Alex

Social emotional learning focuses on the cognitive, affective and behavioral competencies of self awareness, self management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making. This requires the integration of these competencies as a part of the academic curriculum and the cultural norm of the educational environment. When there is a true integration of the social, emotional and academic there are research-based outcomes, including: increased capacity for learning, deeper mastery of subject material, motivation to learn, more time devoted to schoolwork, better attendance, higher graduation rates, increased prospect for constructive employment following school, decreased suspensions and expulsions, fewer grade retentions, and gains of 11 to 17 percentile points on standardized tests. Social emotional integration is not about adding one more thing to the over-loaded educational plate, it is the essential piece that allows students to achieve at the highest level, teachers to preform at their best and schools to become safe, active, engaging learning communities.