Social Emotional Learning and the Education Culture Wars

Source: www.unsplash.com

By Sam Piha

 

We live in a political climate where differences are not explored, they are weaponized. In recent months schools and educators have been attacked under the guise of critical race theory, parent rights and the call to ban certain books. While afterschool programs have not been attacked directly, there are certain core values and program initiatives that have come under scrutiny. They include equity, identity (LGBTQ+ and racial issues), mindfulness, growth mindsets, grit and social emotional learning (SEL). Are there many citizens who are leading this fight or is it a manufactured controversy, which is a product of the internet?

 

Here, we focus on the attacks on social emotional learning (SEL) and prepare afterschool leaders to address parent’s concerns about SEL. 

 

“SEL has a history of both challenges and bipartisan support. SEL has faced political headwinds in some places before current debates over how schools discuss issues like racism and sexuality. But as interest in social-emotional learning rises among educators and policymakers, it’s also increasingly the target of ire from some conservative groups.” [1]

 

To raise awareness of the current SEL culture wars, we cite some of the titles and quotes from articles that have been published recently.

• “Socio-Emotional Learning Is Anti-White, Anti-Christian, and Anti-American Indoctrination” 
• “Schools Face Fears of ‘Critical Race Theory’ as They Scale Up Social-Emotional Learning”
• “Social-Emotional Learning: K–12 Education as New Age Nanny State” 
• “Social Emotional Programming: The SEL Agenda to Enforce Thought Reform, Conformity, and Control”
• (VIDEO) Stella Morabito Presentation on Social Emotional Programming from Child Protection League Action on YouTube

“The politics of social-emotional learning have shifted drastically in the past few years— especially in some conservative states—with critics claiming that SEL is a form of liberal indoctrination or a means for unqualified teachers to practice therapy. This shift has left many teachers and SEL practitioners in a tricky situation, trying to address parents’ concerns while continuing to teach SEL programs that may be required by the district and state.” [2] - Arianna Prothero, Education Week

 

HOW TO RESPOND TO PARENT CONCERNS ABOUT SEL

 

“Candace Peyton Wofford is an instructional coach and, up until recently, an SEL teacher in a middle school in Corpus Christi, Texas. She had her fair share of parents voice concerns that SEL is teaching their children concepts that go against their values. Through her conversations with parents, Wofford—who is a big proponent of SEL—has found ways to help calm their fears.”[3]

“The main argument is that they think that I’m trying to encroach on their belief system. Usually, it’s a Christian belief that they think I’m trying to go against. And I am just very transparent with them and very honest about what I’m teaching, and [that] it is not to go against anyone’s belief. It is truly just to help their child navigate life and be a better person.” [4]  –  Candace Peyton Wofford

According to Ms. Wofford, “Really, what they need to see is that I truly care for their child. And once they know that I have their child’s best interest in mind, why would you want to fight me on that? Why would you not want your child to be able to learn how to do a job interview, learn how to do a handshake, learn how to look someone in the eyes, learn how to get un-addicted to their phones? These are all things that we talk about in the classroom setting. You have to sit and listen to their concerns, validate their concerns, and really truly listen to understand and not listen to respond. Once you understand where they’re coming from, you can eventually make your response, and they end up realizing that y’all are both on the same page.” [5] 

“When responding to parent concerns about Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), it's important to approach the conversation with empathy, clarity, and a focus on the positive outcomes of SEL. Parents may have various concerns, such as the impact of SEL on academic time, its appropriateness for their child, or its perceived alignment with their values.” [6]


Here are some key points to consider when addressing these concerns: 

  

“1. Listen Actively and Acknowledge Concerns

Start by validating the parent’s feelings and concerns. It’s important to listen carefully before offering solutions or explanations. This shows respect for their perspective and helps build trust. For example: ‘I understand that you’re concerned about the time dedicated to SEL and its potential impact on your child’s academic performance. I’m glad you brought this up, and I’d like to explain how SEL is designed to complement, rather than replace, academic learning.’

 

2. Explain the Purpose and Benefits of SEL

SEL helps students manage emotions, build positive relationships, and make responsible decisions—skills that are critical for academic success and personal well-being. Empahsize that SEL is not just about feelings but also about building essential skills such as communication, empathy, teamwork, and resilience.

 

Research shows that SEL programs can improve academic performance, reduce behavioral issues, and promote mental health, which in turn helps children become better learners. ‘Studies have shown that students who participate in SEL programs tend to have improved academic outcomes, stronger relationships with peers and teachers, and better emotional regulation.’

