Social-Emotional Learning

How schools can help children learn to understand and manage their emotions, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions

See also: Life Skills

Explainer

Social-Emotional Learning, Explained
What is social-emotional learning?
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Collage-style illustration of young Finnish students in snowsuits, a cut out image of the Supreme Court of Finland building, a map and flag of Finland, as well as two other students working with pencils on paper.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
Early Childhood Opinion Finland Is a Model of Academic Success. The Reason Starts Earlier Than I Thought

Learning about community comes before academics in Finnish preschools, writes a teacher educator.
Marilyn M. DePietto, August 26, 2026
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5 min read
Collage illustration of a young boy with classroom in background and the mood of excitement and accomplishment.
Liz Yap/Education Week and Canva
School & District Management Opinion Even 2nd Graders Are Leaders in My School. Here's What That Looks Like
A young kid showing off a lanyard reminded me what the best principals have in common.
Emery Brown, August 25, 2026
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4 min read
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An activity table inside the Pocono Services for Families and Children's new sensory bus on Aug. 20, 2026, in East Stroudsburg, Pa. The bus is set to hit the road this spring to help teach young students how to regulate their emotions through play.
Hannah Beier for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement How a School Bus Will Serve as a Sensory Reprieve for Little Learners
A rural Head Start program will deploy the bus to give young kids tools to manage their emotions.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 20, 2026
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4 min read
An 8th grader works on a class project at Paw Paw Middle School on Dec. 2, 2021, in Paw Paw, Mich. The students were asked to write a word that was important to them and their work in the classroom. They then added the words to a poster to serve as a class "contract." The district has upped its social-emotional curriculum during the pandemic, as more students struggle.
An 8th grader works on a project as part of a social-emotional learning curriculum at Paw Paw Middle School in Paw Paw, Mich., on Dec. 2, 2021. The new CEO of one of the nation's most prominent organizations promoting social-emotional learning says academics alone aren't sufficient to help kids thrive in an increasingly complex world.
Martha Irvine/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Q&A What's Next for SEL? A Conversation With the Field's New Chief Champion
One of the nation's most prominent groups promoting social-emotional learning has a new leader.
Arianna Prothero, August 20, 2026
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5 min read
Collage of a student with students in a hallway socializing and test paper fragements.
Laura Baker/Education Week + Canva
Student Well-Being & Movement From Our Research Center The Most Pressing Problems Schools Count on SEL to Address
Many educators use SEL strategies to help improve academic performance.
Arianna Prothero, August 17, 2026
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2 min read
Routines
Emily Wright/Education Week + Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement Download 5 Strategies to Help Students Build Academic and Social Resilience
A downloadable guide for educators to help students adapt through adversity.
Lauraine Langreo, August 14, 2026
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2 min read
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Kindergarten students work in class at Munger Elementary-Middle School on May 7, 2026, in Detroit. Some educators believe it is easier to teach social-emotional learning skills to elementary school youngsters than older middle or high school kids.
Paul Sancya/AP Photo
Student Well-Being & Movement From Our Research Center Support for Teaching SEL Skills Remains Steady Despite Political Pushback
Survey tracks how educators rate SEL’s effect on students’ academic performance and social skills.
Arianna Prothero, July 20, 2026
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6 min read
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Katrina Fernandez, lower school principal at Capital City Public Charter School, helps organize these preschoolers as they practice along with high school seniors during a graduation rehearsal at Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, DC on June 11, 2026. The school's pre-K classes practice "looping," in which 3- and 4-year-olds share a classroom and stay with the same teacher for two years.
Marvin Joseph/Education Week
Early Childhood Why 'Looping' in Pre-K Helps Kids
As states seek to expand pre-K and teachers report students' lack of readiness, looping may help.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 20, 2026
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5 min read
Students use phones and other electronic devices in school on May 8, 2026. The school cellphone ban is one of the few policy agreements between Republicans and Democrats, and principals and teachers are big supporters.
Students use phones in school on May 8, 2026. The school cell phone ban is one of the few policy agreements between Republicans and Democrats, and principals and teachers are big supporters.
Lincoln Beddoe/Dreamstime via TNS
Student Well-Being & Movement ‘It Turns the School Community Around’: Teachers Reflect on Phone-Free Campuses
Teachers in states with cellphone bans say implementation means more than policy.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 13, 2026
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4 min read
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Students work on computers at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla., on April 16, 2024. Strategies used in computer science can also help teach students social-emotional skills.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo
Student Well-Being & Movement Yes, Computer Science Can Teach Social-Emotional Skills. Here's How
Though seemingly disparate, computer science and student mindfulness can mutually reinforce one another.
Arianna Prothero, July 10, 2026
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2 min read
Housing HUD Time Limits 25197588934495
Nintendo Switches, like the one the teenage boy is using above, are being used in the Denver Public Schools in an esports program designed to improve student engagement. Education Week recently talked to one of the educators involved in that program, who gave a presentation about it at the ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., June 28 to July 1.
Lindsey Wasson/AP Photo
Classroom Technology Q&A How This District Is Using Esports to Increase Student Engagement
An education technology specialist discusses an esports development program she created.
Lauraine Langreo, July 9, 2026
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4 min read
A teacher and students try to untangle complex emotional strings.
Chiara Vercesi for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion How We Can End the Chicken-and-Egg Problem at the Heart of Student Misbehavior
As teachers manage classrooms filled with anxiety and impulsivity, this is how leaders can help.
Marc Brackett, July 8, 2026
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5 min read
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Shutterstock
Artificial Intelligence Opinion In the Race to Build Smarter AI, We Forgot to Build Smarter Humans
AI is accelerating. What schools must do to support student attention and judgment now.
Laura BaKosh, July 6, 2026
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3 min read
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Chris Cromwell, an instructional technology coordinator for the West Chester Area School District in Pennsylvania, speaks to attendees during his presentation at the ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., on July 1, 2026. Cromwell is one of a small but growing number of educators using AI to teach students social and emotional skills.
Marvin Joseph/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Can AI Help Students Learn Social-Emotional Skills?
Teachers are experimenting with ways to leverage the technology.
Arianna Prothero, July 2, 2026
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5 min read