Foster knowledge, skills, and attitudes across five areas of social and emotional competence;

Establish equitable learning environments and coordinate practices across four key settings that support
students’ social, emotional, and academic development.

Our framework provides a foundation for communities to use evidence-based SEL strategies in ways
that are most meaningful to their local context. It can be applied to many different priorities and aligned
with each community’s strengths, needs, and cultures.

Download more information on the framework (available in English and Spanish).

Use our reflection protocol to facilitate a discussion on implementation efforts in your school, district, or
other setting.

Read more about the 2020 update to our framework, which highlighted the potential of SEL in
promoting educational equity and excellence.

New to SEL and want to learn more?

Take our free, self-paced introductory course online

Learn more

Back to top

Engage with our interactive wheel by selecting a competency or setting to learn more.

CASEL Wheel

Communities

Communities. Community partners often provide safe and developmentally rich settings for learning and
development, have deep understanding of community needs and assets, are seen as trusted partners by
families and students, and have connections to additional supports and services that school and families
need. Community programs also offer opportunities for young people to practice their social and
emotional skills in settings that are both personally relevant and can open opportunities for their future.
To integrate SEL efforts across the school day and out-of-school time, school staff and community
partners should align on common language and coordinate strategies and communication around SEL-
related efforts and initiatives.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL – Community Partnerships

Families & Caregivers

Families & Caregivers. When schools and families form authentic partnerships, they can build strong
connections that reinforce students’ social and emotional development. Families and caregivers are
children’s first teachers, and bring deep expertise about their development, experiences, culture, and
learning needs. These insights and perspectives are critical to informing, supporting, and sustaining SEL
efforts. Research suggests that evidence-based SEL programs are more effective when they extend into
the home, and families are far more likely to form partnerships with schools when their schools’ norms,
values, and cultural representations reflect their own experiences. Schools need inclusive decision-
making processes that ensure that families—particularly those from historically marginalized groups—
are part of planning, implementing, and continuously improving SEL.

Schools can also create other avenues for family partnership that may include creating ongoing two-way
communication with families, helping caregivers understand child development, helping teachers
understand family backgrounds and cultures, providing opportunities for families to volunteer in
schools, extending learning activities and discussions into homes, and coordinating family services with
community partners. These efforts should engage families in understanding, experiencing, informing,
and supporting the social and emotional development of their students.

Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL – Family Partnerships

Schools

Schools. Effectively integrating SEL schoolwide involves ongoing planning, implementation, evaluation,
and continuous improvement by all members of the school community. SEL efforts both contribute to
and depend upon a school climate where all students and adults feel respected, supported, and
engaged.

Because the school setting includes many contexts—classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, playground, bus—
fostering a healthy school climate and culture requires active engagement from all adults and students.
A strong school culture is rooted in students’ sense of belonging, with evidence that suggests that it
plays a crucial role in students’ engagement. SEL also offers an opportunity to enhance existing systems
of student support by integrating SEL goals and practices with universal, targeted, and intensive
academic and behavioral supports. By coordinating and building upon SEL practices and programs,
schools can create an environment that infuses SEL into every part of students’ educational experience
and promotes positive social, emotional, and academic outcomes for all students.

Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL

Classrooms

Classrooms. Research has shown that social and emotional competence can be enhanced using a variety
of classroom-based approaches such as: (a) explicit instruction through which social and emotional skills
and attitudes are taught and practiced in developmentally, contextually, and culturally responsive ways;
(b) teaching practices such as cooperative learning and project-based learning; and (c) integration of SEL
and academic curriculum such as language arts, math, science, social studies, health, and performing
arts. High-quality SEL instruction has four elements represented by the acronym SAFE: Sequenced –
following a coordinated set of training approaches to foster the development of competencies; Active –
emphasizing active forms of learning to help students practice and master new skills; Focused –
implementing curriculum that intentionally emphasizes the development of SEL competencies; and
Explicit – defining and targeting specific skills, attitudes, and knowledge.

