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Hey There!
I'm Lana Penley!
Welcome to Unlocking SEL.
If you landed here, chances are you are an educator who is interested in
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
At Unlocking SEL, we are an educational consulting firm dedicated to assisting districts, schools and classrooms in educational transformation through social and emotional learning. We believe that success in schools starts with cultivating a safe, supportive and inclusive environment. Leveraging research-backed approaches, we develop and deliver customized SEL plans designed to address your unique challenges and objectives.
So come on in, take a look around, and grab some free resources to start building a safe, calm and joyful school and classroom today!
Start Here!
GRAB MY SEL CHEAT SHEET
Top 10 SEL Tips for Busy Educators
Providing Social and Emotional
Solutions to Schools
Post Pandemic Schools are Struggling.
Schools are currently facing unprecedented stress. According to NCES Staff (2022), there's been a dramatic decline in test scores, a surge in anxiety levels, and a pervasive sense of unhappiness.
This critical juncture demands nothing less than a transformative educational revolution, beckoning us towards a new paradigm of being and leading within our school communities and classrooms.
How?
Social and emotional learning can help, offering the promise of healing and fostering a sense of wholeness within the school environment. And that is exactly what we do-support schools with social and emotional implementation.
Our program at Unlocking SEL is unique in three specific ways.
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We work with your entire school staff in a yearlong, multi-session program ensuring whole staff buy in and transformative change.
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Our program was created by a practitioner and educator for practitioners and educators. We teacher real strategies that are research based and actionable right away.
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We begin with Adult SEL-the teachers. Teachers are charged with creating an ecosystem of care and calm in their classrooms. How do educators create that environment when they are running on empty, have compassion fatigue and often have reached their maximum stress level?
Want to find out more about how to work together to support educator wellness and healthy schools and classrooms?
Coming Spring 2024
Unlocking SEL
A Blueprint for Social and Emotional Learning in Schools
DO YOU KNOW SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING IS CRITICAL IN TODAYS WORLD BUT AREN'T SURE WHAT STEPS TO TAKE?
My book will show you a comprehensive model to SEL implementation in your school, district or classroom.
Unlocking SEL is a 5-step blueprint which will take you from feeling stuck to a systemic SEL plan-even if you don't know where to start.
Past and
Current Partners
FOR LEADERS
Mindful Leaders
Network
01
In this program, Mindful Leaders Network, Lana leverages her experience in school leadership and her experience in mindfulness to support leader wellbeing.
This program is specifically designed for school administrators and district leaders, to support their learning of strategies that can decrease their stress and increase their wellbeing.
FOR SCHOOLS
Our flagship educational program is titled Unlocking SEL-The Schoolwide Blueprint. Through a blend of on site and interactive remote sessions, we lead teams through five sessions of SEL Implementation.
This training is for the whole staff. We begin with adult SEL and then pivot to student and classroom SEL strategies to support school transformation.
THE BLUEPRINT
5 Schoolwide Sessions
02
I have been in education for more than 20 years.
Lana's training was the best
I have ever had.
4th grade teacher
My Story
"Have you ever experienced a day that completely transformed your life? For me, that day was November 10, 2009, the day my school caught on fire. Although everyone emerged unscathed, the event left an indelible mark on our minds and hearts. This defining moment made us realize the importance of nurturing emotional connections over academic rigor, guiding us towards Social and Emotional Learning as a means to heal and grow.
In the aftermath, I embraced a new direction, both for my life and the school, by integrating mindfulness into the core of our SEL approach. This shift brought about a profound change: disciplinary referrals decreased, academic performance improved, and overall happiness soared. But most importantly, we learned that when you lead with the heart, every other aspect follows suit.
Here is a short news story about Lana's school including the wonderful staff and students.
Now, I am committed to sharing this powerful journey with educators worldwide, aiming to foster happy, healthy learning environments through the effective implementation of SEL. Join me in this mission to create schools and classrooms where hearts lead and minds flourish."
Data after Implementing SEL:
75%
REDUCTION IN
SUSPENSION DAYS
48%
REDUCTION IN
REFERRALS
Our School became the highest performing Title 1 School in the city in both math and reading.
