Social emotional learning

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Social and emotional learning (SEL) is 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.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has created a framework for understanding the SEL and where it takes place. According to this framework, SEL is the process of develop self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship, and social awareness skills at school, at home, and in the communitythrough curriculum and instruction, schoolwide practices and policies, and family and community partnerships.

The term is primarily used in the context of education to describe pedagogical approaches designed to help develop these skills, both as part of formal school curricula and in out-of-school time programming. Other terms commonly used in relation to SEL include social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD); positive youth development; emotional literacy; emotional intelligence; social competence; and character education.

History of Social Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning, as a concept, has a long history that goes back to the Comer School Development Program, which was founded at the Yale School of Medicine's Child Study Center in the 1960s and focused on improving academic and social programs at underserved, low-performing schools. In the years that followed other researchers and educators—such as Timothy Shriver and Robert Weissberg—seized on SEL ideas and founded programs dedicated to improving youth outcomes through SEL.

In 1995, Daniel Goleman’s popular book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ brought widespread attention to the concepts that underpin social and emotional learning. It also cemented the place of SEL in the education field and brought the term into the broader culture.Importantly, for educators, Goleman’s book posited that the social and emotional skills that contribute to emotional intelligence can be taught and discussed methods for including SEL instruction in school curricula.

The term “social and emotional learning,” though, actually predates Emotional Intelligence. It was coined in 1994 at a meeting, convened by the Fetzer Institute, of researchers, educators, and advocates seeking to improve the coordination and quality of school programming focused on child and youth development.

In 1997 the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) partnered to publish. This groundbreaking book provided practical strategies for educators to create comprehensive and coordinated SEL programming from preschool through grade 12. This was the first book of its kind, and it laid the foundation for the country to begin addressing the “missing piece” in education.

For the next two decades, critical research and initiatives—both from CASEL and from other organizations in the field—advanced the evidence base for SEL, provided guidance to educators, and grew the community of scientists and educators committed to this important work. This included setting standards for evidence-based programs, from preschool through high school; understanding and advancing implementation in districts and schools; and conducting research linking SEL to academic achievement and other positive outcomes for students.

A particularly noteworthy and more recent development has been the establishment of CASEL’s Collaborating Districts Initiative (CDI), which began in 2011 with three large urban school districts and expanded to include 10 districts during the 2016–17 school year. This project marked a new phase in implementation of SEL: scaling SEL to include all schools within a single large district.

SEL Outcomes

An extensive body of rigorous research (including randomized control trials, longitudinal follow-ups, and multiple replications) demonstrates that an education that promotes social and emotional learning (SEL) gets results, and that teachers in all academic areas can effectively teach SEL.

Key studies include:

SEL Impact on Academic Outcomes. According to a meta-analysis of 213 studies involving more than 270,000 students, those who participated in evidence-based SEL programs showed an 11 percentile-point gain in academic achievement. Compared to students who did not participate in SEL programs, students participating in SEL programs also showed improved classroom behavior, an increased ability to manage stress and depression, and better attitudes about themselves, others, and school.

SEL Impact on Equity and Poverty. According to a 2015 by the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution, SEL competencies are critically important for the long-term success of all students in today’s economy. This report was developed by a group of bipartisan experts who agreed to set aside their differences and create a detailed plan for reducing poverty and increasing economic mobility. The authors noted that major educational and school reforms over the past few decades have not sufficiently focused on the social and emotional factors that are necessary to succeed in education, employment, and family life. The report also recommends an effort to scale up high-quality, evidence-based SEL programs as a core component of education for children. It makes three recommendations to the federal government and the states: (1) scale evidence-based SEL practices and policies; (2) implement high-quality state SEL standards, preschool through high school; and (3) establish SEL centers of excellence.

SEL Impact on Lifetime Outcomes. A 2015 national study published in the American Journal of Public Health found statistically significant associations between SEL skills in kindergarten and key outcomes for young adults years later in education, employment, criminal activity, substance use, and mental health. The study concluded that early prosocial skills decreased the likelihood of living in or being on a waiting list for public housing, receiving public assistance, having any involvement with police before adulthood, and ever spending time in a detention facility.

SEL Benefit-Cost Analysis. A 2015 study by researchers at Columbia University found that the measurable benefits of SEL exceed the costs, often by considerable amounts. The aggregate result of the analysis showed an average benefit-cost ratio of about 11 to 1 among the six evidence-based SEL interventions studied. This means that, on average, for every $1 invested in SEL programming, there is a return of $11.

