Gale Helps Charleston County School District Integrate Social Emotional Learning and Diversity & Inclusion in the Classroom and at Home
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. and CHARLESTON, S.C. – September 23, 2020 – With mental health issues and racial injustices on the rise, Gale, a Cengage company, is helping the Charleston County School District (CCSD) provide its students and school staff with authoritative digital resources to support social and emotional learning (SEL) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The district is using professional learning and student collections on Gale eBooks to help educators and learners strengthen their understanding and provide guidance for mental health and racial equity to create more supportive and inclusive learning environments.
According to a recent EdWeek MarketBrief survey, 53% of administrators and teachers believe helping students cope with anxiety, depression, stress management and other mental illnesses, will be major needs as schools reopen during COVID-19. Additionally, 47% said that social-emotional support for teachers is a top priority as well.i
“With the ongoing pandemic and civil unrest that our nation is currently experiencing, the need to support our students and teachers’ well-being is greater than ever,” said Christy James, library and media services coordinator for CCSD. “The materials in Gale’s SEL and DEI collections are timely and very relevant for what students and teachers need inside and outside of the classroom and equips them with the right trauma-informed approaches and culturally-responsive tools to meet their needs.”
As the second-largest school system in South Carolina, more than 50,000 students and over 3,500 teachers across 87 schools and programs can privately access the collections from the district’s library website, 24/7 from any location or device.
CSSD’s Gale eBooks collections include:
For Students
- Cameron’s Collection: 1 in 5 teens suffers from mental health challenges—and more than 75% don’t seek help at all.ii Helping students cope with everyday stressors and stay in the present moment are at the core of this collection. More than 90 digital titles span a wide range of topics including: ADD, ADHD, alcohol, anorexia, anxiety, bulimia, caregiving, cutting, depression, divorce, drugs, eating disorders, homelessness, OCD, self-injury, stress, and suicide. Created in partnership with the Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation, this collection aims to inspire students affected by mental illness to seek help.
- Cameron’s Camp for Wellness: More than 100 eBooks provide targeted guidance on sensitive issues for K-5 students, teachers and counselors with topics on managing emotions, teamwork, problem-solving, family issues, staying positive, being safe and much more. Helping students recognize and manage emotions, social skills, safety, and more are the core foundations of this collection.
For Educators
- SEL and DEI Collection: Creating a sense of unity, even in the most diverse communities, impacts student achievement and inspires positive change. This online collection is twofold, with 57 titles specific to SEL and DEI. Topics support culturally responsive teaching, trauma-informed and mindful practices, self-management, empathy, differentiation, and more.
- Administrator and Teacher Self-Care Collection: Teachers SEL is just as important as their students, yet meeting these needs can be challenging, especially in an evolving virtual environment. This digital collection of 26 titles is focused on the teachers as well as administrators in areas of self-care, mindfulness, stress-busting strategies, time management, and more.
“The impact of the pandemic coupled with the recent racial injustices has left many school districts scrambling to figure out how to support students and educators as they deal with the trauma, making social emotional well-being and instruction more important than ever,” said Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager at Gale. “Gale eBooks SEL and DEI collections help learners develop the critical skills they need to cope with everyday challenges to improve academic achievement while providing educators with the teaching tools to help them succeed – in school or at home.”
For more information, visit Gale’s SEL webpage.
About Cengage and Gale
Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. The company serves the higher education, K-12, professional, library and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, a Cengage company, believes in the power and joy of learning. For schools, the company helps drive positive outcomes by providing essential, curriculum-aligned content that empowers educators to solve curriculum challenges and meet students where they are. Today, that includes supporting distance and social and emotional learning as well as equity and inclusion goals. Gale’s K-12 offerings extend from educational databases and custom eBook collections to instructional tools and professional development resources. For more information, please visit www.gale.com/schools.
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About the Charleston County School District
Charleston County School District (CCSD) is a nationally-accredited school district that is committed to providing equitable and quality educational opportunities for all of its students. CCSD is the second-largest school system in South Carolina and represents a unique blend of urban, suburban and rural schools spanning 1,300 square miles along the coast. CCSD serves more than 50,000 students in 87 schools and specialized programs.
CCSD offers a diverse, expanding portfolio of options and specialized programs, delivered through neighborhood, magnet, IB (international baccalaureate), Montessori and charter schools. Options include programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); music and other creative and performing arts; career and technical preparation programs; and military.
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iiNational Alliance on Mental Illness: Mental Health by the Numbers
Media Contact:
Kayla Siefker, Gale, a Cengage company
248-915-9624