SEL instruction is carried out most effectively in nurturing, safe environments characterized by positive,
caring relationships among students and teachers. To facilitate age-appropriate and culturally
responsive instruction, adults must understand and appreciate the unique strengths and needs of each
student and support students’ identities. When adults incorporate students’ personal experiences and
cultural backgrounds and seek their input, they create an inclusive classroom environment where
students are partners in the educational process, elevating their own agency. Strong relationships
between adults and students can facilitate co-learning, foster student and adult growth, and generate
collaborative solutions to shared concerns.

Learn more: CASEL Guide to Effective SEL Programs

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness: The abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they
influence behavior across contexts. This includes capacities to recognize one’s strengths and limitations
with a well-grounded sense of confidence and purpose.
Such as:

Integrating personal and social identities

Identifying personal, cultural, and linguistic assets

Identifying one’s emotions

Demonstrating honesty and integrity

Linking feelings, values, and thoughts

Examining prejudices and biases

Experiencing self-efficacy

Having a growth mindset

Developing interests and a sense of purpose

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Self-Management

Self-management: The abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in
different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. This includes the capacities to delay
gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation and agency to accomplish personal and collective goals.

Such as:

Managing one’s emotions

Identifying and using stress management strategies

Exhibiting self-discipline and self-motivation

Setting personal and collective goals

Using planning and organizational skills

Showing the courage to take initiative

Demonstrating personal and collective agency

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Social Awareness

Social awareness: The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including
those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacities to feel compassion
for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and
recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

Such as:

Taking others’ perspectives

Recognizing strengths in others

Demonstrating empathy and compassion

Showing concern for the feelings of others

Understanding and expressing gratitude

Identifying diverse social norms, including unjust ones

Recognizing situational demands and opportunities

Understanding the influences of organizations and systems on behavior

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Responsible Decision-Making

Responsible decision-making: The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal
behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. This includes the capacities to consider ethical
standards and safety concerns, and to evaluate the benefits and consequences of various actions for
personal, social, and collective well-being.

Such as:
Demonstrating curiosity and open-mindedness

Learning how to make a reasoned judgment after analyzing information, data, and facts

Identifying solutions for personal and social problems

Anticipating and evaluating the consequences of one’s actions

Recognizing how critical thinking skills are useful both inside and outside of school

Reflecting on one’s role to promote personal, family, and community well-being

Evaluating personal, interpersonal, community, and institutional impacts

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Relationship Skills

Relationship skills: The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to
effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups. This includes the capacities to
communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem solve and negotiate
conflict constructively, navigate settings with differing social and cultural demands and opportunities,
provide leadership, and seek or offer help when needed.

Such as:

Communicating effectively

Developing positive relationships

Demonstrating cultural competency

Practicing teamwork and collaborative problem-solving

Resolving conflicts constructively

Resisting negative social pressure

Showing leadership in groups

Seeking or offering support and help when needed

Standing up for the rights of others

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Social & Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the
process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and
attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel
and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible
and caring decisions.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community

partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative
relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help
address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools
and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities.

The CASEL 5

Back to top

The CASEL 5 addresses five broad and interrelated areas of competence and highlights examples for
each: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-
making. The CASEL 5 can be taught and applied at various developmental stages from childhood to
adulthood and across diverse cultural contexts. Many school districts, states, and countries have used
the CASEL 5 to establish preschool to high school learning standards and competencies that articulate
what students should know and be able to do for academic success, school and civic engagement, health
and wellness, and fulfilling careers.

A developmental perspective to SEL considers how the social and emotional competencies can be
expressed and enhanced at different ages from preschool through adulthood. Students’ social,
emotional, and cognitive developmental levels and age-appropriate tasks and challenges should inform
the design of SEL standards, instruction, and assessment. Given that, stakeholders should decide how
best to prioritize, teach, and assess the growth and development of the CASEL 5 in their local schools
and communities.
Learn more about a developmental perspective.

