Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Student Benefits: Implications for the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Core Elements

Abstract

This brief shares the latest research on the effects of social and emotional learning (SEL) on students and includes strategies for implementing SEL. It explains how SEL works, elaborates on how SEL can be an integrative prevention framework that addresses the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) core elements, and spells out implications of the research for SS/HS grantees. Several hundred well-designed studies have documented the effects of SEL programming on students of diverse backgrounds, from preschool through high school, in urban, suburban, and rural settings. The research indicates that well-planned and well-implemented SEL programming can positively affect a broad range of student social, health, behavioral, and academic outcomes. (Contains 22 endnotes, 1 figure and 1 table.)