Social-Emotional Learning

How schools can help children learn to understand and manage their emotions, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions

See also: Life Skills

Explainer

Social-Emotional Learning, Explained
What is social-emotional learning?
View Explainer
Illustration of a young man balancing and walking on pencil tips that look like poles and dressed in a graduation cap and gown.
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College & Workforce Readiness The Skill Students Need Most to Succeed in Future Jobs
Hint: It’s not necessarily factoring polynomials.
Arianna Prothero, April 21, 2025
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4 min read
Students from Suelllen Vesperman’s first grade class dance to the Macarena as they participate in an exercise through the InPACT program at North Elementary School in Birch Run, Mich., on March 2, 2023.
Students from Suelllen Vesperman’s first grade class dance to the Macarena as they participate in an exercise through the InPACT program at North Elementary School in Birch Run, Mich., on March 2, 2023.
Emily Elconin for Education Week
Student Well-Being Video What’s Behind the Political Criticisms of Social-Emotional Learning?
The Trump administration says SEL is being used to veil discrimination. What does that mean for schools?
Jennifer Vilcarino & Jaclyn Borowski, April 1, 2025
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2:02
A high school student introduces herself to her classmates and guests in an AP research class.
A high school student introduces herself to her classmates and guests in an AP research class.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Student Well-Being Video The First Rule of SEL for Older Students? Don’t Be Boring
Middle and high schoolers are a much tougher audience for social-emotional-learning lessons.
Alyson Klein, March 28, 2025
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2 min read
Students at Skyline High School work together during an after-school tutoring club.
Students at Skyline High School work together during an after-school tutoring club.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Student Well-Being Video The Skills Employers Want Most in the AI Age All Have Something in Common
Explaining how SEL can help students prepare for the working world may help more families get behind it, educators say.
Alyson Klein, March 28, 2025
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2 min read
Extended Student Supervisor, Trinell Lewis, speaks with students during basketball practice at Parkway Sports & Health Science Academy on Feb. 21, 2025 in La Mesa, Calif.
Trinell Lewis, the La Mesa-Spring Valley district's extended student services supervisor, speaks with students during basketball practice at Parkway Sports & Health Science Academy on Feb. 21, 2025 in La Mesa, Calif. The district teaches social-emotional skills—like resolving conflicts and handling losses—by emphasizing sportsmanship.
Ariana Drehsler for Education Week
Student Well-Being How One District Uses Sports to Teach SEL and Build Better Teammates
A California district turned to sports to help students build connections with each other and their school.
Lauraine Langreo, March 13, 2025
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7 min read
Deeper learning prepares students to work collaboratively and direct their own learning.
There has been an uptick in political pushback against social-emotional learning, with the Education Department recently saying some schools "have sought to veil discriminatory policies" with terms like SEL.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Federal Ed. Dept. Says SEL Can 'Veil' Discrimination. What Does This Mean for Schools?
A document from the Education Department flags social-emotional learning—a once bipartisan education strategy—as a means of discrimination.
Jennifer Vilcarino & Arianna Prothero, March 13, 2025
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9 min read
021525 SOT SEL BS
Sam Mallon/Education Week
Teaching Profession Video ‘It’s Not All Rainbows and Butterflies’: SEL in the Early Grades
A veteran teacher reflects on how the classroom (and the kids) have changed, and on what's needed to fix education.
Jaclyn Borowski & Sam Mallon, March 4, 2025
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1 min read
Victoria Jorden, a 3rd grade teacher at Gray Court-Ownings School, leads students through a yoga exercise during class in Gray Court, S.C., on Dec. 10, 2024.
Victoria Jorden, a 3rd grade teacher at Gray Court-Ownings School, leads students through a yoga exercise during class in Gray Court, S.C., on Dec. 10, 2024.
Evan Griffith for Education Week
Student Well-Being Video These Simple Classroom Exercises Can Improve Student Behavior
Incorporating yoga and mindfulness practices in the classroom has helped these students recover from the trauma of Hurricane Helene.
Vanessa Solis & Lauren Santucci, February 27, 2025
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1 min read
Illustration of young school kids with backpacks climbing up and peaking out of the sides of a large question mark in the ground.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being Are Today's Students Less Independent? Depends on Who You Ask
Most teachers say students' declining ability to direct their own learning and advocate for themselves hurts academic achievement.
Arianna Prothero, February 24, 2025
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3 min read
Illustration of butterfly.
Anna Godeassi for Education Week
Student Well-Being 3 Tips for Building Independent Thinkers Who Can Manage Their Emotions
An educator and an expert discuss ways to strengthen students' social-emotional skills.
Lauraine Langreo, February 19, 2025
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4 min read
Thu., February 13, 2025, 2:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. ET
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.
Register
February 13, 2025
Evan Abramson, 47, director of technology and innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, sits for a portrait at the school in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025.
Evan Abramson, the director of technology and innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, assists a student playing video games in the district's esports arena in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025.
Michelle Gustafson for Education Week
Classroom Technology Q&A How a District's Embrace of Esports Is Transforming Special Education
Esports can help build 'soft skills' such as collaboration and teamwork, for students in special education, one district leader says.
Alyson Klein, February 3, 2025
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3 min read
Illustration of a large gauge showing sad, smiling, and happy emoji faces with a person in each of the three sections and a female character holding an arrow that is pointing to the smiley face in the center.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being Quiz Quiz: What Educators Really Think About SEL in Classrooms
What do K-12 educators think about the SEL in schools? Take our quiz to test your knowledge.
Marina Whiteleather, January 23, 2025
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1 min read
Glitch stylized photo of a white woman with a hood over her head.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being From Our Research Center What's Behind the Falloff in Social-Emotional Learning for Teens
Surveys from the EdWeek Research Center find that districts' focus on SEL is back down to pre-pandemic levels.
Arianna Prothero, January 16, 2025
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5 min read
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