What does SEL stand for?

School counselors promote student social and emotional learning (SEE), which is fundamental to a school's academic mission.

It can go a long way toward accomplishing what a lengthy list of discrete character education, social and emotional learning, bullying, drug prevention and violence-prevention programs is often cobbled together to do.

This practical guide gives advice about setting standards for proper behavior, allowing space and time for class meetings on behavior, creating expectations limits and roles, encouraging through praise and rewards, understanding social and emotional learning, and channeling anger into constructive outlets.

Making Your School Safe: Strategies to Protect Children and Promote Learning" suggests measures of social and emotional learning alongside character education and crisis-preparedness programs.

A study by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning found that taking the time to teach students how to manage their emotions and to experience caring, cooperation, and empathy results in higher academic achievement.

However, professionals giving evidence to the inquiry remained concerned that schools should provide a "more balanced curriculum", and felt social and emotional learning should be compulsory.

Weissberg and Joseph Durlak, a Loyola University psychologist, reviewed 300 studies and found that, compared with nonparticipants, students participating in programs aimed at improving the social and emotional learning environment in schools "have significantly better attendance records; their classroom behavior is more constructive and less often disruptive; they like school more; and they have better grade point averages.

Looking at classroom management through a social and emotional learning lens.