Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a critical part of education and child development. SEL is the process in which children acquire and learn how to apply important skills to understand and regulate emotions, set and achieve goals, establish positive relationships, understand and feel empathy for others, and make responsible decisions.
Our schools align its SEL approach with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning's (CASEL) framework used by the evidenced-based program, Lion's Quest. CASEL identifies five core competencies as part of SEL.
The five competencies include:
Self-Awareness
Self-Management
Social Awareness
Relationship Skills
Responsible Decision-Making
These five competencies are within a broader context of communities, homes, schools, and classrooms. It is important to understand that these competencies are not just learned in one setting or with on teaching approach, but rather across an entire educational environment along with a variety of strategies.
Improved social-emotional skills
Improved attitudes about self, others, and school
Positive classroom behavior
Improved performance on standardized achievement tests
Fewer conduct problems
Lower drug use
Less emotional stress