The decline of genuine dialogue and civility, as well as a reduced sense of empowerment and civic engagement, is a difficulty affecting our young people that schools and the wider society must address with urgency. As John Dewey recognized, this starts with the classroom and school and moves outward into the world. The Social-Emotional and Character Development (SECD) Lab at Rutgers will share its work in we call STAT—Students Taking Action Together—an instructional strategy for use as part of everyday social studies, history, civics, current events, and language arts instruction, as well as to address school problem situations as they happen. We will demonstrate how to teach students in upper elementary grades through high school can use perspective—taking, empathy development, respectful debate, and improved communication and problem solving skills, all within the existing academic curriculum structure. The STAT approach also is ideal for partnerships between school mental health professionals and instructional staff, as well as those leading relevant student clubs.
