Embedding SEL in teacher preparation courses to support traditional and non-traditional adult learners

Special education teachers play a key role in supporting students' social and emotional well-being alongside their academic achievement. However, special education teachers are exhibiting difficulty managing their own mental well-being due to the complexities of their position leading to increased burnout and turnover in the field. This national shortage is increasing emergency certification to fill needed positions and enrollment in post-baccalaureate certification programs. To add to this dilemma, colleges and universities are struggling to cope with student mental health concerns, causing decreases in enrollment or degree completion. This practice piece utilized the Theory of Change (ToC) by integrating the three signature practices of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into four different in-person and online courses for undergraduate pre-service special education teachers ( n =38) and post-baccalaureate special education majors ( n =20). These courses reviewed special education law, the evaluation process, writing legal paperwork, engaging in transition planning, and preparing and implementing evidence-based lesson plans for core academic subjects. The practitioner discovered that SEL integration at the university level can benefit adult learners’ mental well-being and support their academic progress to complete their degree requirements, increase retention in the field, and deliver and model appropriate SEL teaching strategies to future PreK-12 th grade classrooms. This practice piece provides recommendations for how educators in teacher preparation programs can integrate SEL into their existing courses to support the whole adult learner.