Emotionally Intelligent School

Running Head: EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT SCHOOL

Creating an Emotionally Intelligent School District: A Skill-Based Approach Marc A. Brackett Department of Psychology, Yale University Bruce Alster Emotionally Intelligent School District Alliance Charles J. Wolfe Charles J. Wolfe Associates, LLC Nicole A. Katulak Department of Psychology, Yale University Edward Fale Superintendent, Valley Stream District #24, NY

This paper is in press. Do not distribute without written permission from the first author.

Correspondence should be directed to: Marc A. Brackett Department of Psychology Yale University P.O. Box 208205 New Haven, CT 06510-8205 203.432.2332 marc.brackett@yale.edu or Bruce Alster balster407@aol.com

Emotionally Intelligent School Creating an Emotionally Intelligent School District: A Skill-Based Approach

School personnel have long understood the importance of programs to simultaneously enhance social, emotional, and academic learning (Elias et al., 1997; Greenberg et al., 2003). Until recently, links between these areas of learning have been unclear; however, a recent metaanalysis of over 300 studies has shown that social and emotional learning programs significantly improve social and emotional skills as well as academic performance (Durlak & Weissberg, 2005). Although these findings are promising and the importance of such programs is clear, incorporating social and emotional learning programs into districts can be challenging, as they require school-wide support (Elias et al., 1997; Zins, Weissberg, Wang, & Walberg, 2004). For example, according to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), initiatives to integrate social and emotional learning programs into schools should provide training in these skills to both teachers and administrators in addition to students and should have support at all levels of the district. Additionally, these programs should be fieldtested, evidenced-based, and rooted in sound psychological or educational theory (Elias et al., 1997; Matthews, Zeidner, & Roberts, 2002; Zins et al., 2004). CASELs recommendations also emphasize (a) teaching children to apply socio-emotional skills both in an out of school; (b) building connections to schools by creating a caring and engaging learning environment; (c) providing developmentally and culturally appropriate instruction; (d) enhancing school performance by addressing the cognitive, affective, and social dimensions of learning; (e) encouraging family and school partnerships; and (f) including continuous evaluation and improvement.

Emotionally Intelligent School In this chapter we describe a model developed to address these needs that was employed

to create an Emotionally Intelligent School District in Valley Stream, New York. Our work in the district began after the second author (B. Alster), a former school principal, attended a workshop on emotional intelligence developed by the third author (C. Wolfe) and psychologist, David Caruso. The principal believed that infusing programs designed to enhance the social and emotional skills of administrators, teachers, and students would help to create a nurturing school environment and prevent increasingly prevalent problem behaviors such as substance use/abuse and teenage pregnancies. Furthermore, these types of programs were compatible with mandates set by No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001); and the New York State Education Departments (NYSED) Project SAVE (Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act, 2001), which required instruction in civility, citizenship and character education. The process we describe is rooted in the model of EI espoused by Mayer and Salovey (1997), which involves four fundamental emotion-related skills including (a) identification/expression of emotion, (b) use of emotion to facilitate thinking, (c) understanding of emotion, and (d) management of emotion in oneself and others. In this tradition, EI pertains to an individuals capacity to reason about emotions and to process emotional information to enhance cognitive processes and regulate behavior. Importantly, this model focuses specifically on these four skills and does not incorporate other variables such as personality characteristics (e.g., optimism, empathy) that might accompany EI, but are better addressed as distinct from EI (Brackett & Mayer, 2003). In our view, keeping EI restricted to a skill-based approach makes it possible to assess the degree to which EI skills specifically contribute to a persons behavior; it also provides a firm foundation for developing programs to increase these skills and for evaluating the effectiveness of such program (Brackett & Geher, in press).