Key Settings

Back to top

We take a systemic approach that emphasizes the importance of establishing equitable learning
environments and coordinating practices across key settings of classrooms, schools, families, and
communities to enhance all students’ social, emotional, and academic learning. Quality implementation
of well-designed, evidence-based, classroom programs and practices is a foundational element of
effective SEL. We believe it is most beneficial to integrate SEL throughout the school’s academic
curricula and culture, across the broader contexts of schoolwide practices and policies, and through
ongoing collaboration with families and community organizations. These coordinated efforts should
foster youth voice, agency, and engagement; establish supportive classroom and school climates and
approaches to discipline; enhance adult SEL competence; and establish authentic family and community
partnerships.

Students, families, schools, and communities are all part of broader systems that shape learning,
development, and experiences. Inequities based on race, ethnicity, class, language, gender identity,
sexual orientation, and other factors are deeply ingrained in the vast majority of these systems and
impact student and adult social, emotional, and academic learning. While SEL alone will not solve
longstanding and deep-seated inequities in the education system, it can create the conditions needed
for individuals and schools to examine and interrupt inequitable policies and practices, create more
inclusive learning environments, and reveal and nurture the interests and assets of all individuals.

Video: CASEL Framework

Back to top

CASEL offers a presentation on the definition of SEL and CASEL framework for those seeking to learn
more about the competencies and key settings.

Skip to content

Celebrating 30 years of CASEL

MENU

Search

CLOSE
CASEL Websites

Casel.org

Selecting an SEL Program

Schoolwide SEL Resources

Districtwide SEL Resources

Statewide SEL Resources

SEL Exchange Annual Event

SEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook

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Resume motion

Fundamentals of SEL

What Does the Research Say?

What Does the Research Say?

Hundreds of independent studies confirm: SEL benefits students.

The benefits of social and emotional learning (SEL) are well-researched, with evidence demonstrating
that an education that promotes SEL yields positive outcomes for students, adults, and school
communities.

The findings below come from hundreds of independent studies across multiple fields and sources that
show SEL leads to beneficial outcomes related to: social and emotional skills, academic performance,
mental wellness, healthy behaviors, school climate and safety, and lifetime outcomes.

New to SEL and want to learn more?

Take our free, self-paced introductory course online

Learn more

The Benefits of SEL

Back to top

SEL leads to improved academic achievement

When students have supportive relationships and opportunities to develop and practice social,
emotional, and cognitive skills across many different contexts, academic learning accelerates.

Hundreds of studies involving more than 1 million students worldwide across PreK-12 offer consistent
evidence that SEL has a positive impact on students’ academic achievement.

Students participating in SEL at school have higher levels of “school functioning,” as reflected by their
grades, test scores, attendance, and homework completion.

SEL builds social and emotional skills that increase student engagement and lead to improved academic
performance.

SEL interventions that addressed the five core competencies increased students’ academic performance
by 11 percentile points, compared to students who did not participate.

The positive impact on academics lasts long-term: Years after students participated in SEL, their
academic performance was an average of 13 percentile points higher than students who didn’t
participate.

SEL programs appear to have as great a long-term impact on academic growth as has been found for
programs designed specifically to support academic learning.

Mahoney, Durlak, and Weissberg, 2018

Download an infographic on SEL and academic performance.

SEL contributes to healthy well-being and safe schools

While SEL does not replace the need for mental health interventions for students who need it, SEL can
cultivate important “protective factors”—caring relationships, safe and supportive environments, social
and emotional skills—that buffer against mental health risks.
Participation in SEL programs is linked to decreased emotional distress, more positive attitudes about
self and others, and fewer externalizing behaviors and discipline problems.

SEL enhances young people’s coping skills, resiliency, and emotion identification, which can help reduce
symptoms of depression and anxiety in the short term.

Students participating in SEL report an increased sense of safety and support, better relationships with
teachers, and stronger feelings of belonging and inclusiveness in schools.

SEL contributes to reductions in bullying and aggression.

SEL develops skills that promote future readiness

Students who engage in SEL programs see consistent improvements in social and emotional skills, and
stronger social and emotional skills contribute to positive lifetime outcomes up to 18 years later.
Students with stronger social and emotional skills are more likely to reach milestones including:

High school graduation

Postsecondary enrollment and completion

Stable, full-time employment

SEL is a wise financial investment

Analysis of six evidence-based programs has demonstrated that the benefits significantly outweigh the
costs, estimating for every dollar invested in SEL there is an $11 return.

