Key Points Back to top As I approach my senior year at the University of Southern California, I have experimented with and consolidated a sense of identity, learning who I want to be in this world and what I hope to do. These lessons have come not just from textbooks and lectures, but from classes […]| CASEL
We’re still buzzing from the insights shared by field-leading researchers during the 2023 SEL Exchange plenary, The Science of Adult Transformation to Create Caring Schools. We were excited to bring together three leading experts to share their latest research related to adult SEL. Here are the highlights: Dr. Rebecca CollieUniversity of New South WalesAERA’s Outstanding […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top The demand for social and emotional learning (SEL) isn’t slowing, it’s growing. As we begin to turn down the volume on the politicization of SEL, we hear a cacophony of students experiencing unprecedented mental health challenges, educators burning out, and families seeking stability and wellness. If you Google “SEL” right now, […]| CASEL
Key Points: Back to top This year, CASEL is turning the big 3-0! Throughout the year, we’ll be celebrating three decades of social and emotional learning (SEL). We hope you’ll join us as we honor the history of the movement, reflect on where we are now, and set a vision for the future of the […]| CASEL
The 2025 Exchange is going virtual. Here’s why: Back to top When we first envisioned the Exchange in 2019, we wanted it to be just that: an exchange of voices, ideas, and innovations from across the world. When the pandemic arrived in 2020, we pivoted to a virtual gathering to ensure the experience was available […] The post Announcement: The CASEL Exchange Is Going Virtual appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
“I spent two hours rewriting my essay because the AI-checker software kept flagging it as AI-written, even though it’s my 100 percent original work. Can I still submit or should I keep rephrasing?” That’s what my student asked, concerned about being falsely accused of using generative AI. Her experience mirrored the overwhelming challenges our K-12 […] The post Co-Authoring School Policy for AI: How to Use SEL to Navigate Digital Citizenship appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top As someone who leads a nonprofit that partners with schools across the country, I spend a lot of time visiting classrooms. I expect to find joy in these visits—a chance to be closer to the students we’re working to support. And sometimes, that’s exactly what I find. But too often, […] The post The Missing Piece in Education: Centering Relationships Between Students and Teachers appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top Article 1: Reimagining mindfulness training to deepen K–12 teachers’ social, emotional, and cultural competencies Back to top What if mindfulness wasn’t just about “self-care” but about building a caring school community? The authors urge a shift in how we approach mindfulness for educators—from an individual coping tool to a collective […] The post May 2025: 5 Powerful New Studies on Teacher Well-Being From the SEL Journal appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top In the spring of 2022, PrimeCare Health, a federally qualified health center in Chicago, noticed some concerning trends in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff were caring for a population deeply affected by trauma while experiencing collective trauma themselves. The toll on staff well-being and the workplace environment was […]| CASEL
We can hardly wait for the 2025 Exchange, Nov. 4-6, 2025, where we’ll be exploring the theme: Blueprints for Tomorrow: Designing the Next Era of Learning. Speaking of the future, here’s our prediction of the 7 reasons you need to be there in Minneapolis at the most anticipated social and emotional learning event of the […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top The beginning of my third year of teaching Kindergarten brought me a challenge I’ll never forget—a student who had 47 tantrums in one day. These outbursts, triggered by impatience or not being called on, could last from 2 to 30 minutes. I tried strategies like breathing exercises, calm activities, and […] The post From Wiggly to Wise: How Morning Meetings Build Self-Aware Kids appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top Article 1: Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of state legislation related to SEL, gender and sexuality, race and racism, and firearms at school Back to top Key Takeaways: Braun, S. S., & Hooper, A. L. (2025). Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of state legislation related to SEL, gender and sexuality, race and racism, and […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Note: This blog post is a collaboration of Jae H. Paik, Jong Tak Lee, and Danica Mavroudis. When you think of the critical topic of children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development, it’s unlikely you think of China’s one-child policy. Implemented in the 1970s, the national policy limited most families to […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top When I think about the future of education in Nigeria, I am filled with hope. One powerful path to that bright future is social and emotional learning (SEL). While the SEL journey is just beginning, the potential for reshaping Nigeria’s education sector is limitless. I have witnessed firsthand how SEL […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top In July 2025, more than 100 junior high school teachers from across Kenya came together for a transformative professional development centered on social and emotional learning (SEL) through a uniquely Kenyan perspective. For those of us who have attended, it was more than another workshop. It was a call to […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top It’s National SEL Week, a powerful “SEL”ebration of social, emotional, and academic learning in every community! This year’s theme—Skills for Success, Ready for the Future—spotlights how SEL builds the foundation for thriving careers, strong communities, and fulfilling lives. To celebrate, we’ve collected five blog posts about SEL and future-readiness from […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top How can states help ensure students graduate equipped and ready for future success? That’s the question that sparked CASEL’s inquiry into a powerful education policy tool that states use to support districts and schools, the portrait of a graduate. The resulting report, produced in partnership with Civic, offers a deep […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Thriving in Tomorrow’s World Three-Part Webinar Series: Part 2 Recap How do we prepare a generation for a world that is more complex, globally connected, and technologically advanced than we have ever experienced? CASEL’s new three-part webinar series, Thriving in Tomorrow’s World: Learning Spaces for a Future-Ready Generation, dives into […]| CASEL
