What is SEL?

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines SEL as:

The process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

Staff Members
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

CASEL has led a growing movement to make SEL an integral part of education.

CASEL is a multidisciplinary network that includes researchers, educators, practitioners, and child advocates, aimed at establishing high-quality, evidence-based SEL as an essential part of preschool through high school education.

CASEL's vision is that through a commitment to SEL, children and adults will be self-aware, caring, responsible, engaged, and lifelong learners who work together to achieve their goals and create a more inclusive, just world.

If SEL is lacking and if relationships in the classroom are conflicted, the classroom environment can result in disengaged students and decreased academic achievement.

-Ribas, Brady, and Hardin (Social-Emotional Learning in the Classroom)

Why does it matter?

SEL Makes a Difference!

Decades of research demonstrates that an education that promotes SEL has a positive impact on a wide range of outcomes, including academic performance, healthy relationships, mental wellness, and more.

THE BENEFITS OF SEL

1. SEL leads to improved academic outcomes and behaviors.

2. SEL benefits are long-term and global.

3. SEL is a wise financial investment.

4. Social and emotional skills help improve lifetime outcomes.