What is Newcomers

Although teachers' awareness of SEL plays a critical role in successful SEL implementation, most research is focused on the effects of SEL policy/programs on students and schools with little attention to teachers' experiences of SEL implementation, especially those serving low-income predominantly non-dominant communities. In fact, teachers in underserved schools are reported to have greater needs for support to adapt SEL programs to their students' different backgrounds. This qualitative research explores how teachers experience the SEL policy/programs at one elementary school implementing SEL pilot programs in Colorado, with a high percentage of racially and linguistically minoritized students facing economic challenges. This research draws upon culturally responsive pedagogy frameworks to capture teachers' praxis of culturally responsive SEL in an underserved multilingual/multicultural school and what challenges they are navigating. This study's more situated data extends the theory and practices of culturally responsive SEL.