Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an essential component of the overall educational experience for students. Several studies have identified an important correlation between SEL and increased academic performance.
Five SEL Core Competencies
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is an organization focused on achieving positive learning outcomes for students by applying the following five core competencies in the home, the classroom, and the community.
1. Self-awareness
The ability to recognize your emotions and how they affect behavior; to acknowledge strengths and areas of improvement as one develops confidence in their abilities.
2. Self-management
The ability to set and work toward the accomplishment of goals; the ownership and control of your actions, emotions, and thoughts in different situations.
3. Social Awareness
The ability to see the world from the perspective of others from different cultures or backgrounds than your own; acting ethically and with empathy in your community, school, and home.
4. Relationship Skills
The ability to create and sustain solid relationships with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds; listening to and communicating with others while building advocacy and conflict-resolution skills.
5. Responsible Decision-making
The ability to act or respond to an issue using such learned behaviors as safety, ethics, considering consequences, and prioritizing the well-being of others and yourself.
SEL Improves Academic Outcomes
Academic performance improves when students engage in supportive relationships and have opportunities to practice social and emotional functioning in various contexts. A groundbreaking meta-analysis was conducted in 2011, examining the results of 213 studies that involved over 270,000 students. Findings included the following:
- When SEL interventions focus on the five core competencies, there was an increase in students’ academic performance by 11 percentile points.
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- SEL program participation helped students manage depression and anxiety, improve classroom behavior, and develop better attitudes about school, classmates, and themselves.
- SEL programs that are well-implemented were shown to yield practical benefits, including an improved academic performance for 27% more students and decreased levels of distress for 24% more students.
A 2013 report by CASEL and Civic indicated that a majority of elementary and high school teachers (90%) believed that a focus on SEL would result in increased academic achievement.
Multiple studies have shown a positive correlation between self-confidence in academic ability and academic achievement. Three sets of data measuring various populations of young children and adolescents demonstrated that the students’ self-concept of their abilities in reading and math accurately predicted future successes in reading and math achievement.
To prepare children for success in the world, social and emotional learning must be emphasized and nurtured as intentionally as cognitive skills. There is a need to devote resources to self-concept development during the impressionable early childhood and adolescent years. Strategies to improve academic confidence are imperative for schools, and the administration of universal screeners is necessary to identify those struggling with self-concept to provide intervention and additional assistance.
Learn more at WPS about the use of screeners to help students enhance their social and emotional competencies and improve their academic success.
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