Emotionally Intelligent School Table 1 provides an overview of Mayer and Saloveys (1997) four-domain model of EI. These skills are expected to influence a persons ability to communicate effectively with others,

handle stress and conflict, and create a positive work environment. For example, the teacher who is sensitive to subtle changes in emotions may recognize sooner when a student begins to get bored or irritated (identification of emotion), and perhaps empathize better with the student (use of emotion), depending on the situation. Moreover, if the teacher understands what caused, or is causing the student to become bored or irritated (understanding of emotion), the teacher may be able help the student to effectively handle the emotion (management of emotion). Research now shows that EI, as measured with performance tests that map onto Mayer and Saloveys (1997) four-skill model, including the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Tests for both adults (MSCEIT; Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2002a) and children (MSCEIT-Youth Version; Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2005), is associated with a wide range of important outcomes at home (Brackett, Warner, & Bosco, 2005), school (Gil-Olarte Mrquez, Palomera Martn, & Brackett, in press) and the workplace (Lopes et al. under review). For example, in a recent study with approximately 250 fifth and sixth grade children, EI scores as assessed by the MSCEIT-YV were associated significantly with teacher-rated outcomes, including adaptability, leadership, study skills, aggression, anxiety, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and attention and learning problems as well as self-reported smoking behavior, all in the expected directions (rs in the |.20 to .50| range; Brackett, Rivers, & Salovey, 2005). These findings remained statistically significant after controlling for verbal intelligence, ethnicity, and grades. Moreover, these findings support and extend prior research on EI with adolescents (e.g., Trinidad & Johnson, 2001) and are consistent with several studies conducted with college

Emotionally Intelligent School students (e.g., Brackett, Mayer, & Warner, 2004; Lopes et al., 2004; see also Brackett & Salovey, 2004; Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2004). We believe our work in Valley Stream District #24, which is now being replicated in

other districts, provides a useful model of how to implement successfully district-wide social and emotional learning programs. Our approach entails two full-day workshops for teachers and administrators. In the first workshop, EI Critical Skills Training, participants learn innovative strategies, tools, and techniques to both increase their awareness of the importance of EI skills and to enhance their ability to employ these skills in their personal and professional relationships; there also is an option for participants to receive an assessment of their own EI. In the second workshop, teachers learn how to easily integrate an emotional literacy program into history and language arts curricula, as well as district initiatives such as character education.

Stage 1: EI Critical Skills Training for School Leaders and Teachers Overview The first workshop, which is for administrators and school faculty, is highly interactive and provides participants with (a) in-depth information about the Mayer and Salovey (1997) skill-based model of EI, (b) knowledge of how EI skills can be applied to professional practice, (c) a powerful tool, the emotional Blueprint, which helps participants apply EI skills to their personal lives and work environments, and (d) an opportunity to provide us with their feedback on the program. There also is the option of an additional half-day, which includes a personal assessment of the four EI skills with feedback1.

Time constraints and district-specific objectives should be considered when determining the palatability of the one- versus two-day option

Emotionally Intelligent School The repertoire of tools offered in the workshop is designed to serve as a set of coping mechanisms for stress, which continually ranks as the top reason why teachers leave their jobs (Darling-Hammond, 2001). In addition, the workshop focuses on helping to improve relationships among all the various stakeholders in the school community, as interpersonal

relationships have been shown to be a prominent determinant of school effectiveness (Teddlie & Reynolds, 2000). Topics include classroom management and healthy interactions with parents and administrators, with an emphasis on creating a productive, safer, satisfying and caring school environment. In addition, the workshop focuses on leadership and professional development and provides guidance to enhance EI skills. Each EI skill is presented with group activities, simulations, discussions, and ideas for applying the skills in school. For example, to learn about the value of using the emotion-based planning and problem-solving model taught in the workshop, small group discussions are formed using several real case studies pertaining to classroom management, bullying, and parent interactions, among others. The case studies demonstrate how the Blueprint can be a useful tool in all aspects of intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. Personal EI Assessment and Feedback Participants attending the extended workshop complete the MSCEIT, a performance test of EI. The MSCEIT is administered online and takes approximately 40 minutes to complete. The test assesses the four-domain model of EI (identifying, using, understanding, and managing emotions) with items that are divided among eight tasks (two for each domain). An individuals score is computed in one of two ways: by comparing his or her responses to those of the normative sample (over 5,000 people from the US and Canada) or a group of 21 emotions experts who have spent much of their careers investigating how emotions are conveyed in facial

