Why is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Important?

We asked teachers, administrators, and parents what they think about social and emotional learning (SEL).

As social and emotional learning (SEL) becomes increasingly regarded as a valuable instructional component in a well-rounded PreK-12 curriculum, we wanted to learn more about how SEL is being put into practice. We set out to understand what teachers, administrators and parents think of SEL — why it’s important, what they hope it will do for their learners, how they’re bringing it to the classroom, and the barriers they face in ensuring students benefit from SEL instruction.

To answer those questions, we partnered with a research organization to survey 1,140 teachers, administrators, and parents across the country for the 2018 Social and Emotional Learning Report. We learned so much about the state of SEL in PreK-12 education, and we’re excited about the energy that educators and parents are using to drive their SEL initiatives. The data from this survey also helped us identify prominent challenges and gaps both teachers and parents face in their SEL initiatives, and we hope that this data can help district leaders fuel stronger approaches to social and emotional learning for all.

You can download the survey results here:

2018 Social Emotional Learning Survey

For a quick look, here are a few of the key findings from the report:

Teachers, parents, and administrators agree: SEL is crucial

The importance of strong SEL instruction for PreK-12 students is clear. 96% of administrators, 93% of teachers, and 81% of parents believe that social and emotional learning is just as important as academic learning.

Teachers and administrators largely agree on the importance of individual skills

When asked to determine the importance of individual SEL skills, administrators and teachers rank “self-management” as the most important SEL skill for students to learn, followed by “relationship skills.” Parents rank “responsible decision-making” as the most important SEL skill to learn.

Time spent on SEL is increasing, but teachers want more

The movement towards a dedication to SEL in the classroom is still evolving. 74% of teachers report that they are devoting more time to teaching SEL skills today as compared to five years ago. However, 65% report that they need more time than they currently have to teach SEL skills.

Teachers want more support

While teachers, administrators, and parents all believe in the importance of SEL, teachers feel they need more support in teaching SEL skills in the classroom. Only 22% of teachers feel they are “very prepared” to teach SEL skills, and 51% feel that the level of SEL professional development offered at their school is not sufficient.

To download the full report, see:

2018 Social Emotional Learning Survey

For more SEL inspiration, research, and strategies, see this guide, built by our Applied Learning Sciences team:

5 Guiding Principles of Social and Emotional Learning

For more on social and emotional learning, visit:

Inspired Ideas