 

3. Clarify the Scope of SEL

Many parents may not fully understand what SEL entails. You can explain that SEL is not about imposing values but about teaching life skills. Share the five core competencies of SEL (as defined by CASEL):

• Self-awareness: Understanding emotions and recognizing strengths and limitations.
• Self-management: Managing emotions and behaviors to achieve goals.
• Social awareness: Recognizing the perspectives of others and showing empathy.
• Relationship skills: Communicating effectively, resolving conflicts, and working cooperatively.
• Responsible decision-making: Making ethical and constructive choices.

 

Example: ‘SEL focuses on helping children understand and manage their emotions, which supports them in both school and life. It also teaches them how to interact with others in a positive, respectful way.’

 

4. Address Misconceptions and Fears

If parents have concerns about SEL being ‘too touchy-feely’ or not academic enough, explain how SEL connects directly to the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

 

For concerns about SEL promoting a particular political or social agenda, reassure them that SEL is about universal life skills (e.g., emotional regulation, communication, conflict resolution) that are important in any setting. Example: ‘SEL is about developing skills that support academic and life success, not about promoting specific beliefs or ideologies. We focus on universal skills like empathy, decision-making, and problem-solving that will benefit all students, regardless of background.’

 

5. Provide Examples of SEL in Action

Share concrete examples of SEL practices used in the classroom, such as morning check-ins, group work, conflict resolution strategies, or mindfulness exercises. This can help demystify SEL and show how it’s integrated into daily activities. Example: ‘In the classroom, we use activities where students reflect on how they’re feeling or practice calming techniques like deep breathing. These practices help students become more focused and ready to learn.’

 

6. Highlight SEL’s Role in Mental Health

Given the increasing concerns about student mental health, explain how SEL can help build resilience, manage stress, and prevent emotional difficulties by giving students tools to cope with challenges. SEL helps students understand their emotions, which is key in preventing bullying, reducing anxiety, and supporting overall mental wellness.

 

7. Show How SEL Can Align with Family Values

If parents express concerns about SEL conflicting with their family’s values, suggest that SEL can reinforce family priorities such as empathy, respect, and good communication. It’s not about replacing the family role but supporting it. Example: ‘SEL aligns with many family values, like teaching children how to be kind, respectful, and responsible. It gives students the tools to apply those values in everyday situations.’

 

8. Offer Opportunities for Involvement and Feedback

Parents might feel more comfortable if they understand that they can stay informed and involved. Share opportunities for parents to learn more about SEL, such as workshops, newsletters, or parent-teacher meetings. Example: ‘We’re always looking for ways to keep families informed and involved. If you’d like, we can send home resources on SEL or invite you to an upcoming parent workshop.’

 

9. Encourage Ongoing Communication

Invite parents to continue the dialogue if they have further concerns or questions. This shows openness and a commitment to working together. Example: ‘I’m happy to keep the conversation going. If you have any other questions or if you'd like to discuss how SEL is being implemented in the classroom, please feel free to reach out.’

 

10. Reassure Parents about Balanced Curriculum

Remind parents that SEL is designed to complement academics and doesn’t take away from core subjects. It enhances students' ability to learn by improving emotional regulation, focus, and collaboration. Example: ‘SEL is integrated in a way that supports and enhances learning in all subject areas. When students are emotionally supported and have strong interpersonal skills, they’re better equipped to succeed academically.’

By responding with understanding and a focus on the positive, you can help parents see the value of SEL in fostering well-rounded, capable, and emotionally healthy students.”[7]

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Communication resources: Making the Case for SEL 

• Take action: Leading With SEL 

• Webinar: Education Culture Wars and Maintaining Bipartisan Support for Afterschool

Speakers include Terry Peterson (Afterschool Alliance), Michael Funk (California Department of Education), Bridget Laird (WINGS for Kids) and Melissa Schlinger (CASEL). Hosted by Dr. Femi Vance (American Institutes for Research) and sponsored by Temescal Associates and The How Kids Learn Foundation.

• 2025 SEL Summit Conference Recordings

 





END NOTES

[1] Arianna Prothero & Evie Blad, Schools Face Fears of ‘Critical Race Theory’ as They Scale Up Social-Emotional Learning

[2] Arianna Prothero, How to Address Parents’ Concerns That SEL Goes Against Their Values

[3] IBID.

