Systemic Social and Emotional Learning: A Coordinated Approach to Student Success Across Settings

Joseph L. Mahoney, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America; Karen Van Ausdal, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning; Celene E. Domitrovich, Early Childhood Innovation Network, Georgetown University Medical Center

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. SEL is an evidence-based educational approach aimed at developing social and emotional competencies (SECs) that students need to succeed in school and life. Decades of research demonstrate that SEL programs enhance SECs and foster prosocial behaviors, improve academic performance, and mitigate emotional distress and problem behavior. A systemic approach to SEL emphasizes coordination of SEL programming across settings and over time. Systemic SEL recognizes that a limited impact is possible with stand-alone programming in individual classrooms, and advocates for aligned and coordinated strategies across school, district, and state levels. The significance of systemic SEL lies in its ability to consistently reinforce SECs across multiple settings, preventing disjointed learning experiences. By fostering a shared vision and aligned actions among families, education staff, and communities, systemic SEL creates synergies, reduces fragmentation, and integrates educational practices, promoting the holistic development of academic, social, and emotional skills for all students.

In practice, systemic SEL is implemented strategically across in-school and out-of-school settings. Within school buildings, this includes embedding SEL into strategic policies and practices, supporting SEL for adults, embedding SEL into instruction and supports for students, and ensuring continuous improvement of those practices. Districts tailor their SEL work to their context, fostering a shared vision for SEL co-created by diverse stakeholders, and sustaining practices for adults and students over time. Leadership from superintendents, central offices, and school administrators is essential in modeling and supporting SEL. At the district level, this includes ensuring the integration of SEL into district strategy, culture, and practices that ultimately support teaching and learning experiences for students.

In terms of research, well-implemented SEL programs can positively impact children’s lives. However, less is known about the effectiveness of systemic SEL. Studying systemic SEL, which involves complex systems change, involves substantial time and resource requirements. To date, most research is qualitative. Quantitative research about the CASEL School Guide highlights the potential of systemic SEL for improving social, emotional, and academic outcomes. Meta-analytic findings support multi-component programs involving community or family components, yet inconsistent results from these reviews suggest a need for further research to understand their effectiveness fully.

In conclusion, while systemic SEL has significant potential to transform education systems, challenges like limited funding, time constraints, and prioritization need to be addressed. Coordinating systemic SEL requires strong leadership, integration, and continuous improvement systems, and a focus on adult SEL. Emphasizing collaboration and advocating for policy interventions at the local, state, and federal levels is vital. For example, states and districts should prioritize the future of systemic SEL by including measures related to social and emotional development, such as attendance and discipline rates, in their accountability systems. This will support broader academic and societal goals through equitable resource allocation and the integration of SEL assessments with other data sources that drive decision-making.