Any teacher who has worked with at-risk pupils, especially in an inner-city environment, can attest to the fact that learning outcomes are affected not only by intelligence, but by social and emotional skills. This should not surprise us; in adulthood, when applying for a job, many employers include a personality assessment which can play a key part in determining whether an individual is hired or not. In light of this, SEL, or social and emotional learning, programs have increased in popularity. These programs seek to teach students the social-emotional competencies in five key areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. In 2011, Durlak and associated conducted a meta-analysis of 213 school-based, universal social and emotional learning (SEL) programs involving 270,034 kindergarten through high-school students. The study found that students who participated in these programs demonstrated not only significantly improved social and emotional skills, attitudes and behavior, but academic performance, with an 11-percentile-point gain in achievement. This is an astounding gain, and these programs were, on the whole, conducted by classroom teachers. Currently, three states (IL, KS, and PA) have K-12 standards for emotional learning. However, with 11-percentile-point gains, perhaps more school administrators and state-level bureaucrats will begin to notice and introduce such programs into their own schools at all grade levels.
2008, Educational Research Institute of America
How Non-Cognitive Skills Drive Student Achievement: The Research Behind the Leadership Skills Development Course. Retrieved from http://mawiasgedom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/FLVS-Mawi-Learning-Leadership-Skills-Development-White-Paper.pdf, May 9, 2015.
2011, Durlak, J.A., et. al.
The Impact of Enhancing Students' Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development, 82(1):405-432.
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