Research shows that SEL and mental health well-being is the foundation of academic success and is even more critical during times of crisis. The following resources offer guidelines, strategies, and information for educators to manage stress, practice self-care, and build SEL skills with their students.
Featured Resource: Vermont Model School Protocol for Suicide Prevention
The Department of Health and DMH developed a resource for school leaders and staff which highlights the key elements of youth suicide prevention work in schools and identifies free and low-cost trainings: Suicide Prevention Training for Schools.
The School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation (SHAPE) System is a public-access, web-based platform that offers schools, districts, and states a workspace and targeted resources to support school mental health quality improvement.
SEL and ELLs: The CASEL Framework - What does all of this look like for ELLs? One way to share some concrete examples is by using the CASEL SEL framework. We have shared excerpts of the framework here and encourage you to look at the complete framework on CASEL's website. Please note that under "Examples," we have only highlighted a few skill sets that are particularly relevant for ELLs, but CASEL lists others as well.
Landscape of Wellbeing and Belonging within Colorado's Multi-Tiered System of Support: This website is for educators, administrators, and other education professionals who are interested in increasing wellbeing and belonging in their schools. The goal of the Landscape project is to blend guidance, resources, systems, and best practices to improve outcomes for students, staff, and families. Colorado’s model is aligned with the VTmtss Framework.
Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being in Schools: An Action Guide for School and District Leaders - This action guide was designed for school administrators in kindergarten through 12th grade schools (K-12), including principals and leaders of school-based student support teams, to identify evidence-based strategies, approaches, and practices that can positively influence students’ mental health.
SEL And Mental Health: Making Connections with VTmtss - This document is intended to be used by school systems that are reviewing and improving their system of social-emotional learning and mental health supports and will be most effective when used in conjunction with the VTmtss Systems Screener, the VTmtss Framework, and VTmtss Driver Diagram as an organizational tool for action planning.
SEL VT Platform contains a series of professionally developed modules to help educators easily incorporate materials into their lesson planning. In addition, classroom teachers can provide a link to their students so they can directly access materials for lessons. Please visit the SEL VT Platform to register and gain access to a walkthrough video, tools, and content.
Talkspace - The Vermont Agency of Education is partnering with Talkspace to provide message-based therapy and self-guided resources to educators in Vermont. The Getting Started with Talkspace document provides information as well as answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Contact: Meg.Porcella@vermont.gov
The BEST Project (Building Effective Supports for Teaching) provides training, coaching and technical assistance to supervisory unions and supervisory districts to better support to students experiencing emotional or behavioral challenges. BEST provides support to schools based on a strategic plan and annual training calendar, with a goal to build statewide, regional, and local capacity. Contact: Laura.Greenwood@vermont.gov
The Vermont School Mental Health Systems Toolkit - The AOE, in partnership with the Vermont Department of Mental Health, has created this toolkit to support Local Education Agencies, schools, community advocates, and local leaders working together to assess, identify, prioritize, and fund school-based mental health services. This toolkit is a collection of resources for school/community leadership teams to enable them to learn about a problem of practice and identify approaches for addressing it.