As we wind down the school year, we pause for a moment to look at what we’re thinking and feeling about the SEL supports we’ve embraced and introduced into our classrooms.

Follow on Twitter: @JorgeDoesPBL @sheldoneakins, @Rdene915 @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd

Sheldon L. Eakins, Ph.D. is the Founder of the Leading Equity Center and host of the Leading Equity Podcast. He is also the author of Leading Equity: Becoming an Advocate for All Students. With over 11 years in education, he has served as a teacher, principal, and Director of Special Education.

Dr. Eakins has a passion for helping educators accomplish equitable practices in their schools. He has earned a B.S. degree in Social Science Education, an M.S. degree in Educational Leadership, and a Ph.D. in K-12 Education.

Dennis Shirley is Gabelli Faculty Fellow and Professor of Education at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. He has conducted research and led professional development workshops for teachers, principals, and affiliated staff in 30 nations in 6 continents and his work has been translated into many languages. He has two new books published with Andy Hargreaves. The first is entitled Five Paths of Student Engagement: Blazing the Trail to Learning and Success and the second is Well-being School: Three Forces to Uplift Your Students in a Volatile World. Dennis works with educators in many countries to help with clarifying their challenges, identifying promising strategies, and implementing and assessing change. He is skilled at breaking down ill-defined problem sets to establish ambitious goals that can be attained with persistence, creativity, and dignity. Combining cutting-edge research with high levels of engagement for the educators charged with educating the young on a daily basis, Dennis is sought-after because of his respect for teachers and administrators and his enjoyment of the pleasures involved in working with students to improve their learning.

Dennis holds a doctoral degree from Harvard University. In addition to his appointment at Boston College, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London.

Rachelle Dené Poth is an edtech consultant, presenter, attorney, author, and teacher. Rachelle teaches Spanish and STEAM: What’s nExT in Emerging Technology at Riverview Junior Senior High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle has a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle is an ISTE Certified Educator and a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert. She is a past-president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network and served on the Leadership team of the Mobile Learning Network for five years. She received the ISTE Making IT Happen Award and has received several Presidential Gold Awards for volunteer service to education. She was named one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers for 2021. Rachelle is the author of seven books, ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU” (EduMatch) and “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” ISTE “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World”, True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us (EduMatch), “Your World Language Classroom: Strategies for Digital and In-Person Instruction”, and her latest book, “Things I Wish […] Knew.” Rachelle has a podcast, ThriveinEDU available at https://anchor.fm/rdene915 Her books are available at bit.ly/Pothbooks