Systemic social and emotional learning: Promoting educational success for all preschool to high school students.

Abstract

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has become more central to education because of demand from educators, parents, students, and business leaders alongside rigorous research showing broad, positive impacts for students and adults. However, all approaches to SEL are not equal. Systemic SEL is an approach to create equitable learning conditions that actively involve all Pre-K to Grade 12 students in learning and practicing social, emotional, and academic competencies. These conditions require aligned policies, resources, and actions at state and district levels that encourage local schools and communities to build the personal and professional capacities of adults to: implement and continuously improve evidence-based programs and practices; create an inclusive culture that fosters caring relationships and youth voice, agency, and character; and support coordinated school-family-community partnerships to enhance student development. Promoting social and emotional competencies-including the abilities to understand and manage emotions, achieve positive goals, show caring and concern for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions-are important for success at school and in life. In this article, we summarize key concepts and evidence for systemic SEL. Next, we explain interrelated Theories of Action and resources developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) to implement and continuously improve systemic SEL in schools, districts, and states. We discuss research on nested, interacting settings and processes involved in systemic SEL at proximal (classrooms, schools, families, and communities) and distal (districts, states, national, and international) ecological levels. We conclude with recommendations for future SEL research, practice, and policy.

Social and Emotional Learning in the Ibero-American Context: A Systematic Review

“…In this sense, SEL programmes (independent variable) refer to those educational interventions that are based on the SEL model and are aimed at students acquiring and effectively applying the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to develop healthy identities, manage their emotions, set and achieve positive personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive and supportive interpersonal relationships, manage interpersonal situations in a constructive way and make responsible and caring decisions (Payton et al, 2008;Durlak et al, 2011;Gutman and Schoon, 2013;Emotional Learning, 2015, 2020;Weissberg et al, 2015;Oberle et al, 2016;Taylor et al, 2017;Jagers et al, 2019;Mahoney et al, 2020).…”

“…SEL programmes promote the development of a series of socio-emotional competencies in the participating students, in addition to promoting certain changes in their immediate environment and surroundings, with the aim of generating substantial improvements in their well-being and performance (Diekstra, 2008;Payton et al, 2008;Durlak et al, 2010Durlak et al, , 2011Sklad et al, 2012;Emotional Learning, 2015, 2020;Jagers et al, 2015Jagers et al, , 2019Wigelsworth et al, 2016;Jones and Kahn, 2017;Sabey et al, 2017;Taylor et al, 2017;Corcoran et al, 2018;Aguilar et al, 2019;National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, 2019;Yang et al, 2019;Mahoney et al, 2020;Murano et al, 2020). Specifically, these variables were defined in the following terms: (a) Self-awareness or skills to recognize one's own emotions, thoughts and values, strengths, and limitations, as well as how they influence behavior in different situations, while fostering an adequate self-perception (e.g., self-concept, self-esteem, self-efficacy) and confidence in one's own abilities (e.g., growth mindset) (Collaborative for Emotional Learning, 2015, 2020;Jagers et al, 2019;Panorama Education, 2020); (b) Social awareness or cognitive ability that includes skills to develop empathy, perspective-taking, appreciation of diversity and respect for others, regardless of their origin or characteristics, respecting social norms and understanding the influence of the immediate environment (e.g., family, school, community) (Collaborative for Emotional Learning, 2015, 2020;Jagers et al, 2019;Panorama Education, 2020); (c) Selfcontrol or the ability to manage one's impulses and emotions effectively in different situations, handling stress appropriately, delaying gratification, including motivation (e.g., resilience, will, discipline, perseverance, organizational, and planning strategies) to achieve personal and collective goals and objectives (Collaborative for Emotional Learning, 2015, 2020;Jagers et al, 2019;Panorama Education, 2020)...…”

“…Over the past few years, there has been a considerable increase in educational, social, and political interest in social and emotional learning (SEL), a trend that seems to have arisen from the need to address the high incidence of social, emotional, and behavioral problems among children, adolescents and young adults in today's society, and to build protective factors that enhance their well-being and performance (Oberle et al, 2016). SEL is conceived as "the ability to coordinate cognition, affect, and behavior that enables people to thrive in diverse cultures and contexts and to achieve specific tasks and positive developmental outcomes" (Mahoney et al, 2020, p. 4), and commonly refers to the process in which individuals acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to develop healthy identities, manage their emotions, set and achieve positive personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive and supportive interpersonal relationships, manage interpersonal situations constructively, and make responsible and caring decisions (Payton et al, 2008;Durlak et al, 2011;Gutman and Schoon, 2013;Emotional Learning, 2015, 2020;Weissberg et al, 2015;Taylor et al, 2017;Jagers et al, 2019;Mahoney et al, 2020).…”

“…In this sense, SEL is an essential component for personal and socio-emotional development, essential for the learning and success of any person in the different domains of their lives, as it provides them with the necessary tools to effectively and efficiently face the various daily tasks and challenges, thus increasing their satisfaction and productivity (Weissberg et al, 2015;Oberle et al, 2016). To this end, SEL entails the design, implementation and evaluation of a coordinated set of evidencebased intervention programmes and practices that promote a range of social-emotional competencies, such as self-awareness, social awareness, self-control, relationship skills and responsible decision-making, among its participants by establishing safe and supportive learning environments (Collaborative for Emotional Learning, 2015, 2020;Jagers et al, 2019;National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, 2019;Mahoney et al, 2020).…”

“…Taking into account these previous considerations, the purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize the research on the efficacy and effectiveness of SEL programmes in Ibero-American contexts of early childhood, primary and secondary education. Ibero-American context was established as geographical and/or cultural restriction because the available systematic reviews and meta-analyses on SEL programmes have focused mainly on research carried out in the Anglo-Saxon context, or those that include cross-cultural adaptations originally validated in this context (Wigelsworth et al, 2016), while early childhood, primary and secondary education were determined as participating population because these are the educational stages in which this type of programme is most developed and recommended, especially as a preventive measure against the problems of school adjustment that students tend to present (Taylor et al, 2017;Jones et al, 2019;Mahoney et al, 2020). The following specific objectives were posed: (a) identify the main characteristics of the research that has been carried out at the Ibero-American level on the efficacy and effectiveness of SEL programmes in early childhood, primary and secondary education; (b) describe the most relevant characteristics of SEL programmes implemented in Ibero-American contexts, as well as the empirical evidence of their efficacy and effectiveness in improving the academic and socioemotional outcomes of students in pre-primary, primary, and secondary education; and (c) issue relevant conclusions and recommendations for future educational practices and policies in this field.…”