"Never before has the need been so great for teachers to become agents of change and position themselves as problem solvers at the school level" (Owens, 2008 p. 57).

Social Emotional Learning is becoming a priority for children as research continues to

show the importance of students having SEL skills for current and future success. Students today

need to be successful not only academically, but in SEL skills. Employers are looking for

employees who not only have academic skills, but who are able to demonstrate the 4 C’s of 21st

Century Learning: Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity (Battelle,

2019). Nowadays, an applicant’s communication and teamwork skills are just as important as their

basic reading, writing, and math skills (Afterschool Alliance, 2018). Programs which teach and

reinforce SEL activities can build students’ emotional competencies and improve their behavior, as

well as benefit their academic achievement and long-term educational success (Schwartz, H.,

Hamilton, L., Faxon-Mill, S., Gomez, C., Huguet, A., Jaycox, L., Prado Tuma, A., Tosh, K.,

Whitaker, A., Wrable, S. 2020). SEL programs can enhance children's confidence in themselves;

increase their engagement in school, along with their test scores and grades; and reduce conduct

problems while promoting desirable behaviors (Greenberg, M., Domitrovich, C., Weissberg, R,

and Durlak, J., 2017).