Selecting, Adapting and Implementing Classroom Kernels for Student Social and Emotional Development and Resilience in Local Elementary Schools: A Community–University Partnership Approach

Schools are critical settings in our nation’s public health response to the youth mental health crisis. There is strong empirical support that comprehensive, universal programs promote students’ social and emotional development and academic success. However, schools, particularly Title I schools, often lack the capacity to implement entire programs as intended, due in part to limited resources that necessitate adapted program content and implementation supports. Use of core components (i.e., kernels) across evidence-based social–emotional learning programs provides opportunities for low-resource schools to select a targeted set of classroom strategies best suited to their needs, values, resources, and goals. This paper describes the collaborative kernel selection and implementation process we used in the context of a community–university partnership with seven Title I elementary schools across two school districts in the Southeastern USA. Partners consisted of district and school leadership, educators as implementers, local school mental health professionals as implementation champions, and university partners and an independent capacity building consultation firm as external consultants. The team used a phased approach via the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment framework to (1) identify kernels based on each school’s needs; (2) adapt kernels to align with existing programming and resources; (3) tailor kernels to each educator and their classroom; and (4) support ongoing implementation via multi-tiered supports. Examples of this approach, including examples of data feedback to inform decisions, are featured to promote replication in other community–university partnerships.