Mark Gallagher

K-12 MTSS Coordinator, MEVSD

If you were to ask one hundred professionals to define social-emotional learning, then you would likely receive one hundred different definitions. The common themes would likely include 21st century skills, noncognitive skills, soft skills, and character development - and none of these would be wrong. According to Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning (CASEL), “social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.” Simple enough, right? Regardless of how you define social-emotional learning, the question quickly becomes, “Why does it matter?” 

Diane Mankins
MEVSD Superintendent 

The learning that takes place everyday between teachers and students is, of course, essential to develop the minds of our students.  In a personalized educational platform, we are witnessing students advocating for their own learning opportunities and being active decision makers in their learning.  There is nothing more powerful than watching our learners evolve in this way and it is a skill that will definitely transcend into their future goals and aspirations.  

Lynette Lewis
Principal, Navin Elementary 

At Navin Elementary, we firmly believe in the importance of teaching the whole child. In addition to academic learning, we also share a responsibility for their social-emotional learning, an important factor in predicting overall success in life. So…what IS social-emotional learning, or SEL? SEL is the process through which children understand and manage emotions (i.e. self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills and social awareness). It’s easy to see how critical the development of SEL is to addressing the needs of the whole child.