Experts in Social Emotional Learning (2024)

FAQs

Why are people against SEL in schools? ›

Critics of social-emotional learning, like Parents Defending Education, a group tracking what it says is “liberal indoctrination,” say the programs focus too much on children's identities. It shouldn't matter what a child's race or gender is, these parent groups say.

SEL ignores spiritual, physical, and societal well-being. It doesn't encourage students to learn outdoors in nature and become stewards of the environment.

Roger P. Weissberg, began the New Haven Social Development program that pioneered SEL strategies across K-12 classrooms. Around the same time, Dr. Weissberg, along with Dr.

Founded in 1994 by a group that included Daniel Goleman, author of Social Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence, and educator-philanthropist Eileen Rockefeller Growald, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has been a pioneer in the field of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).

State officials have made clear they see SEL, as it's also referred to, as part of an unacceptable liberal agenda. They've banned mention of it from books and programs. But school districts still face the responsibility of teaching children about proper behavior, and dealing with mental health concerns.

Backlash against SEL

Parents express fears that SEL is a slippery slope—or even an indoctrination tool—to teach kids about racial inequality, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

A recent report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) identifies five of these barriers: poverty, exclusionary discipline practices and policies in school, lack of trauma-informed practices, implicit bias and educator stress and burnout.

The Benefits of SEL

SEL is beneficial to both children and adults, increasing self-awareness, academic achievement, and positive behaviors both in and out of the classroom. From an academic standpoint, students who participated in SEL programs saw an 11 percentile increase in their overall grades and better attendance.

SEL theory is based on the theories of several researchers: Comer, Goleman, Bandura, Vygotsky, Shriver, and Weissberg. James Comer's research, which focused on student behavioral issues and the exclusion of the school procedures that exacerbated those problems, contributed to SEL theory (Bond, 2020).

What are the 5 SEL standards? ›

The following descriptions of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) are from CASEL. They address five broad, interrelated areas of competence and provide examples for each: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

What role do schools play in promoting SEL? In partnership with families and communities, schools play a critical role in supporting young people's social and emotional development.

Research shows that SEL has a positive impact on student emotional well-being and academic performance. Educators should always be proactive in communicating the benefits of SEL and why it is a priority in their classrooms.

Studies show that social-emotional skills—such as problem-solving, self-regulation, impulse control, and empathy—help improve academics, reduce negative social behaviors like bullying, and create positive classroom climates. Social-emotional skills also help kids successfully manage everyday life.

Three key criticisms that have been leveled at emotional intelligence include: (1) EI is poorly defined and poorly measured; (2) EI is a new name for familiar constructs that have been studied for decades; and (3) claims about EI are overblown.

Research shows that SEL has a positive impact on student emotional well-being and academic performance. Educators should always be proactive in communicating the benefits of SEL and why it is a priority in their classrooms.

SEL is beneficial to both children and adults, increasing self-awareness, academic achievement, and positive behaviors both in and out of the classroom. From an academic standpoint, students who participated in SEL programs saw an 11 percentile increase in their overall grades and better attendance.