Dancing Classrooms to Honor Dr. Roger P. Weissberg As International Champion of Social and Emotional Learning at 21st Annual Gala March 11
NEW YORK, March 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dancing Classrooms, Inc. Board of Trustees has announced plans to honor Dr. Roger P. Weissberg with the 2015 Social and Emotional Learning Champion Award at the organization's annual gala on Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. at New York's Pierre Hotel.
Roger Weissberg, PhD is the NoVo Foundation Endowed Chair in Social and Emotional Learning and Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is also Chief Knowledge Officer of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), an organization committed to making evidence-based social and emotional academic learning an essential part of education.
Dr. Weissberg's work revolves around a set of core beliefs, which include that what children think and feel matters a great deal in their development and that it is important to create the conditions through which every child can thrive. Since 1977, he has dedicated his life's work to finding answers to just one question, "How can schools, families and communities work together to create positive outcomes in young people?"
"Academically, we can best describe SEL as the idea that learning emerges through supportive relationships that make learning a challenging, engaging and meaningful experience," said Dr. Weissberg. "Students participating in Dancing Classrooms have opportunities to build supportive and cooperative relationships through dance. Their sense of accomplishment and their development of social and emotional skills are associated with academic gains and increased maturity and personal growth."
Among Dr. Weissberg's many professional recognitions is his Daring Dozen award from the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a distinction he shares with 12 people who are reshaping the future of education. In 2013, he was elected to the National Academy of Education for his contributions to education research and policy.
What is Social and Emotional Learning?
CASEL defines Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) as the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
New Findings in SEL Research & Dancing Classrooms, Inc.
According to a recent study by Rob Horowitz of the Center for Arts Education Research at Teachers College, Columbia University, 95% of teachers reported that their students improved self-discipline and focus through participating in Dancing Classrooms and 89% said that their students demonstrated improved engagement and motivation in other areas of school.
"It is through social and emotional learning that Dancing Classrooms has transformed shy, emotionally hurting, and disaffected children into young ladies and gentlemen," said John G. Schultz, Executive Director of Dancing Classrooms, Inc. and Dancing Classrooms Global. "Dr. Weissberg is the world's leading psychologist in this field of study, and so it gives us great pleasure to recognize his achievements and research as we celebrate another year of helping children succeed and achieve their potential through ballroom dance."
The 2015 Benefit Dinner Dance will be hosted Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at the Grand Ballroom of the Pierre Hotel located at 2 East 61st Street. Dr. Jephtha Tausig will be recognized as Dancing Classrooms' Humanitarian Honoree. The evening will include a performance by the Dancing Classrooms Youth Dance Company, featuring students from 291X in the Bronx with music by the Paul Errico Orchestra. There will be a live auction by Hugh Hildesley of Sotheby's.
ABOUT DANCING CLASSROOMS
Dancing Classrooms helps children succeed in life by unleashing rapid development of essential social, emotional, and cognitive skills. A distinctively rich, in-school Social and Emotional Learning accelerator, the program engages students in the joy, discipline, and teamwork of the art social dance and creates mutually respectful and effective learning environments.
Started in one New York City public school in 1994 by Pierre Dulaine, ballroom champion and teacher, and his long-time partner, Yvonne Marceau, Dancing Classrooms has worked its magic on more than 400,000 students, their teachers and their families in 31 cities in the U.S. and abroad. Dancing Classrooms currently serves over 45,000 students a year, 25,000 of them in New York City. For more information, www.dancingclassroooms.org.
Click for a video about Dancing Classrooms, Inc.
SOURCE Dancing Classrooms, Inc.
Share this article