During our literature review, it became clear that existing literature on SEL in China is quite limited. The current studies have only looked at SEL interventions at the school or district level. There has been hardly any scalable analysis to inform decisions beyond the local level due to a lack of official reports from any government agencies or international organizations like UNICEF. Therefore, there should be concerted effort in the academia to systematically evaluate the SEL initiatives that are currently active in China with a focus on the MoE-UNICEF partnership program. 

Future research should focus on the long-term benefits of SEL on a greater scale (e.g. city or province). Most of the recent research only examined the immediate or post-intervention impacts within months. Longitudinal studies might be a promising option to look into. Another area of interest can be the rural-urban disparity, which may exert a considerable influence on the effects of SEL interventions. A better understanding of the relationship between SEL and its implementation locations can help discern which schools and areas might benefit the most from SEL interventions. 

Moreover, upcoming studies need to address the issue of accountability as to whether SEL initiatives achieve expected outcomes and how they can be an academically and financially viable option for schools. Other research can be oriented around the respective strengths of different SEL initiatives in relation to the Chinese school they serve. There should also be studies on the respective merits between differentiated and uniform programming in terms of SEL's design and implementation. 

When it comes to the prospects of SEL in China, there is still a vast uncharted territory for researchers to look into. It is recommended that more academic resources and interest be dedicated to this cause. 

China's educational bureaucracy consists of a central authority, the Ministry of Education, and local authorities such as the municipal bureaus of education. The curriculum at each school follows the national guidelines with a certain level of autonomy in the execution. In order for SEL to be effectively implemented not only at the local level but also at the national level, the Ministry of Education should consider integrating SEL into the existing national guidelines for elementary curricula. For that to happen, the Ministry of Education will need empirical evidence from official reports on SEL's effectiveness to support nationwide implementation. Therefore, a top priority at this point is to conduct state-sponsored field research at multiple levels of the intervention with support from international organizations like UNICEF. 

Then, it is important for the Ministry of Education to create educational policy that aligns with established SEL standards and leaves enough room for differentiated implementation at the local level. A national standard curriculum may not be the ultimate answer due to the striking disparities between schools, districts, and regions. After that, a research-based system of evaluation needs to be in place to ensure accountability and opportunities for improvement. 

Given that the MoE-UNICEF partnership started in 2011, it is time to officially evaluate the impact of the initiative and decide if the country will move forward with an organic integration of SEL into the national curriculum. 

To our knowledge, a number of charities and philanthropies have been actively engaged in the introduction of SEL into rural elementary schools in China. However, there has not been any attempt to produce a concerted effort across different organizations to engender a greater impact. Organizations interested in promoting SEL in Chinese elementary schools should be in conversation with each other about best practices, potential collaborations, and exchange of resources and information. 

In Hongyang's experience as an SEL teacher in a non-profit educational organization, he has made the following observations:

• While the online teaching format offers great flexibility, the lack of in-person interactions hampers the building of rapport between teachers and students.

• The frequency and length of lessons (one 40-minute lesson each week) may not be sufficient for a classroom of over 50 students to learn effectively.

• There has been a lack of systematic assessment of students' learning outcomes except for a questionnaire collected at the beginning of each semester.

• Collaborations between online and on-site teachers are limited. On-site teachers merely play the role of class monitors. 

• The curriculum is based on the MoE-UNICEF partnership program and has been adapted to the elementary school it serves.

Based on his observations, it is clear that while these organizations have made commendable progress toward the successful implementation of SEL, the room for improvement is still large. Relevant organizations are well-advised to take the necessary steps to improve the SEL experience for Chinese elementary students.