Social emotional learning (SEL) is an educational process for learning life skills but many of the aspects are contained in other educational programming such as character education, restorative justice, peer mediation, bullying prevention, anger management, drug/alcohol prevention, violence prevention, school climate, ethical-decision making, harassment prevention, positive behavior supports.
SEL teaches mental skills that lead to understanding and managing emotions, setting positive and realistic goals, building long-lasting relationships, showing empathy for others, and problem-solving constructively and ethically.
SEL is best known for its implementation in schools from pre-school to grade 12. However, to be effective it must be housed in a safe and supportive school climate. There is not a national consensus about what school climate dimensions are essential to assess. Synthesizing past school climate research as well as NSCC’s research efforts, the National School Climate Council and NSCC suggest that there are four major areas that school climate assessment needs to include: Safety, Relationships, Teaching and Learning and the external environment.