Emotionally Intelligent School

expressions, emotional language, and emotion regulation. More information on the MSCEIT can be found elsewhere (Brackett & Salovey, 2004; Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2002b). Participants receive one of five types of feedback on their MSCEIT scores with a brief description: (1) Develop, (2) Consider Developing, (3) Competent, (4) Skilled, and (5) Expert. Participants are informed that the MSCEIT is only one way of estimating EI skills and that low or high scores may not necessarily reflect actual performance, but may have an impact on performance. Considerable time also is spent discussing how individuals may be able to develop their emotion-related skills with proper training and effort, and how individuals with high EI can potentially leverage their skills more effectively using the Blueprint.

The Emotional Blueprint The Blueprint (Caruso & Salovey, 2004; Wolfe & Caruso, 2004) integrates scientific theory on EI with its practical applications. The Blueprint helps participants deal effectively with their own and others emotional experiences in order to enhance interpersonal interactions. To learn how to apply the Blueprint, individuals analyze a situation that elicited an emotional response: who was involved, what were the circumstances? Then, they work through the EI model, skill by skill. The steps to the Blueprint are hierarchical, beginning with identifying emotions and ending with managing emotions or the specific strategies that people use to handle their own emotions and those of others. The four skills in the first column of Table 2 represent each EI domain. The questions in the second column provide a template for selecting tactics or strategies for dealing with the emotional content of situations based on the skills. The statements in the third column represent scientific principles embedded in the EI model that support the selection of these questions.

Emotionally Intelligent School Below is an illustration, broken down by each EI skill, of how one principal applied the Blueprint to deal with an extremely challenging parent. The parent was adamant about having her child's class changed even though the principal and faculty did not believe it was in the best

interest of the child. Based on past dealings with the parent, the principal knew that the situation would escalate until the principal was forced to accommodate her request. Step 1: Identify emotion. The principal first identified how he was feeling (e.g., concern for the child, irritation with the parents reaction, worry that his advice would be ignored). Then, he imagined the various emotions the parent may be experiencing (e.g., concern, worry, combative). Step 2: Use of emotion to facilitate thinking. He then determined how he wanted the parent to feel about the situation (e.g., open to various potential solutions, secure that the childs best interest was considered) and how he wanted to feel himself (e.g., satisfied with the solution, optimistic about his relationship with the parent). Step 3: Understanding emotion. The next step was to understand his and the parents feelings and how they could change to lead to the best possible outcome. For example, he decided that in order to get the parent from a combative to an open and trusting state of mind, he should demonstrate empathy for the parent, compassion for the child, and commitment to making a decision that would be supported by the school and the parent. Step 4: Managing Emotion. The final step was to determine what he was willing and able to do about the situation. The principal decided to first inform the parent in a caring tone that he was willing to place the child in the classroom that she had requested. After seeing the parents demeanor change from combative to satisfied, the principal then asked the parent if he could share why he and the faculty felt the change was not in the childs best interest. The parent

Emotionally Intelligent School agreed and then the principal explained in a compassionate way why he and the faculty thought the move was not good for her child. In the end, the parent asked for time to reflect and eventually decided to allow her child to remain in the current classroom placement. Moreover, a better relationship was developed between the parent and principal.

