Resources on Social and Emotional Learning and the Benefits for Behavior and Acheivement
Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
This website describes Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) as a process for helping children develop the fundamental skills to recognize and manage their own emotions, to build healthy relationships, to make responsible decisions and to handle challenging situations constructively and ethically. As a framework for school improvement, teaching these fundamental life skills helps create and maintain safe, caring learning environments. SEL is implemented through classroom instruction and in school-wide and out-of-school activities. Educators receive ongoing professional development, and families and schools work together to promote children’s social, emotional, and academic success.
The website includes issue briefs, FAQs, and video and audio clips that provide background on SEL. It also includes implementation guides and toolkits for the use of SEL in schools, materials for parents, and DVDs and Powerpoint presentations for workshops.
The website also includes research articles and reports on the effectiveness of SEL for improving behavior and academic achievement in schools. The website features preliminary findings of an ongoing research project conducted by CASEL and researchers at Loyola University which analyzes more than 700 positive youth development, SEL, character education, and prevention interventions. The research finds benefits in three areas: feelings and attitudes, indicators of behavioral adjustment, and school achievement. The study documents gains produced by school-based programs in a variety of areas, including 23% improvement in social and emotional skills, 9% improvement in school and classroom behavior, 9% decrease in conduct problems such as classroom misbehavior and aggression, and an 11 percentile point gain in achievement test scores.