[4] IBID.

[5] IBID.

[6] OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (GPT-4 model). Retrieved from https://www.openai.com

[7] IBID.

Millions of Youth Are Newly Eligible Voters in 2022

Source: Photo by Mikhail Nilov: https://www.pexels.com

By Sam Piha

The 2022 election offers a number of opportunities to engage older youth. We can frame these efforts as “meaningful participation”, “civic engagement”, “youth leadership” or “community service”. There are a number of organizations and initiatives that have designed curriculums, program tools and other materials to assist afterschool providers in their efforts to engage youth in the 2022 election. Consider working with youth to organize a voter registration event in your school. At the end of the blog, we list some resources on how youth can get involved.

Did you know that:

-“Young people who have turned 18 since the 2020 election are a sizable group that is diversifying the electorate and can have a decisive impact on the midterms. There are an estimated 8.3 million newly eligible young voters for the 2022 midterm elections—meaning, youth who have turned 18 since the previous general election in November 2020. These 18- and 19-year-olds comprise 16% of the 18-29 age group for the 2022 election.” - Peter de Guzman, Researcher

-Young people can pre-register to vote at the age of 16. There are a number of ways that youth can be involved in the 2022 election, even if they are not old enough to vote. These include sponsoring a voter registration event, supporting family and friend’s participation, uplifting stories and issues they care about, supporting a candidate’s campaign through volunteering or being part of the election process.

-“There are distorted “assumptions about young people and how they participate in political processes that are common and are often triggered by lack of understanding and/or by prejudice. These persistent assumptions inaccurately characterize the everyday experiences of most youth – who do not constitute a homogenous group – and can lead to discrimination of young people, negatively affecting their capacity to participate in political processes… Assumptions about young people that distort the actual picture include the following: 

• they are apathetic about and disengaged from politics – so, for example, they don’t bother voting
• they lack maturity, experience, and knowledge, implying they are not capable or intelligent enough to make informed decisions (such as when voting) and are easily manipulated
• they are “anti-state,” with a propensity for violence and extremism.” – The ACE Project

ELECTION VIDEO BY RAPPER, YELLOPAIN

We learned about how teachers and youth workers can use a video by rapper, Yellopain, entitled, "My Vote Don't Count," which can be viewed by clicking on the image below. 

Source: Yellopain, Youtube.com

RESOURCES

Below are a number of other resources that you can check out:

• Growing Voters: 18 Ways Youth Under 18 Can Contribute to Elections 
• Afterschool Alliance Election Toolkit
• Rock the Vote Democracy Class
• The Civics Center- Bringing Voter Registration to Your School

You can also learn more by exploring these websites:

• Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)
• Afterschool Alliance
• Rock the Vote
• The Civics Center

EDUCATION CULTURE WARS AND AFTERSCHOOL

In recent months schools and educators have been attacked under the guise of critical race theory, parent rights and the call to ban certain books. We published three LIAS blogs and a briefing paper (14 pages) on this topic of the education culture wars. We also sponsored a webinar entitled, Education Culture Wars and Maintaining Bipartisan Support for Afterschool. We posted a recording of this webinar on our How Kids Learn Youtube channel, which quickly received over 700 views. 

New stories of the education culture wars continue to pepper the national news and we expect this to increase over the course of the upcoming election season. 

Below we list some new articles:

• 3 Ways to Avoid Hurdles for Social-Emotional Learning 
• A School Librarian Pushes Back on Censorship and Gets Death Threats and Online Harassment 
• As Rhetoric Heats Up, Many Parents Fear Politicians Are Using Children As ‘Political Pawns’ 
• Banned-Book Author: If a Book Isn’t in the School Library, ‘It Might as Well Not Exist’ 
• Most parents want classrooms to be places of learning, not political battlegrounds 
• ED Week Spotlight on Critical Race Theory

Afterschool and the Education Culture Wars (Part 2)

By Sam Piha

In part 1 of Afterschool and the Education Culture Wars we introduced the issues that many schools are facing regarding critical race theory and the call to ban books dealing with identity issues (racial and gender). In part 2 we offer some tips on how to avoid entanglement in these education culture wars and how to combat misinformation in the community. 

HOW TO AVOID ENTANGLEMENT IN THE EDUCATION CULTURE WARS

When Describing the Program, Sharpen the Message; Avoid Acronyms and Jargon 

When describing your program in written outreach documents, remember your audience are not afterschool insiders- they might be parents and community members. It is very useful to have parents and community members review the text to ensure that it is understandable to an outsider. This is also a good way to build parent advocates for the program who can speak out and support if the program comes under scrutiny.  