2025 Exchange speaker Katherine Prince of KnowledgeWorks offers a sneak peek of the issues she’ll be exploring in her breakout session, An SEL Blueprint for the Future of Learning. As the education landscape undergoes profound transformation, social and emotional learning (SEL) stands at a pivotal crossroads. Educators need to evolve in response to the sweeping […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top The moment they’re born, children look to the caregivers around them to learn how to navigate the world. From responding when getting picked on at the playground to describing how they’re feeling to others, children learn to react in situations based on the guidance they are offered and what they […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top My son has ADHD. He’s in third grade now, which means he missed the end of Kindergarten, all of first grade was on Zoom, and second grade was all about finding a mask that would stay on his face. As school returns to normal, it’s been incredibly challenging for him […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top As a leader at CASEL, it’s not surprising I’m an advocate of social and emotional learning (SEL) for adults. But this insight was really “brought home” not solely through my professional work, but rather when I intentionally engaged in adult SEL as a parent. The “aha” moment came during my […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top My small Northern California community has faced unimaginable challenges—from the Camp Fire and Carr Fire to COVID-19 and the recent Park Fire. As both an English teacher and activities director, I’ve seen how these events have deeply impacted our students and staff—academically, emotionally, and culturally. The need for connection, support, […] The post Rebuilding Our Community Through SEL: The Little Moments That Matter appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top Education is rooted in the idea that all children must have the tools to thrive. This is no different for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). For these students, SEL can be transformative. Across the globe, educators, therapists, and programme developers are breaking barriers, ensuring that children who […] The post Shaping the Future of SEL for Children With Special Educational Needs and Disabilities appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Violence in America’s schools has become an all-too-common occurrence. With each tragedy, including today in Minneapolis, the children and young people involved experience the kind of trauma and fear no child should ever have to face. The entire community is impacted as well, seeing images in the news, hearing or reading headlines, imagining how they […] The post Supporting Students in the Face of Tragedy appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top Now that AI has “entered the chat” in education, how can we ensure that it helps rather than harms? That is a question we’ve been considering at CASEL for some time now. In fact, AI will get the spotlight at the 2025 Exchange, with a plenary and an entire series […] The post Join the Conversation: What’s Being Said About AI in Education and SEL’s Role Alongside it? appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top The authors of “Using Social and Emotional Competency Assessments for the Continuous Improvement of SEL,” a chapter within the second edition of the Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning, are sharing a blog series that extends their chapter to include additional examples of how to engage in continuous measure improvement. […] The post The Journey: What Are Some Strategies for Addressing Common Roadblocks? appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top If we improve children’s ability to stop and think before they act, can we reduce their rates of hyperactivity? Can we reduce the rate of injuries or reduce risky teen behaviors (early substance use, early sexuality)? If we help children to make better decisions, are they more likely to adopt […] The post Can Social and Emotional Learning Improve Children’s Physical Health? appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top It’s happy birthday time for CASEL’s blog, Constellations! For 36 months, we’ve been sharing stories of SEL champions from all around the world. Students, teachers, researchers, parents—they’ve all contributed to this ever-growing collection of expert voices and real-life SEL practitioners. That’s why we named it Constellations—we envisioned a pattern connected […] The post Happy 3rd Anniversary, CASEL Blog! Check out our 10 Most Popular Posts appeared f...| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top For many educators, staff meetings are something to sit through. Grade-level and department meetings are for receiving information. PLC meetings are for deciding what to teach next. But what if just some of those meetings centered around your learning? What if they honored your need to develop as a social […] The post How to Improve Instruction, Adult SEL, and Equity? Build a Culture of Public Learning appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top Some moments split your life into before and after. For me, that moment was November 10, 2009. As the principal of Marysville K-8 School in Portland, Oregon, I started the day like any other—until the fire alarm sounded. Within minutes, thick smoke filled the halls. Flames blocked exits. The building […] The post Rising From the Ashes: How SEL Transformed Our School After a Crisis of a School Fire appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top The authors of “Using Social and Emotional Competency Assessments for the Continuous Improvement of SEL,” a chapter within the second edition of the Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning, are sharing a blog series that extends their chapter to include additional examples of how to engage in continuous measure improvement. […] The post Time for a Tune-Up: Maintaining Alignment Between SEL Systems and Measures appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top When I was invited to participate in a district-sponsored volunteer course on teacher resilience, I had reservations. “Resilience training?” I thought. “This sounds like something tailor-made for our counselors, our school behavioral health professionals, or perhaps our exceptional student education teachers, who deal with particularly challenging situations, but not for […] The post Emotional Development for Educators: A Critical Need appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top Teachers today face twin challenges. On the one hand, there is growing pressure to improve academic achievement. On the other, they recognize the importance of SEL to support overall student development. But, as the research tells us, it isn’t an either/or situation. Instead of choosing between them, we should integrate […] The post Programming Trends: Integrating Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Academics appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top “We didn’t have uniforms before. Now we do, and we feel so happy. We all come to school wearing the same uniform, and it feels very nice.” That reflection from a student in South Asia, shared by a local teacher, reminded me why I started Heal a School. For over […] The post Heal a School: How a Lifetime in Education Became a Global Mentorship Journey appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top What comes first, the chicken or the egg? Or, as we like to ask at CASEL, what comes first, adult SEL or student SEL? The answer may surprise you! While both are important, many practitioners and SEL program providers recommend supporting adult SEL as an important precursor to implementing student […] The post What About the Adults? A Peek at CASEL’s New Report on Adult SEL Approaches appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top Thriving in Tomorrow’s World Three-Part Webinar Series: Part 3 Recap How do we prepare a generation for a world that is more complex, globally connected, and technologically advanced than we have ever experienced? CASEL’s three-part webinar series, Thriving in Tomorrow’s World: Learning Spaces for a Future-Ready Generation, dives into this […] The post Shaping Impactful Classrooms for a Changing World appeared first on CASEL.| Blog Posts Archive - CASEL
Key Points Back to top Article 1: Association between self-efficacy and anxiety symptoms in adolescents: Secondary analysis of a preventive program Back to top Adolescents with greater social and emotional self-efficacy show lower anxiety symptoms, according to this study of an anxiety prevention program in 15 high schools. Self-efficacy not only correlates with but also […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top 1. Foundational Capabilities for Educators Back to top Culturally sustaining pedagogy is a strengths-based, student-centered approach to teaching and learning that celebrates students’ unique backgrounds, communities, and experiences. To meaningfully engage in culturally sustaining SEL, Meland and Brion-Meisel propose that educators must: Be reflective and aware of your behaviors, emotions, […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Today, our nation often feels more divided than united. From the national political stage to community school board meetings. From discriminatory state laws under legislative consideration to calls for local book bans. Our schools reflect these trends, anecdotally reporting antisemitic, racial, and homophobic incidents. We are seeing and hearing hateful […]| CASEL
Photo ©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello Key Points Back to top Social and emotional learning (SEL) has long had a friend hiding in plain sight. I’ll give you a hint: Ferris Bueller visits one on his famous “Day Off,” resulting in this classic scene. You guessed it: museums! I’m a longtime museum professional. Struck by […]| CASEL
This year, we’re celebrating 30 years of social and emotional learning (SEL)! As we honor three decades of impactful SEL work in research, policy, and practice, we also look to what’s new and what’s next. USC senior and CASEL intern Kim Villard sat down with prominent researchers Drs. Christina Cipriano, Mark Greenberg, and Joseph Durlak […]| CASEL
Together with experts on identity, race, and bias, Sparkler Learning, Noggin, and Paramount’s Content for Change created Discussing Race with Young Children, a Step-by-Step Activity Guide to help spark safe, age-appropriate conversations with children ages 2-6. The building blocks of the guide are aligned with CASEL’s 5 core competencies for social and emotional learning (SEL). […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Regardless of what might be going on in the wider world, schools must strive to be places where understanding is elevated and hate is minimized. We know children cannot learn effectively in an environment characterized by antipathy. Incidents impacting specific groups, such as Jews, Muslims, LGBTQ+ populations, Asians, Blacks, Latino/as, […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top The authors of “Using Social and Emotional Competency Assessments for the Continuous Improvement of SEL,” a chapter within the second edition of the Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning, are sharing a blog series that extends their chapter to include additional examples of how to engage in continuous measure improvement. […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Growing up, I never experienced social and emotional learning (SEL)—and especially not at home. The idea that my parents might use SEL techniques with us was out of the question. In our household, as in so many, the approach to parental guidance and discipline was punitive and limiting. With that […]| CASEL
