Case Study: Preston County Schools enhances SEL and Health instruction with Newsela

Preston County Schools Address Challenges Head on with SEL Content from Newsela and a Willingness to Adapt

Preston County Schools, a district in West Virginia serving 3,900 students, faced significant challenges during the pandemic. These included addressing student wellbeing, a lack of reliable internet access for rural families, and rolling out a new health curriculum. The district needed a flexible social-emotional learning (SEL) resource that could provide relevant, equitable content. They turned to Newsela for a solution.

The school implemented the Newsela West Virginia Health Collection, which offered current, standards-aligned SEL content. Teachers found the material highly relevant and engaging for students, and they valued the ability to download content for offline use to overcome access issues. The solution provided a clear, spiraling K-12 curriculum that built teacher buy-in and ensured students would have a consistent, high-quality SEL experience throughout their education.

Preston County Schools

Stephen Wotring

Superintendent