The dismantling of the United States (U.S.) Department of Education, ordered by the Trump administration, allows for the removal of federal funding in public schools, leaving policies up to state and local governments. This cut removes social-emotional programs that are fundamental to learning in K-12 curricula.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is a methodology used to help students better understand their emotional abilities and demonstrate empathy towards others in classrooms and outside school settings. SEL can look different based on funding, teachers and administrators within each respective county where it is implemented, but the program is recognized for targeting early student engagement through storytimes, group work and problem-solving skills.
The SEL program serves as a key framework within the educational curriculum that teaches children about self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making.
However, right-wing conservatives believe that SEL connects to liberal teachings, which include topics of racism, culture, LGBTQ+ and gender studies. While conservatives might berate the effectiveness of the SEL framework, it is proven to improve academic achievement and lower rates of psychological distress.
Pushback on SEL stems from the idea that the program is eradicating traditional values, encouraging a connection to teaching and learning that is more focused on “left-wing ideologies.” While some people believe that these subjects are not suitable for school settings, the banning of such topics erases important historical contexts that are necessary for a child’s developmental growth.
The implementation of SEL is crucial in children’s development of empathy and critical thinking skills. For example, the program helps students feel safer and more welcomed within classroom settings, promoting better cultural understanding and respect among students. During COVID-19, when social-distance learning was adopted within K-12 classrooms, SEL helped teachers adopt curriculum that was sensitive to collective classroom culture and individual cultural identities by partaking in activities that can encourage family participation.
Moreover, having these supportive networks and utilizing the classroom setting to develop more social awareness in relationships can provide students with the skills to cope with complex feelings and emotions associated with this global pandemic. With the prevalence of the current turbulent political climate in the U.S., an empathetic classroom is more important than ever for students to feel safe and loved within their daily learning environments.
A doctoral student in the School of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), Viviana Padilla, highlights the importance of an SEL curriculum that supports student wellness and the development of interpersonal skills.
She emphasizes the importance of creating a safe space for students to express difficult emotions, especially within culturally diverse serving institutions, where young learners can have different educational needs.
Padilla speaks from personal experience: “In the research and from working with kids, I have seen firsthand how important it is to promote their academics, promote their learning and promote overall school climate.”
Implementing culturally competent educational practices grounded in the SEL framework can allow for an equitable education for all students. For example, Special Education (SPED) and lower-income students were five percent less likely to require supportive services after the fifth grade if they were learning within an SEL curriculum.
This allows students from lower-income communities to have spaces that support and make them feel wanted. Knowing that classrooms can provide a sense of safety and community for students, especially during critical developmental years, makes programs like SEL all the more important for teachers to practice. Furthermore, acknowledging the need for an institutionalized curriculum including SEL can inspire future thinkers towards academic excellence.
SEL also acknowledges and supports the roles of faculty members and other educators in school settings. For example, teachers are more likely to experience burnout due to the lack of support from parents and administrators when it comes to handling difficulties that arise with student interactions and unmet classroom needs. The SEL curriculum targets these behaviors, finding measurable and preventative tools such as practicing mindfulness, reflective journaling and goal setting to ensure that teachers don’t become overwhelmed in their own classrooms.
Early implementation of SEL is crucial to creating the best outcomes for young learners. Programs initiated in kindergarten that teach SEL are linked to better relationships and interpersonal skills when compared to programs promoted halfway through a student’s educational curriculum. Thus, consistent use of the SEL framework for different subjects in all grade levels can greatly improve the learning experience of all students.
The practices highlighted within the SEL framework reflect comprehension and learning outcomes for general classroom subjects such as math, science, English and social studies. In these specific subjects, students learn collaboration, problem-solving skills and expansion on critical thinking when working with peers. Teachers have the freedom, within the constraints of state-approved educational curriculum, to create classroom activities supporting SEL outcomes.
The long-term impacts of using the SEL curriculum are increased academic achievement, decreased emotional stress, and improved peer relationship skills. This contributes to building preventative measures, where students have emotional identification, fewer externalizing behaviors and enhancement in coping mechanisms — leading to a positive classroom climate and emotionally conscious students.
In this restrictive political climate, where banned books have created open space for hatred and cultural erasure, teachers must equip themselves with the best educational curriculum to help the next generation of learners. A program that focuses on the need for critical thinking skills and empathy growth can help combat hateful ideologies.
SEL is not just an agenda made to change students’ minds and steer them away from traditional family values. Instead, it focuses on the need for self-awareness and developmental growth.
The practice of social and emotional-based learning benefits students, parents and faculty by enhancing a sense of self and community within education settings. Teachers often deal with disruptive behaviors that externalize negative emotions, which can interrupt lectures and stop progress in classrooms.
This creates a negative teaching environment, placing unnecessary stress on the primary educator and perpetuating cycles of burnout. SEL curricula creates an opening for safe spaces, where schools are able to create better connections within peer and faculty relationships and become a community-based center that offers support for everyone involved in K-12 education.
SEL programs were expected to become more popular in school settings as teachers design programs for their classrooms and researchers conduct broader policy evaluations to revamp public education through these implementations.
However, with the Trump administration’s recent attack on federal programs, the security of SEL may also be at risk. Educators are actively advocating and will continue to fight for public schools to secure a standardized SEL curriculum that will benefit children in K-12, allowing for emotional and intellectual growth and better social awareness that targets how students think, learn and support each other.