Key Points The authors of “Using Social and Emotional Competency Assessments for the Continuous Improvement of SEL,” a chapter within the second edition of the Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning, are sharing a blog series that extends their chapter to include additional examples of how to engage in continuous measure improvement. In this first […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Esau McCaulley writes thoughtful articles in the New York Times about civil rights in America. In a recent article, he pointed out that one message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life is that hope is most useful when despair seems greatest. Dr. King faced segregation, the war in Vietnam, […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Where a parent or caregiver decides to send their child to school is a life-defining choice. School, in effect, serves as the key partner to the family in the healthy development of the child. Like many parents, my wife and I hope for our son to grow up a confident, […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top As a community school practitioner and advocate for the past 30 years, I didn’t think I would live to see the day when the U. S. Secretary of Education would announce the federal government’s support for a major Full-Service Community Schools Initiative. But it happened—and that event was no fluke. In […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top CASEL’s series of Innovations reports share innovative conceptions, methods, and practices that embody the principles of social and emotional learning (SEL), along with aligned strategies that maximize learning and well-being for students in each setting of CASEL’s systemic SEL framework. In this blog, we share one of the case studies […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Article 1: We Will Build Together: Sowing the Seeds of SEL Statewide Back to top This article outlines a powerful approach to implementing SEL in public schools across California, showing how systemic change can occur at a large scale. The authors share the conditions that made this work possible, then […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Social and emotional learning (SEL) is everywhere—and I’m happy to see the popularity of prioritizing social and emotional needs in state standards, district initiatives, professional development goals, faculty room conversations, and social media posts. Whether you are rolling out SEL because of a district initiative, exploring it on your own, […]| CASEL
To celebrate SEL Week, we invited you—students, parents, teachers, counselors, school and district administrators, and community leaders—to share your SEL story. Of the many excellent entries we received, Noemi, a physical education teacher in Brooklyn, New York, is one of our 10 finalists. You can view all 10 finalists here. I started teaching in 2021, a […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Now more than ever, students need hope. They tell us that they’re increasingly anxious about the world they will inherit. They need to know they can solve problems and make an impact. Educators can facilitate this experience while honoring the content they are expected to teach. One way is through […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top When students take a field trip in their own city, it can be a learning experience in more ways than one—especially when they have the opportunity to design the outing themselves. Every year, Harlem Academy’s middle school unit, “Explore,” challenges students to create their own day-long field trip in New […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Anyone who’s done student theater knows the worst part: that fateful moment when the cast list goes up, and you have to walk up—in public —to see if you got your dream role. Or any role. There, in front of everyone, for all to see, and for all to see […]| CASEL
Key Takeaways from Igniting Lifelong Learning Webinar Series, Part 2 Key Points: Our three-part webinar series, Igniting Lifelong Learning: SEL and Academic Integration, has unpacked the research behind this essential component of schoolwide social and emotional learning (SEL). Now, it’s time to talk about how to put that research into practice. What school and classroom […]| CASEL
Key Points: Back to top Academic recovery continues to be a top priority in schools across the country. To support student learning, we need to deeply understand how students learn and progress, then use this knowledge to better support their academic achievement. CASEL’s new three-part webinar series, Igniting Lifelong Learning, explores research, practice, and policy […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Often, doing is a key element of learning. Just as important, we as educators must build inclusive learning environments where all students feel a sense of belonging—a place where they are supported, seen, and cared for. At my school, Cossitt Avenue Elementary School in La Grange, Illinois, I’ve had the […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top If you’re wondering how to get students to listen and engage in social and emotional learning (SEL), it might be time to flip the question. Instead, ask, “How can we listen to students to create spaces where students lead and collaborate on solutions that support everyone’s SEL?” Empowering, elevating, and […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top I recently retired from the public school system in Texas after 26 years as a high school social studies classroom teacher. Throughout my time in the classroom, I experienced the tremendous value of social and emotional strategies, and employed them even before there was a common language or framework for […]| CASEL
Key Points Back to top Though I’m a former teacher, my first encounter with social and emotional learning (SEL) didn’t happen in the classroom. Instead, it took place on a basketball court. I was a teacher at an alternative school that helped kids connect with education by starting a business. The academic curriculum supported this […]| CASEL
