Social Emotional

Learning

The mission of the Somers Public Schools is to prepare each student to contribute and succeed in an ever-changing global society. In order to do this, students need to learn and develop social and emotional learning competencies, in addition to academic competencies.

Social emotional learning 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." (CASEL, 2020)

The Somers Public School's framework for Social Emotional Learning is based on the five competencies identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL):

Self-Management

Self-Awareness

Responsible Decision-Making

Social Awareness

Relationship Skills

What are the Benefits of SEL?

Research confirms: Social and emotional competencies can be taught, modeled, and practiced and lead to positive student outcomes that are important for success in school and in life.

Decades of research studies demonstrate the following benefits of SEL:

  • Improvement in students’ social and emotional skills, attitudes, relationships, academic performance, and perceptions of classroom and school climate

  • Decline in students’ anxiety, behavior problems, and substance use

  • Long-term improvements in students’ skills, attitudes, prosocial behavior, and academic performance

  • Wise financial investment according to cost-benefit research

~Adapted from CASEL

The following link is a curated list of resources selected by CASEL staff that focus on the role of parents/guardians in social and emotional learning: