Dealing with the Urgent Educational Challenge

Walter S. Polka is professor of leadership and coordinator of the PhD program at Niagara University with over fifty-five years in education, including thirteen years as superintendent of schools.John E. McKenna is an award-winning educator and adjunct professor with over thirty-five years of public education experience as a teacher, building principal, and district-level administrator.Monica J. VanHusen has been an educator for the past eighteen years and currently is the educational technology coordinator for Stafford County Virginia Public Schools.

“During a crisis, leadership is everything. It shapes the everyday, tomorrow, and the future. Although the everyday trials of the pandemic are behind us, the future outcomes are now upon us. Student mental health and school staffing shortages are today’s crisis issues. Now is the time for this book – a book that explains what is at the core of students’ and teachers’ social–emotional well–being and happiness and offers leadership strategies for creating healthy educational communities for years to come.”

• Table of ContentsForeword - Dr. Jennifer Young WallacePreface - Walter S. Polka, John McKenna, and Monica Jo VanHusenAcknowledgments Introduction - Walter S. Polka, John McKenna, and Monica Jo VanHusenChapter 1: Promoting Personal and Professional Well-being in Schools for Happier Teachers, Students, and Parents: Insights from Positive Psychologists - Roselle C. Aranha and Walter S. PolkaChapter 2: Best Practices to Promote and Support Social Emotional Learning and Wellness in PreK-12 Schools - John McKenna and Lori JonasChapter 3: One School District’s Upstream Approach to Creating Successful Initiatives: The Journey of a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Program - Paul M. FanueleChapter 4: The Rise in Student Behavior Referrals and the Impact on the Social Emotional Health of Teachers Post-Pandemic in Three Western New York High Schools - Salvatore Curella, Alan Ingraham, and Joshua JaneseChapter 5: A Practicing Middle School Principal’s Approaches in Creating and Delivering a Culture for Social Emotional Learning - Pete DobmeierChapter 6: Intentionally Shattering Silos: Fostering Collaboration and Belonging to Support Well-being in Schools - Monica Jo VanHusen, Daniel Reichard, and Julie ZookChapter 7: Providing Community Care Services to Children During Crises and Beyond - Olasumbo O. AdelakunChapter 8: Improving Socio-Emotional Experiences for Special Education Students: A Persistent Balancing Conundrum between Fidelity to Regulations and Meeting Student Needs - Lisa CondinoChapter 9: Applications of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support to Promote Social, Behavioral, and Academic Success for Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder - Jennifer Sikov, Carolina Ramirez, Sophia Frontale, Alix Printup, Melanie Rengel-Isea, Emily Sutton, and Gregory A. FabianoChapter 10: Social-Emotional Intelligence: A Guide for Parents and Teachers - Sharon SinghChapter 11: From Overwhelmed to Resilient: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Reducing Burnout - Caitlin Riegel and Monica Jo VanHusenChapter 12: The Necessity to Develop, Implement, and Navigate Proven Social Emotional Learning Practices, NOW! - John E. McKenna, Walter S. Polka, and Monica Jo VanHusenAfterword - Michael CornellAbout the EditorsAbout the Authors