What is SEL?
According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and apply the knowledge 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.
Social and emotional skills are the tools both children and adults use in social interactions and to manage everyday emotional responses. Things like empathy, goal setting, and making responsible decisions help everyone maintain healthy relationships with themselves and others. But these skills can also directly impact students' academic success. In a recent study, students who participated in evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs scored 13 points higher academically, had a 6 percent higher high school graduation rate, and were 11 percent more likely to graduate from college.
SEL, as a field, was created by teachers over thirty years ago in the US. As educators shared their SEL practices with one another, acknowledgement of the importance of the field of SEL grew. SEL is an inspiring “bottom-up” example of how teachers remain true drivers of innovation in the field of education.