Giving Compass' Take:

• EdSurge emphasizes the importance of social emotional learning (SEL), while pointing to recent research that shows how trauma-informed support is key to better academic outcomes as well.

• It's vital that educators recognize that school achievement and SEL are connected so that systems are in place to help students who need interventions. Nonprofits can provide the resources needed in many SEL areas.

• Here are ways to involve parents in SEL programming.

These days it’s hard to miss the compelling evidence that shows social emotional learning (SEL) improves learning and life skills. Educators are also becoming increasingly aware that high numbers of students face trauma that impedes their learning and that understanding and addressing it are critical. They’re also learning that racial inequities hamper the success of certain groups of students, and acknowledging and ameliorating them is necessary if all children are to thrive.

Last year, the Aspen Institute’s National Commission on Social Emotional and Academic Development’s Council of Distinguished Scientists — leading researchers across character education, emotional intelligence, health and mental health promotion, neuroscience, SEL and mindsets — released a consensus statement to solidify research findings across their disciplines. Most importantly, they agreed that social, emotional and cognitive capacities are intertwined and interdependent. This means that academic learning has its basis in social emotional learning, and that development in one area supports the other. They also agreed that SEL yields results: two sweeping meta-analyses show academic gains, one up to 3.5 years after students’ last SEL intervention, in addition to improved behavior and life outcomes. In sum, SEL shouldn’t be a “maybe” in schools.

Read the full article about SEL and trauma work for student success by Jessica Berlinski at EdSurge.