Source: Nicolas Picard, Unsplash.com

“The first question they [parents] had was, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’” he said. “’I get math. I get reading. What the hell is social-emotional learning? ’When commissioners explained they wanted schools to nurture qualities such as discipline, self-management, and relationship skills, “they’d [parents] say, ‘Oh yeah, we’re for that,’” - John Bridgeland, CEO of Civic Enterprises

Terry Peterson

“Working on education improvements and reforms for almost fifty years, I have observed that almost any education innovation using initials [or acronyms] is likely to invite pushback. Also, describing development and learning in shorthand “buzz words," not mainstream terms, also invites problems. Case in point: We give very conservative critics great aid by providing them both initials, SEL, and words like social emotional learning. Instead, say practically that we are working to strengthen: self-management skills, social awareness skills, responsible decision-making skills, and teamwork skills” - Terry Peterson,  Afterschool Alliance

Double Down on Commitment to Program Values

“We all just have to continue to believe in what we do and stick together and not back down.” - Bridget Laird, CEO of WINGS for Kids 

While it is important to steer clear of trouble, we have to remain committed to our views. Below are some inspirational statements taken from As Terms Like ‘SEL’ Draw Fire, Organizations Supporting Schools Sharpen Their Message by Libby Stanford for ED Week.

“Although the rhetoric surrounding critical race theory and SEL can be loud at times, it has not deterred education organizations from being vocal about their work. ‘If anything, we’ve doubled down on our values, we’ve doubled down on our program,’ Peter Shulman (CEO of Urban Teachers) said.” 

“Urban Teachers isn’t coy about its stance on race and racism in its messaging. On its website, the organization writes “Structural racism and inequality have kept generations of urban children from receiving the education they deserve.” 

Get Involved, Especially in Your Local Community

Support for afterschool is not guaranteed and may have a shelf life. Thus, it is vital that we get involved in decision making to protect afterschool. Below are some suggestions. 

• Support candidates and groups that agree with your values. 
• Vote for local, state and federal candidates that agree with your values.
• Keep up on what’s happening locally and across the nation.
• Write to your elected officials to continue supporting afterschool.

Participate by:

• Running for school board or a local office 
• Follow or attend local school board meetings. They are often televised, or video recorded and publish their notes and future meeting agendas on community websites. You can view a recorded school board meeting from Polk County, Florida, as they discuss the banning of books.  

On September 13, 2022, Temescal Associates and The How Kids Learn Foundation will be sponsoring a webinar on this topic to further discuss the issues behind the current education culture wars and how it affects afterschool. Panelists will include Terry Peterson (Afterschool Alliance), Michael Funk (CDE), Bridget Laird (WINGS for Kids), Melissa Schlinger (CASEL) and Femi Vance (AIR). To learn more and register for this informative webinar, click here.

Afterschool and the Education Culture Wars (Part 1)

Source: Unsplash.com

By Sam Piha

We live in a political climate where differences are not explored, they are weaponized. In recent months schools and educators have been attacked under the guise of critical race theory, parent rights and the call to ban certain books. The PBS News Hour offered a good segment on critical race theory and book bannings.

Are there many citizens who are leading this fight or is it a manufactured controversy, which is a product of the internet? Below is a quote from an article (NEA News) that attempts to explain this.1

“As the nation continues to reckon with the role racism plays in our society, a tiny but extremely vocal minority of voices is determined to turn our classrooms into battlegrounds for their vicious culture wars. These radical groups are using social media to spread disinformation and stoke fear about race in the classroom, pushing for laws to ban books about Ruby Bridges, Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights figures, and seeking to censor teachers and deny students the right to a truthful and honest education.” – Edward Graham, NEA News

Source: PBS News Hour

While afterschool programs have not been attacked directly, there are certain core values and program initiatives that have come under scrutiny. They include equity, identity (LGBTQ+ and racial), mindfulness, growth mindsets, grit and social emotional learning (SEL).

A HISTORY OF BIPARTISAN SUPPORT
Before we discuss how to not get entangled in the educational culture wars, it is important to note that the support for the afterschool movement over the last 30 years has largely been bipartisan. According to Dr. Terry Peterson (Afterschool Alliance), “The roots in California involved bipartisan support in some key cities in the late 1980’s, like Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento and then spread greatly with the strong leadership of a Republican Governor, Schwarzenegger, and then much later, now, a huge expansion by a democratic Governor Newsom. This type of local, state and national expansion of an initiative overtime is very unusual and very important. 

