The Kegley Institute of Ethics and Department of Teacher Education at California State University, Bakersfield are committed to developing an education that is responsive to the needs of our community, teachers, and children. By working directly with classroom teachers, the SEEDE Institute makes explicit the ethical, social-emotional, and democratic dimensions of K-6 schooling. These areas of education are vitally important for children and teachers, perhaps especially so in an era of escalating political divisiveness that, in turn, has a direct impact on students’ feelings of safety, worth, and readiness to learn in the classroom.

This 4-day Institute features interactive sessions for local K-6 educators on topics in ethics education, social-emotional learning (SEL), and democratic pedagogy. Sessions provide information on current research in these fields but are primarily devoted to practice, focusing on strategies for participating educators to adopt ethics, SEL, and democratic practices in the classroom, school, and in our community. At the conclusion of the Institute, participating educators present on their plans to introduce ethics, SEL, and democratic pedagogy in their classrooms at the SEEDE Summit.

In addition to the training and resources on offer at the Institute, participating educators receive a participation stipend and a certificate of completion as “SEEDE Ambassadors.” In their role, Ambassadors commit to incorporating ethics, SEL, and democratic pedagogy in their classrooms and schools. Follow up consultation sessions are scheduled with Ambassadors to support their work in the following school year. As a result, this Institute produces a committed community and network of structured support for teachers to increase ethics, SEL, and democratic pedagogy in our schools.