In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and a national reckoning with racial injustice in the United States, many educators have called for an increased focus on non-academic, social-emotional learning (SEL) and equity advancement in schools. In turn, these calls have raised questions about the extent to which SEL promotes equity in schools and society, particularly in terms of equalizing positive outcomes across racial subgroups.

Theoretically, it does. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines SEL as the process by which people acquire the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to “develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible decisions.” Educators often conceptualize SEL using the CASEL framework, which presents five core SEL competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Programs supporting SEL have demonstrated positive impacts on social skills, attitudes, behaviors, and academic performance. And when consistently used, these skills also have the potential to break down biases and prejudices.

But what of SEL in practice?

As SEL and equity have grown as points of focus, both have become more politicized. Some SEL critics—typically those from the political Left—have argued that current SEL concepts, research base, and curricula risk reinforcing existing inequities, serving as another form of in-school policing, further dehumanizing marginalized students, and preferencing dominant culture. They, along with SEL scholars working to advance equity through SEL, have called for those using and promoting SEL to take a more holistic approach, less focused on individual and measurable skills, and more focused on developing relationships, positive youth identities, strong communities, and youth empowerment.

Read the full article about equity in social-emotional learning by Tricia Maas and Jordan Posamentier at Stanford Social Innovation Review.