Are you a prosocial school leader?

In a recent issue brief published by Pennsylvania State University, authors conclude that developing the social and emotional competence of school principals can help them model and lead SEL efforts that improve the entire school community. Social emotional competence can also help principals cope with the demands of this high-stress position, thus reducing principal turnover and subsequent impact on students. However, the authors note there are few principal preparation programs that teach these vital skills. The brief authors present the “Prosocial School Leader Model,” which is based on research by Jennings and Greenberg’s prosocial classroom model. As illustrated above, principals’ own social emotional competency and well-being influences the four “mediators,” (shown in purple) which the authors propose can impact school climate and, in turn, student outcomes. All of these elements can be impacted by school/community contextual factors, such as budgets and level of student disadvantage.

The Prosocial School Leader Model, as presented in a recent issue brief from The Pennsylvania State University Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center. (Credit: Mahfouz, Greenberg, Weissberg, Chi, & Turksma, under review)