Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for Education Dive, Roger Riddell covers the SXSW EDU 2019 event and what panelists had to say about incorporating social-emotional learning into the core curriculum. 

· What else was discussed at SXSW EDU 2019? How are schools currently adopting SEL? How can donors support the incorporation of SEL? What are the potential payoffs of adopting social-emotional learning now? 

· Here's how we can improve social-emotional learning.

Many school districts want to increase social-emotional learning (SEL) programs but struggle with the idea of adding one more thing to already packed days. These skills, however, are also in high demand from employers: In October, Education Week reported that the nation faces a shortage of 1.4 million professionals equipped with communication, teamwork, critical thinking and other soft skills.

In a crowded afternoon session at SXSW EDU, panelists, led by Open Up Resources CEO Jessica Reid Sliwerski,  argued that equipping students with the necessary SEL skills during the school day doesn't require additional programming. Instead, skills like conversation, collaboration, debate and reasoning should be infused into core subjects, including math and English language arts — similarly to how fluoride is infused in drinking water, ever-present and benefiting learners whether they actively realize it or not.

Read the full article about infusing SEL into core curriculum subjects by Roger Riddell at Education Dive.