Social-emotional learning is fundamental to a quality education — as essential as reading, writing, math, social studies, and science, writes Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, in an Education Week essay.
The question is not whether we should teach students SEL, he writes, but whether we have the resolve to define it with clarity, strengthen its evidence base, and defend its value.
SEL equips students with the knowledge and skills to understand and manage emotions, make responsible decisions, build healthy relationships, and navigate challenges. These outcomes are the foundation of academic achievement, a positive school climate, and lifelong success.
Research shows high-quality SEL programs improve achievement, reduce disruptive behavior, and increase prosocial skills when they are developmentally appropriate and implemented with fidelity, according to a summary by CASEL, or the Collaborative for Social and Emotional Learning.
A 2011 study synthesized findings of 213 school-based universal interventions and found significant improvements in social-emotional skills, attitudes, behavior, and academic performance. And a 2023 meta-analysis of interventions between 2008 to 2020 found benefits across multiple domains, including peer relationships, school climate, and academic achievement.
Bottom line: SEL works, but positive impact requires thoughtful design; alignment with students cognitive, social, and emotional development; and sustained, high-quality implementation.
Without precise definitions about what it is and its value, SEL remains vulnerable to distortion.
For social-emotional learning to endure, educators must be accountable: Poorly designed or poorly implemented SEL efforts can trivialize what should be serious work. Everyone in the K-12 community plays a part in ensuring social-emotional learning can prosper:
- School leaders must create a culture where SEL is prioritized and protected. It is integrated into the school’s vision and mission statements and professional development opportunities for educators.
- Curriculum developers must design evidence-based materials and recommend appropriate implementation.
- Teachers must receive professional training, support and resources and materials to effectively integrate SEL into daily practice.
- Families must be partners to better understand how these skills extend beyond classrooms and prepare students for life outside of school.
- Policymakers must ensure long-term investment in SEL so that it isn’t dependent on short-term funding cycles.
- Researchers and field leaders must continue strengthening the science and research behind SEL to better understand it and how to effectively implement it in schools.
Education Week
