Social and Emotional Learning

Social and Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply their knowledge, skills, and attitudes to manage emotions, collaborate, achieve personal goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. Well-implemented school programs designed to foster SEL are associated with many positive outcomes, ranging from better test scores and higher graduation rates to improved social behavior and mental wellness.

A positive school climate—including a safe and inclusive environment, strong student and staff relationships, and integrated supports for learning—provides the foundation that students need to develop the social, emotional, and academic competencies they need to succeed in life. The Learning Policy Institute works to conduct and disseminate research on applying SEL across a variety of educational policies and practices.

Social and emotional learning graphic

Featured Resources

students and teachers in a variety of learning environments

Restarting and Reinventing School: Learning in the Time of COVID and Beyond

Teacher sitting with young students on lawn by a bench

Evidence for Social and Emotional Learning in Schools

Further Reading

Foundational SEL Resources
- Advancing the science and practice of social and emotional learning: Looking back and moving forward (
  journal article, Review of Research in Education
  )
- Fundamentals of SEL (
  website, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning
  )
- The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions (
  journal article, Child Development
  )
- Development during adolescence: The impact of stage-environment fit on young adolescents’ experiences in schools and in families (
  journal article, American Psychologist
  )
- From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope (
  report, National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development
  )
SEL and Positive School Climate
- Design Principles for Schools: Putting the Science of Learning and Development Into Action (
  playbook
  )
- Teaching for Powerful Learning: Lessons From Gateway Public Schools (
  report
  )
- Teaching the Way Students Learn Best: Lessons from Bronxdale High School (
  report and brief
  )
- Social Justice Humanitas: A Community School Approach to Whole Child Education (
  report and brief
  )
Preparing Educators for Social and Emotional Learning
- Educator Preparation for Social-Emotional Learning, Cultural Competence, and Equity at Trinity University (
  whitepaper, EdPrepLab
  )
- Preparing Teachers to Support Social and Emotional Learning: A Case Study of San Jose State University and Lakewood Elementary (
  report and related materials
  )
SEL in School Accountability and Improvement
- Making ESSA's Equity Promise Real (
  interactive map
  )
- Redesigning School Accountability and Support: Progress in Pioneering States (
  report
  )

Related Project

diverse students gather around a teacher leading them in a gardening activity

Whole Child Policy Table

View a complete list of LPI's publications, blogs, and events on the topic of social and emotional learning. View all