Social-Emotional Learning

Social emotional learning, or SEL, is how schools teach the skills students need to manage emotions, build relationships, make responsible decisions and work with others. Those skills shape behavior, attendance and learning, and they are taught both in dedicated lessons and in the everyday routines of a classroom.

SEL has also become a subject of public debate, with some states and families questioning what it includes and who decides. edCircuit covers it for the teachers, counselors and school leaders who carry it out: practical SEL activities and check-in questions, how districts build and support SEL programs, how SEL connects to everyday instruction, and the growing focus on student mental health, from crisis prevention teams to support during exam season. For counseling and wider student support, see K-12 Teachers and School Safety.

Start with the articles below, then browse the full archive, newest first.

New to the topic? Start with edCircuit’s guide to social-emotional learning: the five SEL skills, what the research shows, why SEL is contested, state laws, choosing an SEL curriculum, activities by grade and working with families.