Evaluation of the Workshop The final element of the EI Critical Skills Workshop is an evaluation of the training program. Thus far, evaluations have relied primarily on written feedback on a questionnaire distributed at the end of the workshop and anecdotes from teachers and administrators who have either utilized the Blueprint themselves or received feedback from colleagues. In Valley Stream, a core group of 14 people participated in the training, including the superintendent, assistant superintendent, three principals, the author of the districts character education curriculum and eight faculty members. In a series of interviews six months after the training, the authors discovered a variety of improvements that the core group attributed to what they had learned in the workshop. Administrators felt that they had improved the way they conducted performance evaluations by understanding how emotions change at the beginning, middle and end of emotionally charged discussions. Classroom teachers recognized the need to be sensitive to the emotions that students brought with them from home and the playground. For example, instead of rushing directly into schoolwork, one teacher now allows a few minutes first thing in the morning for students to share their feelings. He claimed that spending just five to ten minutes on this topic makes students comfortable and in a better mental state for starting the days agenda. A special education teacher noted that she has benefited by learning to control her own emotions and

Emotionally Intelligent School becoming more sensitive to the classroom teachers feelings and needs regarding the mainstreaming of the students for whom she provides services. Finally, one teacher discussed

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how she used the Blueprint to handle her own and other teachers feelings of sadness and anger regarding the retirement of a highly regarded principal. The teachers were having a hard time dealing with both the loss of the retired principal and accepting the new principal. We also are in the process of designing studies to examine whether the EI training provided in the Critical Skills Workshop results in quantifiable changes in EI, work-related stress, and other important outcomes evaluated by teachers, other faculty, and administrators.

Summary In this section we discussed the EI Critical Skills Workshop, the first stage in our process to Creating an Emotionally Intelligent School District. Our overarching goals are to provide school leaders and teachers with an overview of EI theory, an optional assessment and feedback session, and innovative strategies and techniques such as the emotional Blueprint to enhance their own and others EI skills. The workshop provides participants with an emotional education so that they may see firsthand how emotions play an integral role in decision-making, healthy interpersonal relationships, team-building, managing change, and the overall quality of ones life. Finally, the workshop provides a framework for teachers and administrators to recognize the importance of incorporating EI skills into the school culture and the standard classroom curriculum, which leads to the second stage in our process.

Emotionally Intelligent School Stage 2: Emotional Literacy in the Classroom

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Overview The second stage of becoming an Emotionally Intelligent School District is for administrators to select teachers to be trained to implement a theoretically and evidence-based social and emotional learning program that is developmentally appropriate. In Valley Stream we implemented Emotional Literacy in the Middle School: A Six Step Program to Promote Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning (ELMS; Maurer & Brackett, 2004), which is rooted in EI theory2. ELMS was designed specifically for children between the ages of 10 and 13 who have either begun middle school or are preparing to transition to a middle-school environment. This is a time when children become more self-aware, establish their sense of identity, and when emotional and social abilities become increasingly important (Eccles, 1999). The transition to middle school also is associated with increases in depression and other problems for many adolescents (Robinson, Garber, & Hilsman, 1995; Seidman, Allen, Aber, Mitchell, & Fineman, 1994). As such, ELMS provides an appropriate starting point for similar programs designed for other age groups, as it is targeted to a population at a developmental period in which cognitive, social, and academic pressures converge to increase risk of psychopathology and poor social and academic functioning. ELMS was designed to provide children with social and emotional skills that are vital to their healthy development. The goal of the program is to help students become emotionally
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In accordance with CASELs stance that EI skills should be introduced as early in life as possible and reinforced continuously throughout development (Elias et al., 1997), our ultimate goal is a district-wide initiative with programs for kindergarten through 12th grade. We are finalizing a program, Emotional Literacy in the Elementary School, which will be published in Spring 2006 (Kremenitzer, Brackett, & Maurer, in press).

