Major! National Education News Site Profiles WINGS
Not Many Afterschool Programs Teach Social-Emotional Learning. Wings for Kids Does, and New Gold Standard Study Finds It's Working for Low-Income Students.
Article originally published on January 13, 2020
The 74 – a highly-regarded news site covering education in America – published a brilliant profile on WINGS. Our favorite published piece to date, this feature dives into our curriculum, community, and proven impact on K-5 students with powerful testimonials from a principal, student, parent, and two independent researchers.
Below are a few sentiments from the profile:
- “Rare afterschool SEL program works for low-income students"
- “It might even look a little too fun, but that's why kids like it”
- “And WINGS, with its long history and new research to back its work, is jumping at the opportunity to share what it’s learned.”
Good stuff, right? Read the full story here or scroll down for a snippet.
Not Many Afterschool Programs Teach Social-Emotional Learning. Wings for Kids Does, and New Gold Standard Study Finds It’s Working for Low-Income Students.
Who cares how students feel if they can’t read or write? That was the response to Bridget Laird two decades ago, when the now-CEO of the nonprofit Wings for Kids tried to convince people about the power of emotions in the learning process. Now, a new randomized controlled trial — considered the gold standard of research — backs Laird’s program and her argument for why students should learn skills like self-awareness, collaboration and empathy in school. Laird’s program, though, takes place not in school, but in afterschool, a rare venue for teaching social-emotional learning. Wings for Kids, which has served 10,000 students in low-income schools in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, combines activities for elementary students with a safe afterschool space where they can learn and laugh for three hours every day. Here’s why Laird thinks her students’ gains in social-emotional skills, as well as reading and vocabulary, are due to the Wings secret sauce: fun. Read More >