Merrell's Strong Teens--Grades 9-12: A Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum, Second Edition - Paperback

Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum for High School Students

The Strong Teens--Grades 9-12 curriculum provides educators with a research-backed framework for teaching social-emotional competence to high school students. This second edition offers a structured 12-week program designed to help teenagers develop essential life skills including anger management, stress reduction, and interpersonal problem-solving.

Evidence-Based Program Features

Developed by educational and mental health experts, this curriculum has been proven to increase students' knowledge of social and emotional concepts while decreasing emotional and behavioral problems. The program requires no specialized mental health training, making it accessible for classroom teachers, counselors, and school staff.

• Low cost and low tech implementation
• Proven to help increase students' knowledge of social and emotional concepts and decrease their emotional and behavioral problems
• Easy to implement with no mental health training required
• Brief enough to use with any program

Flexible Implementation Options

The 12-week curriculum is designed to fit into existing schedules with flexibility for breaking lessons into smaller segments. Each lesson includes partially scripted content, reducing preparation time and ensuring consistent delivery across different classroom settings.

Complete Teaching Resources Included

All materials needed for program implementation are included: handouts, worksheets, and lesson plans. Materials are photocopiable and available as downloadable resources, minimizing additional costs and preparation requirements.

Core Skills Development

Through engaging classroom activities, students learn to understand and manage emotions, develop healthy coping strategies, and build interpersonal skills. The curriculum addresses the social-emotional foundations necessary for academic success and positive life outcomes.

Expert Authors

Created by Dr. Dianna Carrizales-Engelmann, Dr. Laura Feuerborn, Dr. Barbara Gueldner, Dr. Oanh K. Tran, and Dr. Hill M. Walker, the curriculum reflects decades of combined experience in educational psychology, school psychology, and social-emotional learning research.

Learn more about the Strong Kids series.

About the Authors

Dianna Carrizales-Engelmann, Ph.D., is currently Assistant Dean in the College of Education at the University of Oregon supporting the administration of the college that is ranked 3rd in the nation for Special Education, and 5th overall for public colleges of education. Dr. Carrizales-Engelmann uses her background in policy, leadership, assessment, and administration to provide insight and recommendations on any policy or practice that materially impacts operations in the College. Providing senior leadership with assessments of emerging budgetary and/or operational problems or concerns, working closely with administration, faculty, and staff to resolve technical and confidential issues, and representing the college to local, regional, and national partners. Dr. Carrizales-Engelmann has provided consultation on the development of national assessments, and on accommodations for assessments.

Dr. Laura Feuerborn is a Professor at the University of Washington Tacoma (UWT), a Faculty Fellow in Social Emotional Learning, and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. Dr. Feuerborn is a co-author of several SEL-focused programs, peer-reviewed research articles, and books. Dr. Feuerborn is also a co-developer of the Staff Perceptions of Behavior and Discipline (SPBD) and the Student Perceptions of Behavior and Discipline (StPBD), assessment tools that help school-based teams create, implement, and sustain culturally and contextually relevant school-wide practices. Feuerborn has been a core faculty in the School of Education at UWT since 2006 and works primarily with practicing educators seeking graduate degrees. Feuerborn teaches courses such as SEL, positive behavior supports, consultation, and systems change.

Barbara Gueldner, PhD, MSE, NCSP is a licensed psychologist who specializes in working with children, families, and community agencies to facilitate assessment, intervention, and program development approaches and practices that promote social-emotional-academic wellness. She has worked in several community settings including public and private schools, a university-based child and family clinic, two major pediatric primary care clinics, inpatient and outpatient medical and psychiatric clinics at Children's Hospital Colorado, a private practice, and served as visiting assistant professor at the University of Oregon. Dr. Gueldner's work focuses on social and emotional learning (SEL), childhood mental health and prevention approaches via a variety of community settings, internalizing problems, and working with adults and organizations to facilitate children's social, emotional, and academic development through evidence-based strategies. She is the co-author of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on these topics, as well as the SEL programs Merrell's Strong Kids and Merrell's Strong Teens, and the book Social and Emotional Learning in the Classroom. Dr. Gueldner frequently presents and conducts workshops for local, state, and national audiences, and serves as a council member of First Impressions of Routt County in Colorado.

Dr. Oanh K. Tran, is a Professor in the School Psychology Program at California State University, East Bay. Dr. Tran received her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 2007 and joined the CSUEB faculty in the Department of Educational Psychology where she has been teaching and mentoring graduate students. She also works as a school psychologist and consultant in the San Francisco, Bay Area. Her career focus is on promoting children's academic development and emotional well-being. Dr. Tran's research and professional interests include childhood mental health assessment and interventions, social and emotional learning (SEL), special education law and assessment, multi-tiered systems of supports/response to intervention, and parent-training. She frequently presents her work at conferences and has published articles, book chapters, and prevention curricula aimed at promoting emotional health for success in school-aged children. She is co-author of Merrell's Strong Kids and Merrell's Strong Teens Social-emotional Learning Curriculum (1st and 2nd Editions).

Hill M. Walker Ph.D. is Director of Center on Human Development, College of Education, University of Oregon