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.     ∼ casel.org

The SEL 3 Signature Practices were developed in response to these commonly heard questions: “But what does SEL LOOK like?” and “How can we start doing SEL right now?” Educators and OST providers understood and believed in the power of SEL, but sought clarity about how to demonstrate and observe SEL in action during the school day and beyond. The SEL 3 Signature Practices are one tool for fostering a supportive environment and promote SEL. They intentionally and explicitly help build a habit of practices through which students and adults enhance their SEL skills. While not an SEL curriculum, these practices are one concrete example of a way to help people understand and practice the goals of an overall systemic SEL implementation plan.   ∼ casel.org