. From bullying and sexism to traditional ideals of masculinity, outdated expectations of what it is to be male are causing boys to suffer. Research also shows that this is having a negative impact on girls in our schools.

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Boys, A Rescue Plan
Michael Gurian and Sean Kullman

An emotional and epic journey through the issues boys face and the solutions proven to help them, Boys, A Rescue Plan is a powerful and profound read for parents, citizens, legislators, and anyone involved in the care of our sons.

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Global Initiative for Boys and Men

The Global Initiative for Boys and Men supports boys, men, and families through research and advocacy. Their professional staff works closely with leading researchers, community groups, public and private institutions, and policy makers to support boys and men and the women who love them.

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International Boys' Schools Coalition Podcast

The International Boys' Schools Coalition champions boys' education. This regular podcast that delves into and examines current issues affecting boys, teachers of boys and boys' schools.

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Of Boys and Men
Richard V. Reeves

Boys are falling behind at school and college because the educational system is structed in ways that put them at a disadvantage. Men are struggling in the labour market because of an economic shift away from traditionally male jobs. And fathers are dislocated because the cultural role of family provider has been hollowed out. The male malaise is not the result of a mass psychological breakdown, but of deep structural challenges.

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Oh Boy
Michael C. Nagel

This engaging book takes a close look at the male brain – how it develops, and how it is different – and the crucial role it plays in how a boy thinks, learns and engages with the world.

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On Boys
Jennifer L.W. Fink and Janet Allison

Real talk about parenting, teaching and reaching tomorrow's men.

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Rebels with a Cause
Niobe Way

From NYU professor of developmental psychology Niobe Way, an in-depth exploration about what boys and young men teach us about themselves, us, and the toxic culture we have created, one in which we value money over people, toys over human connection, and academic achievement over kindness. Based on her longitudinal and mixed-method research over thirty-five years, Rebels with a Cause is a true call to action to change the culture so that we stop the vicious cycle of violence and blame.

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Reclaiming Possibility
David E. Kirkland
Word in Black

David E. Kirkland, founder and CEO of forwardED, says if we lift up Black males, the entire educational system will radically transform.

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Say No to “Boys Will Be Boys”
Colleen Clemens
Learning for Justice - Southern Poverty Law Center

This article is the second in a three-part series on toxic masculinity. How can we disrupt toxic masculinity in our boys as they come of age? Let’s start by eliminating some phrases from our homes and classrooms.

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Toxic Masculinity Is Bad for Everyone
Colleen Clemens
Learning for Justice - Southern Poverty Law Center

This article is the third in a three-part series on toxic masculinity. While we as a society work together for solutions to end mass violence, we educators need to rethink how we teach masculinity through our deeds and actions.

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What We Mean When We Say, “Toxic Masculinity”
Colleen Clemens
Learning for Justice - Southern Poverty Law Center

This article is the first in a three-part series on toxic masculinity. How to help students make sense of the current news cycle? The term “toxic masculinity” can be useful vocabulary for these conversations.

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Summer SEL Institutes

Institutes bring together K-12 teachers, administrators and counselors from around the world for a professional development program that builds on evidence based SEL practices. The Institute provides participants with
inspiration and current research as well as practical lessons and resources.

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Themed Workshops

SEL Leadership Program

Next Cohort Starts October 2025

The SEL Leadership Program supports leaders and educators around the world to build and sustain an inclusive, equitable, SEL-rooted school community.

This program is experiential, inspiring, and renewing - providing a balance of high impact practical tools and approaches, alongside space for collaboration and reflection.

As a cohort, members of the SEL Leadership Program will work closely for seven months to support each other, share ideas, and offer a critical space for problem solving and planning.

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Testimonials

See what have participants in our programs said about their experience working with IFSEL.

Educator Testimonials

Join our Session

“Not Another Initiative!”
3 Ways to Embed SEL in School Culture and Make It Stick

Nov. 8th @ 3:00 - 3:45
Room A402

Offering insights, free tools, and actionable plans, this session will explore strategies to build an equity-rooted, whole-community approach to SEL. We’ll share practices and school case studies that focus on cultivating educator and student engagement and building a culture of care. You will leave with ideas to help SEL feel joyful, sustainable, and not just “one more thing to do."

325 Sharon Park Dr., Suite 845
Menlo Park, CA 94025
USA