To help educators and their students understand and manage their emotions as they navigate these unprecedented and uncertain times, the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, in collaboration with the Connecticut State Department of Education, and several professional educational organizations in the state, will offer a free virtual SEL course to all Connecticut school staff working in any preK–12 school setting, roughly 100,000 people in all.
This first-of-its kind free, statewide opportunity is being funded by a grant from Dalio Education, one of the Center’s largest supporters since 2016. The effort was announced August 14 during a virtual roundtable discussion facilitated by John King Jr., president and CEO of the Education Trust and former U.S. Secretary of Education, with participants including Connecticut governor Ned Lamont and president of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten.
The 10-hour self-paced course, “Social and Emotional Learning in Times of Uncertainty and Stress: Research-Based Strategies,” is being designed by Marc Brackett, founder and director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and will be hosted via the Coursera app. Coursework features experts in the fields of psychology, education, and research at the Center and begins in late September. The course will be available on a rolling basis through the end of the 2020 calendar year and participants will earn a certificate of completion for a non-credit course authorized by Yale University. Pre-registration has opened, and Brackett will join other Connecticut educational leaders for a live opening session webinar on August 25 at 4 p.m. on the Center’s YouTube channel. Additional information about the course and how to register can be found here.
Read more of our coverage on the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and its approach to SEL here.