SEL is effective across cultural contexts

SEL is consistently effective across demographic groups; socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds; and
urban, suburban, and rural communities both inside and outside the United States.

But SEL is not ‘one-size-fits-all’: SEL approaches are most effective when the intervention is designed
with a specific context or culture in mind.

SEL benefits adults, too

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that focusing on educator social and emotional competence
can also improve teacher well-being.

Educators with strong social and emotional competence report higher levels of job satisfaction and less
burnout.

Focusing on SEL can help educators build and maintain stronger relationships with students and manage
classrooms

Teachers who teach SEL to students report feeling more effective at their jobs and lower levels of job-
related anxiety.

CUSTOMIZABLE PRESENTATION

This presentation offers slides and talking points on the compelling evidence for SEL.

Access the deck

Access the latest, most trusted information on SEL

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Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

815 West Van Buren St., Suite 210

Chicago, IL 60607-3566

About CASEL

Fundamentals of SEL

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information.

OK

SEL IN 60 MINUTES (COURSE)

Social and emotional learning is essential to helping us all lead healthy, fulfilling lives. Take our free
online course to learn more about how to develop these critical skills.

Skip to content

Celebrating 30 years of CASEL

MENU
Search

CLOSE

CASEL Websites

Casel.org

Selecting an SEL Program

Schoolwide SEL Resources

Districtwide SEL Resources

Statewide SEL Resources

SEL Exchange Annual Event

SEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook

Reduce motion

Resume motion

Fundamentals of SEL

What Is the CASEL Framework?

What Is the CASEL Framework?

A framework creates a foundation for applying evidence-based SEL strategies to your community.

Our SEL framework, known to many as the “CASEL wheel,” helps cultivate skills and environments that
advance students’ learning and development.

Schools, districts, states, and others can use CASEL’s Framework to:

Foster knowledge, skills, and attitudes across five areas of social and emotional competence;
Establish equitable learning environments and coordinate practices across four key settings that support
students’ social, emotional, and academic development.

Our framework provides a foundation for communities to use evidence-based SEL strategies in ways
that are most meaningful to their local context. It can be applied to many different priorities and aligned
with each community’s strengths, needs, and cultures.

Download more information on the framework (available in English and Spanish).

Use our reflection protocol to facilitate a discussion on implementation efforts in your school, district, or
other setting.

Read more about the 2020 update to our framework, which highlighted the potential of SEL in
promoting educational equity and excellence.

New to SEL and want to learn more?

Take our free, self-paced introductory course online

Learn more

Back to top

Engage with our interactive wheel by selecting a competency or setting to learn more.

CASEL Wheel

Communities

Communities. Community partners often provide safe and developmentally rich settings for learning and
development, have deep understanding of community needs and assets, are seen as trusted partners by
families and students, and have connections to additional supports and services that school and families
need. Community programs also offer opportunities for young people to practice their social and
emotional skills in settings that are both personally relevant and can open opportunities for their future.
To integrate SEL efforts across the school day and out-of-school time, school staff and community
partners should align on common language and coordinate strategies and communication around SEL-
related efforts and initiatives.

Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL – Community Partnerships

Families & Caregivers

Families & Caregivers. When schools and families form authentic partnerships, they can build strong
connections that reinforce students’ social and emotional development. Families and caregivers are
children’s first teachers, and bring deep expertise about their development, experiences, culture, and
learning needs. These insights and perspectives are critical to informing, supporting, and sustaining SEL
efforts. Research suggests that evidence-based SEL programs are more effective when they extend into
the home, and families are far more likely to form partnerships with schools when their schools’ norms,
values, and cultural representations reflect their own experiences. Schools need inclusive decision-
making processes that ensure that families—particularly those from historically marginalized groups—
are part of planning, implementing, and continuously improving SEL.

