.png)
CASEL provides a fabulous overview of the benefits of SEL with links to some of the studies behind the evidence.
Below is a collection of some of the finding we think are particularly significant.
Follow us on social media for our latest "Research Wednesday" posts:
Nature journaling—sketching and annotating observations about natural phenomena—also builds crucial cognitive and processing skills like close observation, technical illustration, attention to detail, critical thinking, and the ability to organize and categorize information.
Learn More
Students’ social-emotional skills are positively correlated with their reading and math performance, according to a study by Branching Minds, an ed-tech company that provides multitiered system of supports software.
Learn More
This paper highlights the critical need for more evidence-based SEL (Social Emotional Learning) programs for middle school students, reviewing key SEL domains and the evolution of SEL in response to a changing world. It demonstrates the scarcity of programs meeting rigorous standards such as WWC, CASEL, and Blueprints, and notes that even proven programs often show limited effects across domains. The paper concludes by addressing the unique developmental needs of early adolescents and offering recommendations for refining SEL programs for this age group.
Learn More
Social-emotional learning (SEL) aims to enhance students' social-emotional competences through a comprehensive program involving school, home, and community. While global research on evidence-based SEL practices is active, the quality of intervention studies, essential for evaluating these practices, has been under-examined, particularly outside Western contexts. This study analyzed the quality and effectiveness of 22 peer-reviewed SEL intervention studies in Korea, using Evidence-Based Intervention (EBI) indicators and meta-analysis to calculate effect sizes.
Learn More
A national survey of LGBTQ youth found that 67% heard homophobic comments in schools, 58% felt unsafe due to their sexual orientation, and 43% felt unsafe due to their gender identity, with only 12% reporting teacher intervention. Despite the known benefits of supporting LGBTQ youth through seven key systems (family, curriculum, school professionals and teachers, peers, school policies, programs, and school climate), positive outcomes are inconsistent. This inconsistency is attributed to insufficient training and support for school staff to enforce inclusive policies and curriculum, and broader sociopolitical barriers to LGBTQ activism and support in schools.
Learn More
March 8, 2024, is international SELDay! #SELDay is an international, community-driven campaign championing children’s social and emotional learning health and achievement worldwide. SEL supports students to feel their best and do their best at school, and #SELDay is a time to raise awareness and share resources to support the overall academic, social, and emotional health of all youth and adults, worldwide!
Learn More
In this study, the researchers explored the impact of Digital Storytelling on prospective teachers' Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), encompassing their self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship management, and responsible decision-making. The results strongly support the research hypotheses, indicating that digital storytelling positively influences the social-emotional development of educators.
Learn More
A seminal new report by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford highlights the critical importance of teacher wellbeing for teachers themselves, students and school systems. Based on an extensive literature review, the researchers developed a framework that identifies drivers of teacher wellbeing, which can spark meaningful discussions within your school context.
Learn More
Telling a child to stop a certain behavior or to calm down will not likely result in any long-term behavior changes because the adult is still managing the child’s behavior. It is much more effective to model and teach social and emotional skills to help children deal with their feelings, problems, and interactions with others. This, in turn, will lead to a richer and more fulfilling experience. This lesson will describe the strategies that will help children learn these important social-emotional skills. This lesson will also describe ways to help staff prevent conflicts and how staff should respond when problems arise.
Learn More
In this article, the authors trace the course of school discipline over the past 20 years and examine the status of school discipline reform today. They begin with an examination of zero-tolerance, suspension, and expulsion policies, as well as their assumptions and effects. They discuss alternatives that have been proposed and the guidance that has been offered by the federal government, and examine state changes that may be models for others. Finally, for any new model to be effective, support of teachers and administrators is essential; thus, the authors consider what educators really need if they are to successfully reform school discipline.
Learn More
A Comprehensive review and analysis of universal school-based social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions. The findings reveal that students who participated in these interventions exhibited substantial improvements in various aspects, including skills, attitudes, behaviors, school climate, peer relationships, school functioning, and academic achievement when compared to control groups. The study also highlights the importance of considering differences in SEL content, intervention features, context, and implementation quality when assessing student outcomes and offers insights for future research, policy, and practice in this area.
Learn More
The paper discusses the significant impact of school discipline policies on students' social, emotional, and academic development, emphasizing the adverse consequences of harmful practices and their disproportionate application to underserved students. It calls for federal and state-level reforms to promote evidence-based, equitable, and inclusive discipline policies and encourages district leaders to adopt a race equity lens when implementing these policies at the local level.
Learn More
More educators are considering leaving the profession. School districts can support them through social-emotional learning.
