What is Social Emotional Learning?

According to CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, “Social-emotional learning 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.”  

In other words, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) are the skills that may not be explicitly taught, but are learned through relationships, social interactions and are used to manage emotions and adapt in society.  They are skills that, when absent, become abundantly clear and surface in our data, often in discipline and behavior data.  SEL can also impact school climate.  In general, research indicates a positive correlation between SEL and positive school climate and student achievement.