Schools can also create other avenues for family partnership that may include creating ongoing two-way
communication with families, helping caregivers understand child development, helping teachers
understand family backgrounds and cultures, providing opportunities for families to volunteer in
schools, extending learning activities and discussions into homes, and coordinating family services with
community partners. These efforts should engage families in understanding, experiencing, informing,
and supporting the social and emotional development of their students.

Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL – Family Partnerships

Schools

Schools. Effectively integrating SEL schoolwide involves ongoing planning, implementation, evaluation,
and continuous improvement by all members of the school community. SEL efforts both contribute to
and depend upon a school climate where all students and adults feel respected, supported, and
engaged.

Because the school setting includes many contexts—classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, playground, bus—
fostering a healthy school climate and culture requires active engagement from all adults and students.
A strong school culture is rooted in students’ sense of belonging, with evidence that suggests that it
plays a crucial role in students’ engagement. SEL also offers an opportunity to enhance existing systems
of student support by integrating SEL goals and practices with universal, targeted, and intensive
academic and behavioral supports. By coordinating and building upon SEL practices and programs,
schools can create an environment that infuses SEL into every part of students’ educational experience
and promotes positive social, emotional, and academic outcomes for all students.

Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL

Classrooms

Classrooms. Research has shown that social and emotional competence can be enhanced using a variety
of classroom-based approaches such as: (a) explicit instruction through which social and emotional skills
and attitudes are taught and practiced in developmentally, contextually, and culturally responsive ways;
(b) teaching practices such as cooperative learning and project-based learning; and (c) integration of SEL
and academic curriculum such as language arts, math, science, social studies, health, and performing
arts. High-quality SEL instruction has four elements represented by the acronym SAFE: Sequenced –
following a coordinated set of training approaches to foster the development of competencies; Active –
emphasizing active forms of learning to help students practice and master new skills; Focused –
implementing curriculum that intentionally emphasizes the development of SEL competencies; and
Explicit – defining and targeting specific skills, attitudes, and knowledge.

SEL instruction is carried out most effectively in nurturing, safe environments characterized by positive,
caring relationships among students and teachers. To facilitate age-appropriate and culturally
responsive instruction, adults must understand and appreciate the unique strengths and needs of each
student and support students’ identities. When adults incorporate students’ personal experiences and
cultural backgrounds and seek their input, they create an inclusive classroom environment where
students are partners in the educational process, elevating their own agency. Strong relationships
between adults and students can facilitate co-learning, foster student and adult growth, and generate
collaborative solutions to shared concerns.

Learn more: CASEL Guide to Effective SEL Programs

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness: The abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they
influence behavior across contexts. This includes capacities to recognize one’s strengths and limitations
with a well-grounded sense of confidence and purpose.
Such as:

Integrating personal and social identities

Identifying personal, cultural, and linguistic assets

Identifying one’s emotions

Demonstrating honesty and integrity

Linking feelings, values, and thoughts

Examining prejudices and biases

Experiencing self-efficacy

Having a growth mindset

Developing interests and a sense of purpose

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Self-Management

Self-management: The abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in
different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. This includes the capacities to delay
gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation and agency to accomplish personal and collective goals.

Such as:

Managing one’s emotions

Identifying and using stress management strategies

Exhibiting self-discipline and self-motivation

Setting personal and collective goals

Using planning and organizational skills

Showing the courage to take initiative

Demonstrating personal and collective agency

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Social Awareness

Social awareness: The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including
those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacities to feel compassion
for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and
recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

Such as:

Taking others’ perspectives

Recognizing strengths in others

Demonstrating empathy and compassion

Showing concern for the feelings of others

Understanding and expressing gratitude

Identifying diverse social norms, including unjust ones

Recognizing situational demands and opportunities

Understanding the influences of organizations and systems on behavior

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Responsible Decision-Making

Responsible decision-making: The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal
behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. This includes the capacities to consider ethical
standards and safety concerns, and to evaluate the benefits and consequences of various actions for
personal, social, and collective well-being.

