What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)?

What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)?

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) reflects the critical role of positive relationships and emotional connections in the learning process and helps students develop a range of skills they need for school and life. SEL skills include the ability to:


  • set and achieve positive goals

  • feel and show empathy for others

  • establish and maintain positive relationships

  • make responsible decisions

  • understand and manage emotions


All of these skills are necessary—both for educators and students—to function well in the classroom, in the community, and in college and careers.

While many teachers instinctively know that SEL is important, historically schools have been primarily focused on teaching academic content such as reading, math, science, and history, and less intentional about supporting the social and emotional skills that are so important to learning and life success.

There is a growing body of research proving that SEL is fundamental to academic success, and must be woven into the work of every teacher in every classroom and every after-school and summer learning program, if we truly want to prepare all our students for college and careers. In order to support the whole child’s development and growth in the MTSS Framework, Classworks includes three important elements in the application. These are:


  • Student SMART goal setting with embedded student-teacher communication

  • A social and emotional competency/school climate survey

  • Daily Observations to support effective and transparent positive behavioral and intervention supports (PBIS)


We are all learning together how best to encourage student social emotional learning alongside academic progress. In order to support the whole child’s development and growth in the MTSS Framework, Classworks resources were designed with both educators and students in mind -- to really offer a complete picture of the student.

The Classworks SEL tools of SMART goal setting, Social-emotional survey, and Observations for PBIS are designed to live alongside the student’s academic data. When paired with the intervention data, academic screening results, and progress monitoring graphs, educators are confident they have a complete view of the student when making important decisions about supporting excellence for all.

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