We design and lead a path of faculty development work for a small number of schools and districts. The path is customized for each organization’s needs and can include any combination of our other offerings, so SEL can be integrated fully into the educational experience of all students and teachers.
Learn More about the IFSEL Schools & Districts Program
Institutes are our core experience, designed with SEL as a professional and personally transformative experience. Join a cohort of educators, administrators, and counselors from Kindergarten through 12th grade for four days of inspirational and informative sessions, collaboration, and reflection that range across a broad library of SEL topics and research. Gain experiential knowledge and resources to bring SEL to your school communities.
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These creative and experiential two-day workshop offers educators, administrators, counselors and advisors the opportunity to learn how to build classroom practices and school-wide systems that nurture the social and emotional health of all members of the community. Schools that intentionally activate SEL across the community in this way see wide-ranging benefits for emotional and mental health, a growth in the sense of belonging and community, and positive shifts in mindset, engagement and learning.
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This workshop addresses how to create and sustain a robust advisory program in middle and high schools that centers on belonging and equity, and continues to thrive for many years. SEL brings a wide and creative lens to view Advisory and nurture the social and emotional development of our adolescents.
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Our seven month long 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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Our in-person events and online courses offer exciting professional and personal renewal through learning experiences that engage your growth mindset and resiliency. SEL Professional Development affords opportunities for both new and experienced educators to engage with sound research and time-tested curricula resources. Gain insight through thoughtful discussion, well-designed interactions, and the opportunity for self and group reflection.
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IFSEL’s evidence-led Lesson and Resource Library supports educators, schools, and districts to build an engaging, joyful, and reflective curriculum for K-12 Social and Emotional Learning.
Lessons and Resources are aligned with CASEL competencies and have been tried and tested in classrooms around the world. The curriculum design is rooted in principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and offers a creative and experiential approach to SEL teaching and learning.
This workshop series is designed for new faculty and staff at schools that already have worked with IFSEL. The workshop will introduce IFSEL’s Whole-Community Approach to SEL through a series of meaningful and creative experiences. Participants will have the opportunity to experience a range of practices and tools that will deepen their knowledge, skills and confidence in working with students, colleagues and families. The workshop is the ideal way for all current and prior IFSEL schools to welcome new faculty and support them through their first year at your school.
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Members of the IFSEL Team are available to support schools on-site through creative and engaging professional development. We work closely with schools to understand their hopes and needs, co-creating an agenda designed for maximum benefit and impact.
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IFSEL’s Team brings decades of experience to coaching work - as Administrators, SEL- specialists, Counselors, Non-Profit CEOs, and Researchers. We know that coaching thrives when there is a strong connection between coachee and their coach, so we’re dedicated to listening to your hopes and finding the right match.
Learn more about IFSEL's Coaching Programs
Our free SELf Reflection Tool for districts and schools uses a student-centered, whole-community approach to help schools better understand the strengths and areas for growth of their current SEL provision. This tool empowers educators and administrators to build an evidence-led action plan and prioritize next steps for their community.
Learn more about IFSEL's SELF Reflection Tool
To support the work schools are already doing to activate SEL across their communities, IFSEL has developed a Series of online Workshops for parents. The Series offers parents the chance to come together to uncover both a shared understanding and a range of practical tools and insights to bring SEL alive at home.
Learn more about IFSEL's Parent and Caregiver SeriesWhat have participants at our Institutes and Workshops said about their experience?
Our Middle division program has grown exponentially over the time we've collaborated. To witness the activity at the faculty meeting where our faculty responded to your statements along the continuum, strongly indicated, in the most graphic ways, the degree to which they have positively responded to our work together. Clearly the majority of our faculty feel overwhelmingly more confident and positive in their advisory role and in the classroom.
There has been a transformational change in our Lower School in just this past year as we implemented the SEL program... and I am eager to continue its growth! Particularly as we look to engage our Middle School faculty as well.... simultaneously striving to train every single Lower School faculty member.
[Thank] you and your fabulous team of [IFSEL] colleagues for hosting such an inspirational institute! I wanted to take the opportunity to be a learner and I truly was able to soak up such incredible insight and knowledge from all of those that were there… Transitioning from community mental health to a school I have really felt so privileged to have the ability to spend so much time with educators who can share such complex perspectives on working with children. The IFSEL was such an awesome bridge for me and grounding place… Thank you again!
We had a great experience with the IFSEL Team during our day of professional development for our middle and high school teachers! In fact, today I tried the Open Session in a career course that I'm teaching at the moment and it was tremendous!
Finally, a 5th grader, who has never spoken up in our assemblies before said, "I think it's like learning a really tough piece in piano. Sometimes it's so hard you have to decide, 'Do I stick with it or do I quit?' I'm dealing with something in my life right now where I have to make that decision. It's hard, but I'm learning what that feels like and how to be honest with myself about it." The reason I share this with you is that I attribute our SEL work to helping our students continue to find their voices. There are so many layers in the comments above. Our students are synthesizing ideas and feelings. They are seeking out examples of family and friends and allowing others to be an influence in their lives. And finally, our students are taking risks, real risks, and navigating their lives with confidence...all while not being afraid to be without answers in the process. Things like Check-ins, Open Session, and themed advisory activities are helping our already healthy community find new depths. Thank you to you and your team for your guidance, support and mentoring.
As a mental health professional and school administrator, it is difficult to find professional development opportunities that are thought-provoking, fresh, and applicable while remaining anchored in research and best practices. Our time spent together exceeded all of those points for me. When I registered for the institute, I hoped to gather some ideas to revamp our Advisory program in the Upper School. We are struggling to get it up and running, which has left many feeling that the program does not add value and that it takes away teaching time. I left my time with you full of ideas and excitement to implement programming that will help our students reconnect with their emotionality and thoughts.
The activities and sessions were intentional and I appreciated the threaded concepts that linked each session together. Every activity had a purpose and helped me better understand the concept of social emotional learning as an everyday instructional strategy. Much of what I hear from my teachers involves reluctance to "add" to their responsibilities and we are working toward integration, rather than addition, and simple techniques such as a Check In and the emotional thermometer are both effective and non-threatening for the reluctant educator. We will certainly put these (and other techniques) in place this fall and are looking forward to watching our faculty and students grow!
Thank you for the time and thought that your team puts into these events. I left excited, energized, and ready to start the new school year in a positive and mindful manner.