Such as:
Demonstrating curiosity and open-mindedness

Learning how to make a reasoned judgment after analyzing information, data, and facts

Identifying solutions for personal and social problems

Anticipating and evaluating the consequences of one’s actions

Recognizing how critical thinking skills are useful both inside and outside of school

Reflecting on one’s role to promote personal, family, and community well-being

Evaluating personal, interpersonal, community, and institutional impacts

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Relationship Skills

Relationship skills: The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to
effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups. This includes the capacities to
communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem solve and negotiate
conflict constructively, navigate settings with differing social and cultural demands and opportunities,
provide leadership, and seek or offer help when needed.

Such as:

Communicating effectively

Developing positive relationships

Demonstrating cultural competency

Practicing teamwork and collaborative problem-solving

Resolving conflicts constructively

Resisting negative social pressure

Showing leadership in groups

Seeking or offering support and help when needed

Standing up for the rights of others

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Social & Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the
process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and
attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel
and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible
and caring decisions.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community

partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative
relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help
address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools
and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities.

The CASEL 5

Back to top

The CASEL 5 addresses five broad and interrelated areas of competence and highlights examples for
each: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-
making. The CASEL 5 can be taught and applied at various developmental stages from childhood to
adulthood and across diverse cultural contexts. Many school districts, states, and countries have used
the CASEL 5 to establish preschool to high school learning standards and competencies that articulate
what students should know and be able to do for academic success, school and civic engagement, health
and wellness, and fulfilling careers.

A developmental perspective to SEL considers how the social and emotional competencies can be
expressed and enhanced at different ages from preschool through adulthood. Students’ social,
emotional, and cognitive developmental levels and age-appropriate tasks and challenges should inform
the design of SEL standards, instruction, and assessment. Given that, stakeholders should decide how
best to prioritize, teach, and assess the growth and development of the CASEL 5 in their local schools
and communities.
Learn more about a developmental perspective.

Key Settings

Back to top

We take a systemic approach that emphasizes the importance of establishing equitable learning
environments and coordinating practices across key settings of classrooms, schools, families, and
communities to enhance all students’ social, emotional, and academic learning. Quality implementation
of well-designed, evidence-based, classroom programs and practices is a foundational element of
effective SEL. We believe it is most beneficial to integrate SEL throughout the school’s academic
curricula and culture, across the broader contexts of schoolwide practices and policies, and through
ongoing collaboration with families and community organizations. These coordinated efforts should
foster youth voice, agency, and engagement; establish supportive classroom and school climates and
approaches to discipline; enhance adult SEL competence; and establish authentic family and community
partnerships.

Students, families, schools, and communities are all part of broader systems that shape learning,
development, and experiences. Inequities based on race, ethnicity, class, language, gender identity,
sexual orientation, and other factors are deeply ingrained in the vast majority of these systems and
impact student and adult social, emotional, and academic learning. While SEL alone will not solve
longstanding and deep-seated inequities in the education system, it can create the conditions needed
for individuals and schools to examine and interrupt inequitable policies and practices, create more
inclusive learning environments, and reveal and nurture the interests and assets of all individuals.

Video: CASEL Framework

Back to top

CASEL offers a presentation on the definition of SEL and CASEL framework for those seeking to learn
more about the competencies and key settings.

SEL IN 60 MINUTES (COURSE)

Social and emotional learning is essential to helping us all lead healthy, fulfilling lives. Take our free
online course to learn more about how to develop these critical skills.

Sign up now

Access the latest, most trusted information on SEL

Sign up for our newsletters

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

815 West Van Buren St., Suite 210

Chicago, IL 60607-3566

About CASEL

Fundamentals of SEL

Systemic Implementation

News & Publications

Events & Webinars

FAQs

Facebook

Youtube

Twitter

LinkedIn

Our platform is made possible by:

Allstate Foundation Logo

Privacy Policy

Financial Information

Careers
Newsletters

Contact

Donate

Purchase Posters

© 2024 CASEL. All rights reserved.

This site uses cookies to improve your experience and help CASEL understand how our site is being used.
By continuing to use our site, you consent to the use of cookies. Review our Privacy Policy for more
information.

OK