This TED talk by Linda Cliatt, a principal at a school listed as ‘low performing’ and ‘potentially dangerous’ in Philadelphia, who shares her beliefs and the strategies that raised student academic outcomes, and turned the school around in a year.

In this 17-minute talk filmed in 2015, Linda Cliatt presents three ‘slogans’ that were critical in the transformation of the school: (1) “If you are going to lead, lead” (taking leadership and ownership over all problems big and small), (2) “So what? Now what?” (moving past excuses by taking action) and finally, (3) “If nobody told you they loved you today, remember that I do. And I always will” (helping students feel valued, and giving them voice and respect). It is this emphasis she places on love as a driver of change and success in her students that makes this talk particularly relevant to the work of social and emotional learning.