Classroom: Nurturing, safe classrooms with caring teacher-student relationships are critical to SEL. These types of supportive classrooms depend on adults who themselves have strong SEL skills (Jones et al, 2013) and can effectively use evidence-based strategies for developing students’ social and emotional competencies in culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate ways. These strategies include explicit SEL instruction, embedding SEL into academics, and elevating student voice.

School: Students interact and learn not only in classrooms, but throughout school hallways, cafeterias, playgrounds, school buses, etc. A school’s policies, procedures, physical structures, collective values, norms, relationships, and overall climate shape how students engage in SEL. Additionally, research indicates that school leaders who model, support, and prioritize SEL may be the single most important factor for the successful implementation of SEL programs (Devaney et al., 2006).

Families: Students are better able to learn and apply SEL knowledge when it is practiced and reinforced both in the school and the home. When schools and families cultivate authentic partnerships, SEL programs are more effective (Albright & Weissberg, 2010; Patrikakou & Weissberg, 2007) and are linked to improved academic performance, increased student engagement, and reduced school dropout rates (Greenberg et al., 2003).’ social and emotional competencies in culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate ways.

Communities: Community partners and organizations can work jointly with schools to align efforts, contribute to SEL, and strengthen the impact of SEL both in and out of school (CASEL, 2015; Durlak, 2010; Elias et al., 1997; Oberle et al., 2016). Similarly, schools can expand upon the efforts of community partners that focus on SEL by reinforcing effective strategies during the school day.