SEL is 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. (www.casel.org)

The Center for Academic and Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) supports 5 social emotional compentencies which include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.

The short answer? Because EVERYONE benefits! CASEL has conducted several meta-analyses of studies that indicate that SEL interventions that address CASEL's 5 competencies lead to increased academic outcomes and improved behaviors in schools. The impact is long-term and global, continuing to have a strong impact up to 18 years later on academic, conduct problems, emotional distress, and drug use. As for the economy, investing time into supporting CASEL's 5 compentencies can help reduce poverty and improve economic mobility. For more information, click here.

CASEL’s framework takes a systemic approach that emphasizes the importance of establishing equitable learning environments and coordinating practices across key settings of classrooms, schools, families, and communities to enhance all students’ social, emotional, and academic learning.

It is the most beneficial to integrate SEL throughout the school's academic curriculum and school culture, across schoolwide practices and policies, and through ongoing collaboration with families and community partners.

The CASEL 5 SEL competencies can be taught and applied at various developmental stages from childhood to adulthood and across diverse cultural contexts. Many school districts, states, and countries have used the CASEL 5 to establish preschool to high school learning standards and competencies that articulate what students should know and be able to do for academic success, school and civic engagement, health and wellness, and fulfilling careers.

As the demand for SEL has grown, we must focus on the how. CASEL's SEL Framework is guided by a Theory of Action across the school, district, and state to comprehensively support quality SEL implementation.

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