CONTACT
JOIN US

The Impact of SEL Broadly Defined in Schools

It is essential to define student achievement as a balance between academic, social-emotional, and ethical skills in order for students to be adequately prepared for the tests of life. Schools that embrace social-emotional learning, character development, and a positive culture and climate accrue many of the following benefits: enhanced social-emotional skills in students and staff; improved attitudes about self, others, and the school; increased positive classroom behavior and civic engagement; gains of up to 11 percentile-points on standardized tests; reduction in conduct problems, aggressive behavior, and emotional distress; improvement in staff morale, and decreased staff turnover.

SEL and Workforce Readiness

Businesses and corporations now understand the importance of SEL for their workforce.  Managers are looking for employees with good emotional, communication, problem solving, and interpersonal skills. A recent survey that measured a variety of competencies associated with leadership performance, including those commonly referred to as Emotional Intelligence, showed that the highest performing managers had significantly more “emotional competence” than other managers. the World Economic Forum redefined global workforce preparation to include SEL as an integral skill.

Why SEL4NJ?

To successfully accomplish the goal of promoting SEL for all students, collaboration is required within schools, across schools, and among child-serving organizations and agencies. A partnership between schools, health and mental health organizations, professional associations, higher education corporate/business organizations, and the local community is necessary.  SEL4NJ provides a framework for this partnership by bringing together these institutions and organizations to form one strong voice advocating for SEL.