What We Know About Social and Emotional Learning in PreK-12 Classrooms
Results from Our Newest SEL Report
We recently conducted a survey on social and emotional learning (SEL), and asked educators, administrators, and parents a few questions to gauge their opinions on the importance of SEL. You can download the full survey report at the link below, or keep reading for some highlights and a few supplemental resources to consider what the future of SEL can look like in your classroom.
SEL Awareness and Implementation is on the Rise
We conducted a similar survey of educators on social and emotional learning in 2018, allowing us to compare our 2021 survey data and identify trends. A stand-out difference from 2018: educators are more aware of SEL, and implementation of SEL programs in schools is on the rise.
- Educators’ awareness of SEL has increased from 83% to 94% since 2018.
- Educators are much more knowledgeable about their school’s/district’s plans for teaching SEL skills today (91%) than they were in 2018 (77%).
- 56% of educators report that their school has begun implementing an SEL plan.
- Administrators report their institution is using standalone SEL programs (34%) far more than they did in 2018 (16%).
From what we know about SEL implementation, both explicit, stand-alone programs and integrated SEL are valuable approaches to making social and emotional lessons accessible and relevant to all learners.
Integrating SEL into learning throughout the school day can be challenging — teachers already have enough competing priorities! — but in many ways, it can also be a natural fit in existing lessons, and serve as a great tool for reaching a district’s SEL goals.
For example, SEL can be worked into math instruction to promote a growth mindset and encourage reflection. SEL has a clear place in social studies, as a foundation for conversations about belonging, equity, and student agency. Science can even be a strong space for SEL work — guest blogger and educator Skylar Primm uses outdoor lessons as an avenue for fostering self-management and responsible decision-making among his students. And of course, literature provides limitless opportunities for SEL in reading and ELA.
For an in-depth guide to prioritizing SEL and integrating it into instruction, see our Guiding Principles of Social and Emotional Learning.
Online learning and COVID Impacted Student Well-Being
Much of our survey looked at the impacts of COVID-19 and remote learning on both student well-being and teachers’ view of social and emotional learning. The pandemic, and subsequent interruptions to school routines, had a clear effect on students. Here’s what we learned:
- Educators have seen more emotional distress and attendance problems with students.
- 53% of educators said COVID-19 and/or the shift to remote learning has caused their students emotional distress and created attendance problems.
- Administrators and educators reported that students have “given up” on school and show signs of depression, loneliness, and anxiety.
- Educators shared that student confidence has plummeted, and it is common for them to disengage from learning.
- Educators and administrators in low-income and urban school districts are more likely to report that student grades and test scores suffered during COVID-19.
- Schools and districts in urban areas are more likely to have moved to full-time online/remote learning (51%) compared to those in suburban (39%) and rural (29%) areas.
- Educators said the lack of physical connection with other students had the greatest impact on students’ wellbeing, with lack of connection to educators next in line.
While most schools have returned to an in-person or blended model for this school year, the challenge of restoring relationships, learning communities, and confidence among students will be difficult. As many educators already know, an emphasis on students’ mental health in the wake of the pandemic has even been prioritized by the U.S. Department of Education, which suggests that funds from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER, be used on social, emotional, and mental health needs in addition to academic needs.
Here are a few strategies and corresponding resources to help you understand, measure, and promote well-being among the students you serve:
✔️ Build trusting relationships with students and families, starting on day 1:
✔️ Ask your students how they’re doing:
✔️ Integrate trauma-informed practices into instruction:
✔️ Lift up and empower school counselors!
✔️ Use instructional moments like Health class to arm students with strategies to cope with stress:
✔️ This one’s for school leaders: Make sure you prioritize the well-being of your staff, too!
Teachers (and Many Parents) Think SEL is Critical This Year
We also interviewed parents about their perspective on SEL in this survey and found that parental knowledge and advocacy of SEL has grown — 62% of parents now feel teaching SEL is very important, compared to 55% three years ago. Parents also believe that SEL is not emphasized as much as it should be (81%), that it has become even more important since the beginning of the pandemic (82%), and that it is helpful for children learning online (80%).
No matter where parents and families are in their journey with SEL — understanding it as a principle, implementing it at home, or supporting their children in their SEL journeys — the pandemic illustrated that it’s important for teachers and parents to have an open line of communication about a student’s well-being. As this became evident, our team spent some time last year creating resources that both parents and educators could use to promote SEL at home and in the classroom. If you haven’t already, be sure to review and download these free activities and tools.
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If the responses in our survey are any indication of the year to come, it will be more important than ever that teachers and parents are close partners in supporting students’ social, emotional and academic growth this year. While educators and administrators anticipate that returning to in-person learning will pose challenges for students, they cite SEL as a potential solution:
- Educators believe that SEL will help provide short-term benefits such as reduced behavioral problems (96%), improved grades (91%), and less emotional distress (95%).
- The vast majority of educators (84%) believe that incorporating SEL into the core curriculum has become more important since the pandemic.
- Educators report that students are fearful of COVID-19 and social interaction, and that they will need extra time and attention to relearn social skills.
Educators also see SEL as a potential solution for negative student behaviors, including:
- Bullying (95% of educators cite SEL as very or somewhat important)
- Lack of student motivation and engagement in learning (94%)
- School safety (93%)
- Poor teacher-student relationships (91%)
- Transitioning students from remote to in-person learning (91%)
Finally, the survey showed that we can all expect to see more social and emotional learning activities happening in classrooms across the country. Many administrators are planning for an expanded focus on SEL in the upcoming school year.
- Some received training this summer in preparation, while others planned to devote more time and money to it.
- Educators believe that students in urban and lower income schools/districts are significantly more likely to have additional SEL needs.
- However, those in urban and lower income districts were also significantly more likely to cite inadequate resources for instruction and support as the biggest challenge.
To read the full report and find direct quotes from respondents, visit:
Still looking for more social and emotional learning resources? Join us every Wednesday in October at 1 PM PST / 4 PM ET for a discussion with educators and nonprofit leaders about SEL activities that you can take back to the classroom!
About this report
The findings in this report are based on responses to an online survey conducted by Hanover Research in July 2021, among a national sample of approximately 700 educators, administrators and parents. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 5% for educators/teachers, 8% for administrators and 7% for parents. This report follows a study we conducted in 2018.
