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Whole School Health Through Psychosocial Emotional Learning
Foreword by Esther Wojcicki
Educators today must navigate a newer and more dynamic terrain than previous generations. This book provides a practical framework for improving the satisfaction of educators, all through the lens of whole-school health.
- Grade Level: PreK-12
- ISBN: 9781071823637
- Published By: Corwin
- Year: 2021
- Page Count: 240
- Publication date: January 27, 2021
Price: $39.95
Description
With rapid technological advancements and changes to how schools must respond to learning and mental health needs, the educational landscape looks considerably different from how it did 20 years ago. How do educators contend with this everchanging future? Jared Scherz answers this question and more by outlining the 15 critical steps to educators’ and students’ health through psychosocial emotional learning.
Designed for everyone involved in the educational system—including district administrators, teachers, students, parents, and the business community—this book provides a practical plan with steps to harmonize whole-school health, including sustainable growth in student character development, improvement of organizational health, and reduction of violence and other threats to education. A blueprint of applicable resources is provided, including:
• 15 easy-to-follow guidelines for successfully implementing social-emotional learning practices
• A spotlight on issues such as empathy, identity formation, self-control, and conflict resolution
• Dozens of real-world stories from educators
• Anecdotal and data-driven results from successful implementation
Educators today must navigate a newer and more dynamic terrain than previous generations. This book provides a practical framework for improving the satisfaction of educators, all through the lens of whole-school health.
Author(s)

Jared Scherz
Dr. Jared Scherz is a clinical psychologist, author, and consultant who has worked with educators for over 30 years. He earned his M.Ed. from Penn State University and became an elementary school counselor before gaining his Ph.D. in psychology. He has created innovative prevention and intervention programs in both rural and inner-city schools.
Dr. Scherz believes that by supporting educator wellness and organizational health, schools will be better equipped for the challenges of modern-day education. He also believes that self-reflective practitioners who can recognize and meet their own needs are the keys to cultivating environments where both academic and psychosocial emotional learning can flourish.
As the CEO of TeacherCoach, Jared’s mission is to develop educational ecosystems that bring new revenue streams into school districts, make schools the hub of wellness in their community, and blend personal growth and professional development for faculty. Through the first ever Learning Engagement System (LES), districts can meet the needs of both the individual and the organization. For more information about TeacherCoach, email coach@teachercoach.com or visit us at www.teachercoach.com.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction
Part I: Current State of Education
Chapter 1: Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Chapter 2: Engagement
Chapter 3: The Psychology of Educator Stress
Chapter 4: Organizational Health and Educator Wellness
Part II: Psychosocial Emotional Learning
Chapter 5: Introduction to Psychosocial Emotional Learning
Chapter 6: Balancing Brain and Body
Chapter 7: Connecting Sensations With Feelings, Wants, and Needs
Chapter 8: Differentiating Self-Regulation Versus Self-Control
Chapter 9: Building Capacity to Hold Feelings in Abeyance
Chapter 10: Improving Tolerance for Distress
Chapter 11: Stimulating Self-Reflective Practices
Chapter 12: Helping Integrate Inequities and Frailties
Chapter 13: Evolving Identity Formation
Chapter 14: Growing Self-Worth
Chapter 15: Channeling Aggression Into Constructive Outlets
Chapter 16: Developing Tools for Expressing and Negotiating Needs
Chapter 17: Cultivating Empathy and Advanced Empathy
Chapter 18: Deepening Conflict Resolution to Constructive Differencing
Chapter 19: Anticipating the Consequences of Actions
Chapter 20: Modeling Ownership and Accountability
Chapter 21: Human Evolution and Psychosocial Emotional Learning
Appendix A: Road Map for Psychosocial Emotional Learning
Appendix B: Next Steps
References
Index
Reviews
"This important book discusses how to cultivate success, happiness, and a healthier world for all and will enhance the tools educators use to shape our children’s future. Whole School Health Through Psychosocial Emotional Learning is not only for educators, but also for parents and others interested in cultivating favorable emotional and physical health in the next generation."
Joel Fuhrman, M.D., New York Times Bestselling Author"This important book discusses how to cultivate success, happiness, and a healthier world for all and will enhance the tools educators use to shape our children’s future. Whole School Health Through Psychosocial Emotional Learning is not only for educators, but also for parents and others interested in cultivating favorable emotional and physical health in the next generation."
"Whole School Health Through Psychosocial Emotional Learning is a useful guide for empowering educators to facilitate what we now know are critical elements of childhood development. At a time when so many families are reflecting on the immense value teachers and schools bring to their lives, Jared Scherz successfully connects the dots between how students learn and how they interact with the world around them. Using evidence-based descriptions of psychosocial emotional learning sprinkled with personal accounts from real-life educators, this book offers a practical roadmap for schools looking to create an integrated, engaging, and supportive environment for the next generation."Amy Kennedy, Educator Director of The Kennedy Forum
The Kennedy Forum
"Whole School Health Through Psychosocial Emotional Learning highlights the importance of relationships, communication, and compassion for others. It presents a critical view in supporting, training, and retaining teachers through the lens of engaging and modeling behaviors that will help our rural students be better civic leaders and community members. My favorite quote from the book gives credit to the author's upbringing and modeling from his parents: 'We must experience the world through others so we can fully engage in educating all children. My father and mother modeled to me and my siblings how to experience the world through somebody else’s eyes, especially if their outer differences stirred up discomfort or displeasure, enriching all lives involved.' I recommend all leaders, teachers, and stakeholders secure their copy as they prepare for school."
Allen C. Pratt"Whole School Health Through Psychosocial Emotional Learning highlights the importance of relationships, communication, and compassion for others. It presents a critical view in supporting, training, and retaining teachers through the lens of engaging and modeling behaviors that will help our rural students be better civic leaders and community members. My favorite quote from the book gives credit to the author's upbringing and modeling from his parents: 'We must experience the world through others so we can fully engage in educating all children. My father and mother modeled to me and my siblings how to experience the world through somebody else’s eyes, especially if their outer differences stirred up discomfort or displeasure, enriching all lives involved.' I recommend all leaders, teachers, and stakeholders secure their copy as they prepare for school."
Executive Director, National Rural Education Association (NREA)
“While education faces an unrelenting threat, Dr. Jared Scherz reminds us to invest in our frontline defense. Impactful personal narratives blended with a new paradigm around SEL makes Dr. Scherz one of our premier thought leaders in education and this book a must read.”
Dr. Richard Bozza“While education faces an unrelenting threat, Dr. Jared Scherz reminds us to invest in our frontline defense. Impactful personal narratives blended with a new paradigm around SEL makes Dr. Scherz one of our premier thought leaders in education and this book a must read.”
New Jersey Association of School Administrators
"This book provides a useful introduction to the complex challenge of improving psychosocial emotional learning (PSEL). Building on the experiences of 15 educators, Jared Scherz proposes a new paradigm for whole school and individual health that balances body and brain and builds capacity both to self-regulate and tolerate distress."James Harvey
National Superintendents Roundtable
"Psychosocial-emotional skills are much harder to teach than the insouciant moniker 'soft skills' has, for decades, suggested. Whole School Health Through Psychosocial Emotional Learning provides a clear and welcome roadmap for professional educators around the world to follow as they upgrade their approach to nurturing the whole child. Schools and districts that adopt these principles will boost the mental health and stamina of their students and faculty alike."Christopher Thurber
Phillips Exeter Academy
For Instructors
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Related Resources
- Chapter 6: Balancing Brain and Body [Lessons and strategies]
- What Makes Educators and Schools Successful [Checklist or assessment]
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