The roots of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers in the 1990’s clearly involved Republican and Democratic members of Congress and a Democratic Administration.”  The 21st CCLC quickly became one of the fastest growing social programs in the history of America. (We interviewed Dr. Peterson in a previous LIAS Blog).

Source: History of Afterschool in America

HOW TO AVOID ENTANGLEMENT IN THE EDUCATION CULTURE WARS

It is important to not take the support for afterschool for granted. There are things we can do to prevent that the afterschool movement is not damaged by the educational culture wars. 

Be aware of what’s happening in your area and in the larger field. 
“In this environment, anything can be politicized,” said John Bridgeland, the CEO of Civic Enterprises, a public policy firm, who has worked extensively on building bipartisan support for SEL programs in schools.

To get a better sense of what’s happening in the larger field, below we cite some titles from articles with endnote references that have been published recently:

• Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) Is Anti-White, Anti-Christian, and Anti-American Indoctrination 2
• Social Emotional Programming: The SEL Agenda to Enforce Thought Reform, Conformity, and Control 3
• Schools Face Fears of ‘Critical Race Theory’ as They Scale Up Social-Emotional Learning 4
• Hijacking Their Minds: How ‘Safe Schools’ & Social Emotional Learning Indoctrinate Our Children 5

Below we cite quotes that illustrate the thinking behind the culture wars:

• “This curriculum goes far beyond helping first-graders get along with their peers and delves into political manipulation. It’s never too early, apparently, to use SEL to create little community organizers.” 6
• “Book-banning attempts have grown in the U.S. over the past few years from relatively isolated battles to a broader effort aimed at works about sexual and racial identity.” 7
• “Minnesota’s Child Protection League, a group active on conservative issues, said social-emotional learning is a vehicle for critical race theory, an effort to divide students from their parents, emotional manipulation and “the latest child-indoctrination scheme.” 8
• “Students in several #US states are forced to participate in #Buddhist-based meditation. If a child refuses, he or she is moved to the hall as if being punished. These schools are indoctrinating our children.” 9
• (VIDEO) Stella Morabito Presentation on Social Emotional Programming from Child Protection League Action on YouTube. 10

We continue our look into the education culture wars and offer more tips on how to avoid entanglement in the misinformation in part 2.

END NOTES

1.  Edward Graham, Who is Behind the Attacks on Educators and Public Schools?
2.   Savanah Hulsey Pointer, Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) Is Anti-White, Anti-Christian, and Anti-American Indoctrination
3.   Stella Morabito, Social Emotional Programming: The SEL Agenda to Enforce Thought Reform, Conformity, and Control
4.   Arianna Prothero and Evie Blad, Schools Face Fears of ‘Critical Race Theory’ as They Scale Up Social-Emotional Learning
5.   Karen Effrem, Hijacking Their Minds: How Social Emotional Learning Indoctrinates Children
6.   Karen Effrem, M.D. and Jane Robbins, J.D., Social-Emotional Learning: K–12 Education as New Age Nanny State 
7.   Claire Moses, The Spread of Book Banning
8.   Laura Meckler, In ‘social-emotional learning,’ right sees more critical race theory
9.   Katherine Hignett, Conservative Christians Want to Stop Kids Meditating At School
10.   Stella Morabito: Social Emotional Programming (Video)

To learn more about the education culture wars and afterschool and to register for this informative webinar, click here.

Maintaining Bipartisan Support for Afterschool

By Sam Piha

We wanted to get a better understanding of the bipartisan support for afterschool, of the past and present. We interviewed Dr. Terry Peterson who was the Chief Counselor for former US Secretary of Education and Governor, Dick Riley. Terry was involved in the launching of the 21st Century Community Learning Center Initiative. 

Q: Can you say something about the bipartisan roots of the afterschool movement?

A: I find it very useful to trace overtime the bipartisan roots and continuing support for expanding, funding and improving summer enrichment and comprehensive afterschool and expanded learning opportunities and partnerships.

The “roots” of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers in the 1990’s clearly involved Republican and Democratic members of Congress and a Democratic Administration.  

