What’s CASEL?

CASEL is an acronym for Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning. CASEL is the nation’s leading organization that is committed to advancing the development of academic, social and emotional competence for all students. CASEL’s mission is to help make evidence-based social and emotional learning an integral part of education from preschool through high school. Through research, practice and policy, CASEL collaborates with schools to ensure all students become knowledgeable, responsible, caring and contributing members of society.

The Social and Emotional Learning Core Competencies of CASEL

CASEL’s principles surround five sets of cognitive, affective and behavioral competencies:

Self-awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior.

Self-management: The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations.

Social awareness: The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

Relationship skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups.

Responsible decision making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others.

The goal of focusing on these competencies is to promote students’ self-awareness, self- management, social-awareness, relationship, and responsible decision-making skills; and improve student attitudes and beliefs about self, others, and school. These, in turn, provide a foundation for better adjustment and academic performance as reflected in more positive social behaviors and peer relationships, fewer conduct problems, less emotional distress, and improved grades and test scores.

There is a growing awareness in the U.S. among educators and policymakers about the importance of social and emotional development for successful student performance in preschool and elementary school. The five sets of SEL competencies are important from very early in life but are especially relevant as children begin to spend time with adults outside the home and to socialize with peers.

Social and emotional skills play a role in determining how well-equipped children will be to meet the demands of the classroom. They also help determine whether students are able to engage fully in learning and benefit from instruction.

Research has shown that curriculums that focus on CASEL and its competencies can have a positive impact on school climate and promote a host of academic, social, and emotional benefits for students.

More schools are gearing up to adapt CASEL into their curriculums. What do you think about this? Tell us below, we can’t wait to hear what you think.

Source: CASEL