Emotionally Intelligent School literate by gaining a holistic understanding of feeling words -- words that characterize the gamut of human experience such as elation, guilt, alienation, and commitment. The program fosters social skills by teaching students self- and social- awareness, empathy, and healthy

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communication. It also is geared toward developing emotion-related skills as students are taught to recognize, label, understand, and express feelings. Finally, it is designed to promote overall academic learning by enhancing vocabulary, comprehension, abstract reasoning, creative writing, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. ELMS integrates directly into traditional school subjects such as language arts and history. Given the current environment in school, language arts and literacy curricula are the most practical vehicles with which to teach social and emotional skills (Bucuvalas, 2003). Lessons in both history and literature invariably involve characters who have a wide range of emotional experiences that need to be expressed, understood, and regulated. These characters provide real world examples of how emotions play an integral role in human development. The program also is organized to help teachers to differentiate instruction, thereby supporting the unique and full development of all students. ELMS provides teachers with six concrete how to steps for quick and easy implementation. Table 3 details these steps, which include learning feeling words (Step 1), interpreting abstract designs (Step 2), understanding academic and real world applications (Step 3), conversations with family members (Step 4), classroom discussions (Step 5), and writing assignments (Step 6). In addition to the weekly introduction of feeling words through the six steps, there are student projects, which are designed to have students work intensely on certain emotional literacy skills, including the identification and regulation of emotion. For example, one

Emotionally Intelligent School project requires students to peruse newspapers and magazines for pictures to create collages or mobiles pertaining to various emotions. In another project students are asked to pick a song and, among other tasks, think and write about the emotional content of its lyrics and the feelings the songs lyrics and music evoke.

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Training In Valley Stream, teachers were mailed the curriculum during the summer in order to prepare for the training workshop that preceded the implementation of the program. Two individuals trained extensively in EI theory and the ELMS program led training, which consisted of an overview of EI theory, a detailed description of the six steps of the emotional literacy program, and sample lessons. Teachers also were provided with information for parents and tips for getting parents involved in the program. See Maurer and Brackett (2004) for more information. Finally, there were six quality assurance visits made to the schools during the curriculum implementation to provide ongoing support and training to the teachers.

Evaluation of Emotional Literacy Program In Valley Stream, a comprehensive multi-method system was implemented to evaluate ELMS. Anecdotal feedback was collected in monthly meetings with faculty members. In the meetings, the researchers, superintendent, school principals, and teachers discussed a wide range of topics, ranging from the students work to the teachers concerns and anecdotes about the progress of the program. For example, teachers often shared their students worksheets and essays, and discussed what occurred during the classroom discussions.

Emotionally Intelligent School Teachers and students are exhibiting strong, positive reactions to ELMS. According to the teachers, their students: (a) report feeling more comfortable expressing themselves in class without fear of being judged and ridiculed, (b) are gaining a better understanding of their peers and family members, (c) are interacting more effectively; for example, one teacher reported better- quality relationships among groups of students who had previously been unable to

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interact positively with each other, whereas another reported a decrease in problem behavior and an increase in prosocial behavior, and (d) are writing better and incorporating feeling words into curriculum areas. Teachers also report (a) more positive relationships between themselves and other students, (b) seeing changes in themselves; for example, they report being more comfortable to share their own experiences, better at recognizing and responding constructively to their students social and emotional needs, and being keenly aware of their own emotions and how they contribute to maintaining a healthy climate in the classroom. This is particularly important because research indicates that teachers emotions influence both teachers and students cognitions, motivations, and behavior (Sutton & Wheatley, 2003). Additionally, a grant-funded randomized field experiment is currently being conducted in Valley Stream to test the effectiveness of ELMS. The study examines the programs impact on students (a) emotion skills (e.g., understanding of emotion and emotion management), (b) attitudes toward health risk behaviors, deviance, and school, (c) social competence (e.g., prosocial and aggressive behavior), measured with self and teacher ratings, (d) mental health (e.g., anxiety and depression), and (e) academic achievement, including the students writing, problem solving skills, and standardized test scores. In the study, fifth and sixth grade students in the randomly assigned intervention and control groups are being compared at baseline (one week before program implementation), after four months, and at the end of the program (one week

Emotionally Intelligent School after the program is finished, i.e. seven months later). There also will be two additional posttests, six months and one year after the first post-test to examine the long-term effects of the program. Preliminary analyses of these data suggest that students who received ELMS (as

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compared to the control group) were perceived by teachers to be more adaptable and to possess stronger leadership, social, and study skills as well as to be less anxious, depressed, hyperactive, avoidant, and negative toward school after four months of teaching the ELMS program (Brackett, Rivers, & Salovey, 2005). Importantly, the students in the ELMS group as compared to the control group also reported had higher end-of-the-year grades, particularly in writing.

