Our Strategic Approach to Transformative Social Emotional Learning

January 14, 2026

Dear Keys Families,

Did you know that research highlights significant, long-term benefits of Transformative Social Emotional Learning (TSEL)? By integrating equity and social justice into social-emotional development, TSEL helps our students flourish in several key areas:

  • Fostering a “Critical Consciousness” to understand and navigate the world.
  • Building stronger student agency, empowering students to lead their own learning.
  • Buffering against trauma through supportive, inclusive environments.
  • Focusing on collective well-being, ensuring every member of our community feels seen.
  • Improving teacher well-being and retention which directly impacts student success.
  • Promoting long-term civic engagement and active participation in society.Note: For more information about the TSEL framework, please click here.

     

Our Commitment to TSEL

At Keys, our commitment to TSEL drives our growth as an inclusive community. This work is the heartbeat of our strategic plan, specifically underlining our “Our Heart” and “Our Mind” commitments.

I am honored to share a brief overview of the TSEL competency work our faculty and staff have been engaging in during our early release on Wednesday afternoons. This time is dedicated to strengthening the shared SEL and DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice) foundation that guides both our students and our adult learning community.

Our Path of Inquiry

During Trimester 1, our team explored the foundational TSEL framework. This framework bridges two vital areas of growth:

  1. The SEL Domains: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making.
  2. The DEIJ Bands: Identity, Belonging, and Agency.

This framework uses developmental benchmarks to tailor specific elements of learning to each age group from early childhood through adulthood.

We reviewed these benchmarks and mapped our current instructional practices against them to ensure that student development is intentionally supported at every grade level.

TSEL in Action at Keys

To give you a glimpse into how these competencies emerge in real-world classroom practice, here is an example of a recent cross-grade-level discussion regarding Self-Awareness:

  • Belonging (K-8): Teachers facilitate grade-level “charters”—shared agreements on what it looks like, feels like, and sounds like to be a cared-for member of the community.
  • Identity (K-2): Using RULER strategies, our youngest students begin to understand their own emotions and how to regulate them to access deeper learning.
  • Agency (7-8): Middle schoolers analyze the impact of pesticides on different communities and use that knowledge to create socially conscious labels to raise public awareness.

 

Looking Ahead

As we move into Trimesters 2 and 3, our focus will shift toward instructional integration and assessment. Our goals include:

  • Identifying where educators need additional resources to deepen their TSEL practice.
  • Initiating conversations on how to measure and assess student growth in these competencies in ways that are both developmentally aligned and meaningful.

We are excited to see how this framework continues to deepen our practice as educators and support your children as they grow in their sense of identity, belonging, and agency.

Warmly,

Dr. Elizabeth Veal

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