BLUEPRINT FOR STUDENT SUCCESS: DECONSTRUCTING THE POWER OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING PROGRAMS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
[Thesis]
Muhammad, Adofo Abdullah
Steele, Jerome D.
Sage Graduate School
2020
160 p.
Ed.D.
Sage Graduate School
2020
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how district and school leaders in the NYS public high schools plan, implement, and reflect on how they establish social, emotional, and mental health support for their male and female scholars in high school and improve their academic outcomes. This research considered how SEL programs, in particular the male and female empowerment programs, and/or classes, impact student academic growth as defined by the ESSA College and Career Readiness benchmarks in NYS high schools. SEL is defined as recognizing and managing emotions, developing empathy, learning to resolve conflict, and developing cooperation among adolescent peers based on the framework outlined by the American Psychological Association (2014). The theoretical framework for this proposed study was predicated on critical race theory, which outlines the need to provide counter-narratives to empower historically oppressed and disenfranchised student populations. The analysis of this study yielded numerous results, which are encapsulated in four research questions and eight findings. Each question asked, garnered responses from both principals and superintendents. This study concluded that school leaders provide a critical level of mentorship that may not be evident at home but must be enshrined in schools they govern. Research has discovered that not only do the vulnerable Black and Latino populations need systems of support, but all children also need systems of support (Blankstein, 2004). Yet, in order for SEL programs that support academic success to be fully realized, there needs to be a social network system that all participants adhere to (Hoffman, 2009). In other words, mentorship and guidance must be exemplified from custodial services to the building leaders.