The roots in California involved bipartisan support in some key cities in the late 1980’s, like Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento and then spread greatly with the strong leadership of a Republican Governor, Schwarzenegger, and then much later, now, a huge expansion by a democratic Governor Newsom. This type of local, state and national expansion of an initiative overtime is very unusual and very important.  

Q: What kind of politics are needed to support afterschool, summer and expanded learning programs?

A: It is critical to keep this bipartisan support for afterschool, summer and expanded learning. Unfortunately, in these highly politicized times, certain concepts and especially acronyms and initials are magnifying the polarization. Because of the benefits seen for many years of bipartisan support for more and better afterschool and summer opportunities and partnerships, I think we have a special obligation for our children, youth and families served by afterschool, summers, and expanded learning to try to stay above these battles when representing the afterschool, summer, expanded learning and community school movements.  

One way to stay above the fray is to go back to our simple roots and concepts, like expanding opportunities and developing more community connections for children, youth and families that want and need afterschool and summer programs to better succeed in school and life. By the way, this is not just good education and youth development but good “politics”. Most voters and parents of most political persuasions appreciate terms like “expanding opportunities” and building more "community connections” and "local partnerships." 

Another way is to approach voters and parents differently using everyday common-sense ways. For example, we know that in some localities, states and nationwide, certain terms like SEL and related terms are “offending” some Republicans and even Independents. While operating in the afterschool, summer, community schools and expanded learning arenas, why not use concepts that are similar, but that parents of many political persuasions approve of?

Q: There is a myth that Republican parents do not support funds for afterschool programs. Do we have research that suggests something different?

A: We have found that Republican parents support funding afterschool and summer programs as well as Democratic and Independent parents. Interestingly and importantly, they all support very similar content in the programs. And this content is similar to the research evidence too.

Unpublished analyses by the Afterschool Alliance done very recently, found:

Support for afterschool and summer learning programs is strong among Republican parents. More than 8 in 10 parents who identify as Republican agree that all young people deserve access to quality afterschool and summer programs (82%).

From providing children opportunities to build life skills to helping working parents keep their jobs, Republican parents overwhelmingly agree on the positive role afterschool programs play for children and families.

Strong majorities of parents who identify as Republican agree that afterschool programs:

• help young people engage with their peers and reduce unproductive screen time (85%);  
• learn life skills, like the ability to communicate and work in teams (81%); 
• have opportunities to build confidence (80%); 
• provide opportunities to build positive relationships with caring adults and mentors (76%); 
• and become more excited about learning and interested in school (74%). 

Republican parents also agree that afterschool programs provide working parents peace of mind knowing that their children are safe and supervised (83%), help working parents keep their job (81%), and keep kids safe and out of trouble (74%).

Focusing on activities and supports, Republican parents are as likely as parents overall to report that opportunities for their child to build life skills were important in their selection of afterschool and summer programs. Similar to parents overall, most Republican parents report that opportunities for their child:

• to build life skills, such as interacting with their peers, developing social skills, and responsible decision making, were important in their selection in their child's afterschool program (88% vs. 87%) 
• and what their child did during the summer (94% vs. 94%).

Republican parents want public investment in afterschool and summer programs. 85% of parents who identify as Republican report that they support public funding of afterschool programs and 86% support public funding of summer learning programs.

MORE ABOUT… 

Terry Peterson was the Chief Counselor for former US Secretary of Education and Governor, Dick Riley. During his decades-long tenure in public service, Terry held senior state- and federal-level positions in which he developed numerous education policies and funding streams, including at the U.S. Department of Education where he helped create the 21st CCLC initiative. Terry currently serves on the board of the Afterschool Alliance and is also the executive editor of, Expanding Minds and Opportunities: Leveraging the Power of Afterschool and Summer Learning. He is also featured in the History of Afterschool in America documentary.

Over the past 30 years the afterschool movement has enjoyed public support and the support of elected leaders from both sides of the aisle, at the local, state and federal levels. However, this is being threatened by a political climate that is plagued by polarization, misinformation and the rise of education culture wars. The core values of many afterschool programs are being scrutinized including issues concerning equity, mindfulness, identity (racial and LGBTQ+), growth mindsets and social emotional learning (SEL).

In this upcoming Speaker''s Forum, our panelists will review afterschool’s bipartisan history, the rise of today’s education culture wars, and ways that afterschool programs can avoid entanglement in these controversies and promote bipartisan support. Join us on September 13, 2022 from 10:00am-12:00pm PST. To learn more and register, click here.