SEL in Practice

SEL requires a strategic, systemic approach that involves everyone, from district and school leaders to community partners to family members, working together to ensure students receive the support they need. Successful SEL is not a standalone program or an add-on. It is central to how schools, communities, and families value and support the social, emotional, and academic development of their children.

SEL in Schools

In schools where SEL is being implemented schoolwide, leaders model good practices, proactively train staff, welcome parents as partners, focus on relationships (student-student, adult-student, adult-adult), use positive discipline policies, and invest time and resources in and out of the classroom. Research shows that social and emotional learning (SEL) helps create, and is most effective in, safe and supportive learning environments like these.

The following process for implementing SEL in schools is recommended by CASEL and is now in wide use in schools throughout the U.S.

• Develop a vision that prioritizes academic, social, and emotional learning.
• Conduct an SEL-related resources and needs assessment to inform goals for schoolwide SEL.
• Design and implement effective professional learning programs to build internal capacity for academic, social, and emotional learning.
• Adopt and implement evidence-based programs for academic, social, and emotional learning across all grades.
• Integrate SEL at all three levels of school functioning (curriculum and instruction, schoolwide practices and policies, family and community partnerships).
• Establish processes to continuously improve academic, social, and emotional learning through inquiry and data collection.

All these processes and strategies are spelled out and documented in a new online CASEL resource, the District Resource Center, based on the work of large school districts that collaborate with CASEL.

SEL Out of School

The afterschool hours are an important opportunity for social and emotional learning. Research has shown that quality afterschool programs contribute to improved social and emotional outcomes for youth, especially when youth participate at high levels. Furthermore, afterschool time presents an opportunity—which is not always available during school hours—for programs to focus intentionally and directly on SEL. For example, WINGS for Kids, in Charleston, S.C, has tapped those hours to teach children important social and emotional skills, like managing their feelings and working well with others.

Many other innovative afterschool models are being implemented nationwide. Edutopia has identified and profiled several of them in an online feature on full-time learning.

Also of great importance for children’s social, emotional, and academic development are various forms of partnerships between schools and their students’ homes and families. Parents and families are critical partners in helping their children develop social and emotional know-how. They can model the kinds of skills, attitudes, and behaviors all students need to master. And they can be important advocates for SEL at school. The CASEL website offers numerous examples of these types of partnerships and opportunities.

SEL Organizations

SEL has been a prominent concept in education for more than 20 years. Numerous education, research, and advocacy organizations and programs, as well as philanthropic organizations, make SEL either their exclusive focus or one of their primary initiatives. These include:

• ASCD Whole Child Initiative
• Center on Great Teachers and Leaders American Institutes for Research
• Character.org
• Character Lab
• Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
• Edutopia
• Mindset Works
• National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (Aspen Institute)
• National School Climate Center
• Rutgers Social and Emotional Learning Lab
• Social Development Research Group
• WINGS for Kids
• Yale Center on Emotional Intelligence

Philanthropic Organizations

• Einhorn Family Charitable Trust
• NoVo Foundation
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Wallace Foundation

Further Reading

Durlak, J. A., Domitrovich, C. E., Weissberg, R. P., & Gullotta, T.P. (Eds.) Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning: Research and Practice. (2016) New York: Guilford Press.

Hawkins, J.D., Kosterman, R., Catalano, R.F., Hill, K.G. and R.D. Abbott. (2005) Promoting positive adult functioning through social development intervention in childhood: Long-term effects from the Seattle Social Development Project. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 159, 25-31.

Rimm-Kaufman, S.E., Fan, X., Chiu, Y.I., & You, W. (2007) The contribution of the Responsive Classroom approach on children’s academic achievement: Results from a three-year longitudinal study. Journal of School Psychology, 45, 401-421.

Sklad, M., Diekstra, R., De Ritter, M., Ben, J., and C. Gravestein. (2012) Effectiveness of school-based universal social, emotional, and behavioral programs: Do they enhance students’ development in the are of skill, behavior, and adjustment? Psychology in the Schools, 49, 892-910.

Social and Character Development Research Consortium [SCDRC]. (2010) Efficacy of Schoolwide Programs to Promote Social and Character Development and Reduce Problem Behavior in Elementary School Children. (NCER 2011-2011). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

Weissberg, R.P., Kumpfer, K., & Seligman, M. E. P. (Eds.). (2003) Prevention that works for children and youth: An introduction. American Psychologist, 58, 425-432.

Zins, J.E., Weissberg, R.P., Wang, M. C., and H.J. Walberg. (Eds.). (2004) Building Academic Success on Social and Emotional Learning: What Does the Research Say? New York: Teachers College Press

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