Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning
Name	Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning is a nonprofit organization focused on promoting social and emotional learning through research, practice, and policy. It works with schools, districts, foundations, and government agencies to integrate competencies into curricula and educator practice. The organization collaborates with academic centers, philanthropic organizations, and international institutions to scale evidence-based programs and supports evaluation and advocacy efforts.

History

Founded amid growing interest in integrating social skills into school curricula, the organization emerged during a period of expansion in programmatic work across the United States involving actors such as Annie E. Casey Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ford Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Early collaborations connected with researchers at Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, and University of Chicago. Influences included initiatives linked to Head Start, No Child Left Behind Act, and policy debates involving the U.S. Department of Education and state departments like the California Department of Education. Growth paralleled the rise of curricula implemented in districts such as Chicago Public Schools, New York City Department of Education, and Los Angeles Unified School District, and partnerships with nonprofits like Teach For America, America’s Promise Alliance, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Mission and Governance

The mission centers on advancing competencies through research, training, and policy engagement, aligning work with standards from organizations like American Psychological Association, American Educational Research Association, National Education Association, Aspen Institute, and National PTA. Governance has included boards and advisory councils featuring leaders from institutions such as Columbia University, Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, Michigan State University, and Johns Hopkins University. Funders and strategic partners have included W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Annenberg Foundation, Henry Ford Health System, Robert Bosch Stiftung, and international partners like United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and World Health Organization.

Core Competencies and Framework

The organization articulated a widely cited framework of competencies that influenced curricular design and assessment in districts and international programs associated with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, European Commission, UNICEF, and Save the Children. The core competencies were adopted or adapted by initiatives linked to Common Core State Standards Initiative, Every Student Succeeds Act, and school improvement efforts in locales such as Boston Public Schools, Dallas Independent School District, and Seattle Public Schools. The framework informed instructional materials used alongside curricula from publishers and program developers like Scholastic Corporation, Pearson Education, McGraw-Hill Education, and nonprofit program providers including Second Step, Positive Action, and Tools of the Mind.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs emphasized capacity-building, professional development, and classroom resources, often implemented in partnership with organizations such as Council of Chief State School Officers, National Governors Association, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory networks, and regional nonprofits like Chicago Community Trust and NewSchools Venture Fund. Initiatives included pilot implementations in charter networks like KIPP, Success Academy Charter Schools, and collaboration with district efforts in Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Houston Independent School District. International projects linked to partners such as British Council, Teach For All, Global Partnership for Education, and academic consortia at University of Cambridge and University of Oxford extended application beyond the United States.

Research, Evaluation, and Impact

Evaluation efforts drew on randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies conducted with researchers from RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, Pew Charitable Trusts, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Michigan. Meta-analyses by teams connected to American Institutes for Research, Society for Research in Child Development, and What Works Clearinghouse informed guidance on outcomes such as academic achievement in settings like Philadelphia School District, Baltimore City Public Schools, and Detroit Public Schools Community District. Impact reporting intersected with policy analyses in forums hosted by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Brookings Institution, Hoover Institution, and philanthropic evaluations conducted by Independent Sector.

Partnerships and Advocacy

Advocacy work involved coalitions with national organizations including Council for Exceptional Children, National School Boards Association, National Association of Elementary School Principals, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and state-level education associations. Partnerships extended to professional certification entities like National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and workforce initiatives with LinkedIn Learning and corporate partners such as Microsoft Corporation and Google LLC to support educator training infrastructure. International advocacy engaged networks like Global Schools Forum, International Rescue Committee, and bilateral donors including United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and United States Agency for International Development.

Category:Non-profit organizations