Adapting and scaling during a crisis: A national rollout of SEL Kernels in Ukraine

Overall, high-quality, school-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have been shown to improve key child and teacher outcomes. However, attempts to implement and evaluate SEL programs in international crisis settings have produced mixed results, and it is unclear whether SEL programs can achieve their intended outcomes in the world’s most turbulent settings. Conflict and crisis settings pose many challenges to the implementation, scale, and sustainability of SEL programs, particularly in contexts that differ from those where programs were originally designed and studied. Special attention is needed to the cultural and situational relevance, feasibility, and fit of SEL programs within crisis settings, to ensure they are aligned with local needs and are not burdensome for educators. This paper describes the process used to adapt evidence-based SEL materials to the needs of children and teachers in wartime Ukraine, and the systems used to support the scale and sustainability of a national rollout of SEL Kernels during the war. Data collected throughout year one of the rollout suggest that the processes were effective at ensuring local relevance, feasibility, and successful implementation of SEL Kernels in Ukrainian schools while scaling nationally. Reflections from Ukrainian teachers about the perceived impact of Kernels on children’s learning and wellbeing further suggest the effectiveness of the approach, which can be a model for adapting and scaling high-quality SEL in other crisis settings. Impact Statement This paper describes a process for adapting and scaling SEL that can be used in international crisis settings. Over 473 million children live in or are fleeing conflict and crisis settings around the world. Children in these situations face daily threats to their learning, wellbeing, and healthy development, and most of them do not have access to effective social and emotional learning opportunities. Investing in processes like those described in this paper can ensure that high-quality SEL is made accessible and relevant for educators in complex crisis settings, thereby promoting positive outcomes for the world’s most vulnerable children and youth.