“…A call for the inclusion of SEL in the classroom, particularly for gifted learners, has been ongoing for decades—from Alpren (1974), Buscaglia (1978), and Vare (1979) to contemporary researchers such as Hebert (2010), Sternberg (2012), and Belfield et al (2015), with a plethora of small and large research studies across the globe (Bate et al, 2012; Greenberg et al, 2003; Lee and Olszewski-Kubilius, 2006; Payton et al, 2008; Peterson and Lorimer, 2012; Tirri and Kuusisto, 2013; Wang and Ku, 2010; Zins et al, 2007) indicating the power of affective education. Additionally, nascent research attested that SEL actually has economic impact as well, with a cost benefit analysis of multiple SEL programs indicating an average return of 11% on every dollar invested as well as an average lifetime salary increase of nearly US$46,000 for individuals with refined levels of social–emotional development (Belfield et al, 2015).…”