Summary A main objective of the ELMS program is for emotions and feeling words to become concepts that help students govern their lives in a purposeful and productive manner. Among the many potential benefits, students may gain the abilities to identify, compare and evaluate their own and others thoughts, feelings, and actions, understand the main idea of stories, describe real-life events and problems, and discuss and write articulately about social, and personal experiences. The program also aims to help children to make intelligent decisions that are informed by feelings. This may help them deal effectively with the rising perils they face such as substance abuse and dysfunctional relationships with friends and family members. Thus far, both the anecdotal and empirical findings support these goals.

Conclusion In this chapter we described a two-stage process that was used to infuse social and emotional skills into a school district. The first stage was the EI Critical Skills Workshop for key

Emotionally Intelligent School members of the administration and faculty. This workshop provides participants with an

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overview and personal assessment of EI and the Blueprint to help them infuse EI skills into their personal and professional lives. In the second stage, we trained language arts and social studies teachers to implement Emotional Literacy in the Middle School into their classes.3 As discussed, these programs are currently in the midst of being evaluated. Thus far, the anecdotal feedback from both teachers and students indicates that the EI Critical Skills Workshop and Emotional Literacy programs are well-received, enjoyable, and producing consequential results. Teachers and principals report having improved relationships with colleagues, parents, and students. Students also report to be fostering better-quality relationships with their peers, teachers, and parents. Moreover, the anecdotal feedback and results from our field experiment demonstrate that ELMS has a positive impact on both psychosocial and academic outcomes. Our next steps include replicating the program in other school districts and following teachers and students in a longitudinal effort to determine the lasting impact of social and emotional skills training. There is now substantial evidence demonstrating that social and emotional skills play an integral role in peoples daily lives (Durlak & Weissberg, 2005; Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2004). Consistent with the views of CASEL, we assert that integrating emotional and social skills training into a school district will result in a number of benefits for students, teachers, and administrators. These include better-quality interpersonal relationships, a decrease in problem behavior, a stronger attachment to school, and improved academic or work performance. In sum,

Although the current chapter focuses on the emotional literacy program developed for middle school-aged students, our ultimate goal is to implement programs throughout elementary and secondary education. A detailed emotional literacy program based upon ELMS but designed specifically for elementary schools is currently being published (Kremenitzer, Brackett, & Maurer, in press).

Emotionally Intelligent School creating an Emotionally Intelligent School District acknowledges that emotions are important topics for discussion and that one cannot be fully intelligent without valuing and working with emotion.

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Emotionally Intelligent School References

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Brackett, M. A., & Geher, G. (in press). Measuring emotional intelligence: Paradigmatic shifts and common ground. In J. Ciarrochi, J. P. Forgas, & J. D. Mayer (Eds.), Emotional intelligence and everyday life (2nd edition). New York: Psychology Press Brackett, M.A., & Mayer, J.D. (2003). Convergent, Discriminant, and Incremental Validity of Competing Measures of Emotional Intelligence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 1147-1158. Brackett, M. A., Mayer, J. D., & Warner, R. M. (2004). Emotional intelligence and its relation to everyday behaviour. Personality and Individual Differences, 36, 1387-1402. Brackett, M.A., Rivers, S. & Salovey, P. (2005). Emotional Intelligence and its relation to social, emotional, and academic outcomes among adolescents. Unpublished data, Yale University. Brackett, M. A., & Salovey, P. (2004). Measuring emotional intelligence as a mental ability with the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test. In. G. Geher (Ed.), Measurement of Emotional Intelligence (pp. 179-194). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers. Brackett, M. A., Warner, R. M., & Bosco, J. (2005). Emotional intelligence and relationship quality among couples. Personal Relationships, 12, 197-212. Bucuvalas, A. (2003, February 1). Teaching social awareness. An interview with Larsen Professor Robert Selman. Retrieved April 21, 2005 from http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/features/selman02012003.html. Caruso, D., & Salovey, P. (2004). The emotionally intelligent manager. New York: Jossey Bass.

