About this session

Thursday, 11:50 AM - 1:20 PM

Measuring, Understanding, and Supporting SEL in Ukraine

Since the war in Ukraine began, over 2,000 schools have been shelled or bombed, with around 20% fully destroyed (Arhirova & Fisch, 2022; Snyder, 2023). This violence and disruption have severely affected children's social and emotional development and their well-being. The needs are so vast that the First Lady of Ukraine launched a national Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Program, prioritizing school children. In response, many Ukrainian teachers are focusing on students' emotional well-being. Research shows that strong social and emotional skills—such as attention, self-control, and empathy—lead to better academic performance and long-term success (Jones et al., 2015; Moffitt et al., 2011). Importantly, social-emotional learning (SEL) programs are crucial for children exposed to adversity, providing a supportive environment and helping them develop coping strategies (INEE, 2016; Osher et al., 2017). Three studies examine Ukrainian teachers’ and students’ needs and assets related to social-emotional skills and well-being. The first paper presents key findings regarding the social and emotional skills and SEL practices in Ukrainian secondary and primary schools, based on the OECD 2023 Survey on Social and Emotional Skills. The second paper presents landscape research, pilot findings, and next steps for a national rollout of SEL strategies in Ukrainian lower middle school and primary classrooms. The third paper presents findings from an evaluation of a teacher training on play-based MHPSS. Together, the papers provide insight into the needs of Ukrainian students and teachers and pathways to respond to these needs by offering high-quality strategies for well-being and SEL.

Paper #1
Title	State of SEL in Ukraine: Findings from the OECD's Survey on Social and Emotional Skills
Presenting author	Catharina Gress-Wright, OECD, France

Paper #2
Title	Play-based SEL Kernels in Ukraine: Landscape Research, Pilot Findings, Next Steps
Presenting author	Oksana Roma, Lego Foundation, Ukraine

Paper #3
Title	Thriving Through Play: Evaluation of Teacher Training on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Ukraine
Presenting author	Rena Deitz, New York University, USA

View all paper details

Session chair
Mr. Dominic Dominic Regeser, Salzburg Global Seminar, Austria

Discussant
Dr. J. Lawrence Aber, Ph.D., New York University, United States

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