Social-emotional learning (SEL) refers to a broad set of foundational life skills children and adults can learn and use to regulate their emotions, communicate with others, use compassion and empathy to understand the needs of other people, build relationships, and make good decisions.
These skills become even more important for young people as they enter the workforce and build healthy relationships as adults.
Social-emotional learning affects the lives of students, teachers, parents, employers, and the larger community in meaningful ways that improve relationships and societies as a whole.
“Social-emotional learning is foundational. SEL is the lens through which we implement lessons, design assessments, and create policy. It is the lens through which we lead.”
— Sarah Gams, 2021 South Carolina Teacher of the Year