Emotionally Intelligent School Collaborative for Academic, Social, & Emotional Learning (2003). Safe and sound: An

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educational leaders guide to evidence-based social and emotional learning programs. Chicago: Author. Darling-Hammond, L. (2001). The Challenge of Staffing Our Schools. Educational Leadership, 58, 12-17. Durlak, J. A., & Weissberg, R. P. (2005, August) A major meta-analysis of positive youth development programs. Invited presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC. Eccles, J. S. (1999). The development of children ages 6-14. The Future of Children, 9, 30-44. Elias, M., Zins, J., Weissberg, R., Frey, K., Greenberg, T., Haynes, N., Kessler, R., Schwab-Stone, M., & Shriver, T. (1997). Promoting social and emotional learning: Guidelines for educators. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Gil-Olarte Mrquez, P., Palomera Martn, R., & Brackett, M. A. (in press). Relating Emotional Intelligence to Social Competence, and Academic Achievement among High School Students. Psicothema.

Greenberg, M. T, Weissberg, R. P., O'Brien, M. U., Zins, J., Fredericks, L., Resnik, H., & Elias, M. J. (2003). Enhancing school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional, and academic learning, American Psychologist, 58, 466-474. Kremenitzer, J. P., Brackett, M. A., & Maurer, M. (Eds.). (in press). Emotional literacy in the elementary school. Portchester, NY: National Professional Resources.

Emotionally Intelligent School Lopes, P. N., Ct, S., Grewal, D., Kadis, J., Gall, M., & Salovey, P. (under review). Emotional intelligence and positive work outcomes. Lopes, P. N., Brackett, M. A., Nezlek, J. B., Schtz, A., & Sellin, I., & Salovey, P. (2004). Emotional intelligence and social interaction, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 1018-1034. Matthews, G., Zeidner, M., & Roberts, R. D. (2002). Emotional intelligence: Science and myth. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Maurer, M., & Brackett, M. A. (2004). Emotional literacy in the middle school: A six-

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step program to promote social, emotional, and academic learning. Portchester, NY: National Professional Resources. Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey & D. Sluyter (Eds.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Implications for educators (pp. 3-31). New York: Basic Books. Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. (2002a). The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), Version 2.0. Toronto, Canada: Multi Health Systems. Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. (2002b). MSCEIT technical manual. Toronto, Canada: Multi Health Systems. Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. (2004). Emotional intelligence: Theory, findings, and implications. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 197-215. Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. (2005). The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test Youth Version (MSCEIT-YV), Research Version 1.0. Toronto, Canada: Multi Health Systems. No Child Left Behind Act, PL 107-110 (2001).

Emotionally Intelligent School

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Project SAVE: Safe Schools Against Violence in Education, New York State Education Department (2001). Robinson, N. S., Garber, J., & Hilsman, R. (1995). Cognitions and stress: Direct and moderating effects on depressive versus externalizing symptoms during the junior high school transition. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 104, 453-463. Seidman, E., Allen, L., Aber, J. L., Mitchell, C., & Feiman, J. (1994). The impact of school transitions in early adolescence on the self-system and perceived social context of poor urban youth. Child Development, 65, 507-522. Shriver, T.P. & Weissberg, R.P. (2005, August 16). No emotion left behind. The New York Times, 13. Sutton, R.E., & Wheatley, K.F. (2003). Teachers emotions and teaching: A review of the literature and directions for future research. Educational Psychology Review, 15, 327-358. Teddlie, C., & Reynolds, D. (2000). The international handbook of school effectiveness research. London: Falmer. Trinidad, D. R., & Johnson, C. A. (2001). The association between emotional intelligence and early adolescent tobacco and alcohol use. Personality and individual differences, 32, 95-105. Wolfe, C., & Caruso, D. (2004). Emotional intelligence critical skills for success participant manual. 1st ed. Shelton, CT: New Haven Consulting Group, Inc.. Zins, J. E., Weissberg, R. P., Wang, M. C., & Walberg, H. J. (Eds.). (2004). Building academic success on social and emotional learning. New York: Teachers College Press.

