Most of us don’t remember how or when we learned to manage our emotions, feel empathy for others or show respect and understanding. But, the process that teaches these skills is now called social-emotional learning, or SEL. And the benefits of social-emotional learning curriculum is well researched with decades of evidence demonstrating positive results.
Better School Attendance
Researchers have found that K-12 schools using an evidence-based SEL curriculum have higher rates of attendance, particularly among students who are struggling. Attendance is often cited as a factor in a student’s grades, as well as high school graduation.
Higher Academic Potential
Studies have shown that students who experience SEL curriculum as a K-12 student develop a higher potential to succeed in academics. In addition to better attendance, SEL helps students improve their goal setting and teaches them how to overcome obstacles — so it’s no surprise that there are proven academic achievement benefits.
Fewer Issues with Behavior
An SEL curriculum helps students understand and process their emotions in healthy ways and demonstrate empathy for others. In addition, learning to listen and communicate with others, peacefully resolve conflict, and ask for help in a stressful situation are essential relationship skills that lead to less conflict in and out of the classroom.
Reduced Distress
Students who participate in an SEL curriculum and courses have been shown to have fewer incidents of depression and anxiety. Some of these courses have even been proven to directly improve students’ the cognitive function, improving their focus and their ability to smoothly transition from one task to the next.