Learn More
In the midst of an unprecedented mental health crisis plaguing our nation’s youth, a study led by Christina Cipriano, PhD, assistant professor in Yale Child Study Center, and Michael Strambler, associate professor of psychiatry, substantiates the evidence of social and emotional learning (SEL) in supporting student flourishing in school and life.
Learn More
Benenson Strategy Group conducted online interviews with 1200 parents of school aged children from April 15-23, 2022. Key findings were 1. Parents largely take the term “SEL” at face value and there aren’t negative top of mind associations with it. 2. There is strong and widespread support for teaching SEL- both among the 54% who say it’s already taught at their school and those who say it isn’t or are unsure. 3. Parents prioritize a range of skills that SEL support 4. And see how teaching SEL creates a positive classroom environment where kids learn the skills they need to succeed. 5. In head to head argumentations, parents overwhelmingly say schools have a role in teaching kid social and emotional skills and reject the idea that SEL is somehow taking the place of mental wellness supports like therapists and social workers.
Learn More
Without social and emotional support, adolescent students who have recently made the difficult transition to middle school experience decreased social belonging, waning academic performance, and increased risk of dropping out. This randomized field trial, conducted at scale across a Midwestern school district, reveals how a psychologically precise intervention for students supported transitioning sixth graders. Intervention materials taught students that middle school adversity is common, short-lived, and due to external, temporary causes rather than personal inadequacies. As a result, students realized improved social and psychological well-being, fewer absences and disciplinary infractions, and higher grade point averages. Implemented at scale, this intervention holds potential to help to address the widespread academic underperformance by the nation’s transitioning middle school students.
Learn More
A lack of belonging is tied to a host of negative outcomes in students, from poor grades to more frequent disciplinary infractions. In this article, Stanford psychologist Geoffrey Cohen shares research backed strategies educators can deploy to build belonging and connection in class.
Learn More
This study examined the role of three job resources (autonomy-supportive leadership, relatedness with colleagues and students) and three job demands (autonomy-thwarting leadership, time pressure, disruptive student behaviour) in relation to teacher wellbeing and turnover intentions. The job resources were generally positively associated with the well-being factors, whereas time pressure was negatively associated with vitality, but positively associated with behavioural engagement. In addition, relatedness with colleagues and subjective vitality were negatively associated with turnover intentions, whereas the reverse was true for autonomy-thwarting leadership and time pressure. There were no interaction terms retained in the final model.
Learn More
Parental and Peer Relationships: The quality of relationships with parents and peers plays a significant role in boys' mental health. Supportive relationships can act as protective factors against the development of mental health issues.
Learn More
This paper explores how states and districts can utilize the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to enhance family engagement in promoting students' academic, social, and emotional learning. It provides key recommendations, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based parent and family engagement, coupled with social and emotional learning, to positively impact academic performance and overall well-being. The integration of these strategies with ESSA requirements presents a significant opportunity for states and districts to influence student outcomes, particularly in the context of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn More
There are four fundamental steps which can strengthen the relationship between families and schools: cultivate trusting relationships between educators and families, build the confidence and skills of both staff and caregivers, reposition families’ roles from spectators to collaborators, and involve families in interpreting data and posing solutions. These steps are crucial to building a supportive social and emotional learning environment for students. There are four fundamental steps which can strengthen the relationship between families and schools: cultivate trusting relationships between educators and families, build the confidence and skills of both staff and caregivers, reposition families’ roles from spectators to collaborators, and involve families in interpreting data and posing solutions. These steps are crucial to building a supportive social and emotional learning environment for students.
Learn More
The pandemic has led to a lot of educators feeling overwhelmed and disstressed. Research shows that teachers with SEL training improves their ability to teach. Research shows that it is quite diffcult for teachers to get access to SEL training. SEL training for educators should occur both before and during their teaching career. Teachers who willingly learn SEL, carry that positively to their student.
Learn More
Schools are recognizing the lack of SEL training. Therefore, SEL training has began to be integrated within school districts. This directly corelates with the use of SEL coaches to train both teachers and princiapls. There is an overall improvement/growth with student learning and builiding a stronger school community.
Learn More.png)
This program supports leaders and educators around the world to build and sustain an inclusive, equitable, SEL-rooted school community. This online program is experiential, inspiring, and renewing - providing a balance of high impact practical tools and approaches, alongside space for collaboration and reflection.
More Info.png)
One-day workshop focusing on how to create and sustain a robust advisory program in middle & high schools that centers belonging and equity.
More Info.png)
These creative and experiential two-day workshop offers educators, administrators, counselors and advisors the opportunity to learn how to build classroom practices and school-wide systems that nurture the social and emotional health of all members of the community.
More Info