Emotionally Intelligent School Table 1. Mayer and Salovey (1997) Model of Emotional Intelligence Emotional Intelligence Domain Name Identification of Emotion Brief Description of Skills Involved The ability to perceive emotions in oneself and others, as well as in other stimuli, including objects, art, stories, and music. Use of Emotion to Facilitate Thinking The ability to use or generate emotions as necessary to focus attention, communicate feelings, or employ them in other cognitive processes such as reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Understanding of Emotion The ability to understand emotional information, communicate feelings effectively, and understand how emotions combine, progress, and transition from one to another. Management of Emotion The ability to be open to feelings and to employ effective strategies so as to promote personal understanding and growth.

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Emotionally Intelligent School Table 2. The Emotional Blueprint (Wolfe & Caruso, 2004) EI Skill Identify Questions How do we both feel? Scientific Basis

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Emotions contain data about people and the environment.

Use

How do I want each of us to feel?

Feelings influence how we think and what we think about.

Understand Why are we feeling the way we do and how might the feelings change? Manage What are we able to do - and what are we willing to do - to keep or change these feelings?

Emotions have underlying causes, and they follow certain rules. Optimal decisions and actions need to blend thinking with the wisdom in feelings.

Emotionally Intelligent School Table 3. The Six Steps to Implementing ELMS Description Step 1: Introduction of Feeling Words Learning emotionrelated vocabulary words by relating their meanings to student experiences Example For the word elated, students talk about a situation in which they felt very excited and happy Significance Words introduced

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within the context of their own personal experiences may enhance the understanding and recall of the words and their meanings

Step 2: Designs and

Interpreting and

Students explain how a design consisting of several circles connected by lines looks like the word elated

Encourages divergent thinking and the visualization of the elements and actions that represent meanings of feeling words

Personified Explanations explaining abstract designs in terms of their possible symbolic representations of feeling words Step 3: Academic and Relating feeling

Students are asked to

Teaches students to

Real World Associations words to social and academic issues

link the word elated to evaluate how people the 2004 Tsunami disaster of different societies and time periods experience, express, and manage emotions

Emotionally Intelligent School Step 4: Personal Family Association Discussing feeling words with family members at home Students ask parents about a time when they felt elated

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Parents are involved in students academic work; Students have increased selfunderstanding by relating to parents

Step 5: Classroom Discussions

Initiating class discussions based on sharing of Real World Associations and Personal Family Associations with Class

When a student says refugees in Thailand were elated after receiving help and food, the teacher asks the class how they feel when they help others Students are asked to tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end about a

Students expand each others knowledge and are exposed to others viewpoints

Step 6: Creative Writing Assignments

Writing essays using the feeling word of the week

Students incorporate their own ideas and personal experiences into writing and think

person who went from critically about how feeling forlorn to elated emotions progress and transform life experiences

Emotionally Intelligent School Acknowledgments Marc A. Brackett, Department of Psychology, Yale University, Bruce Alster,

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Emotionally Intelligent School District Alliance, Charles J. Wolfe, Charles J. Wolfe Associates, LLC, Nicole A. Katulak, Department of Psychology, Yale University, Edward Fale, Superintendent, Valley Stream District #24, NY. This research was supported in part by a grant awarded to Marc A. Brackett and Peter Salovey from the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University. We would like to thank Marvin Maurer, Marilyn Carpenter, Susan Rivers, and Amy Latimer for their input and invaluable feedback on earlier drafts of this chapter. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Marc A. Brackett, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse, New Haven, CT 06511; telephone: (203) 432-2332; email: marc.brackett@yale.edu