What is Social Emotional Learning?

SEL is the process of developing self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success.

Social learning helps students develop an ability to adopt a different perspective, identify emotions in others, feel empathy, listen, communicate effectively, and simply get along with others.

Emotional learning involves helping students develop self-understanding, self-regulation, impulse control, the ability to delay gratification, anger management, stress reduction, and other essential life skills.

DCSD utilizes the CASEL Framework for SEL and the core competencies of this framework include Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision-Making, Relationship Skills, and Social Awareness. CASEL is a Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning and is the national leader in the field of SEL. CASEL collaborates with leading experts and supports districts, schools, and states to drive research, guide practice and inform policy.

The CASEL Framework for SEL programming aligns with the district’s strategic plan and can be taught and applied at various developmental stages from childhood to adulthood across diverse cultural contexts. SEL is most beneficial when integrated through each school’s curriculum, culture, school-wide practices and policies, and through engagement and collaboration with families and community organizations.

CASEL’s Framework fosters knowledge, skills, and attitudes across five areas of social and emotional competence:

• Self-awareness: The ability to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts.
• Self-management: The ability to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations to achieve goals and aspirations.
• Social awareness: The ability to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts.
• Relationship skills: The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups.
• Responsible decision-making: The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations.