While 78% of teachers feel that it is part of their job to “help students develop strong social and emotional skills” and nearly 92% feel that the teaching of social-emotional skills “will improve student safety,” only 40% feel they “have adequate strategies to use when students do not have strong social and emotional skills,” according to an Education Week survey. And roughly 62% feel at least somewhat prepared to respond to students' mental-health issues.

Roughly half of children in the country have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, according to Child Trends, and many teachers do not feel they have had enough preparation to deal with these issues. Only 29% had received mental health training, according to the Education Week survey, 43% found “finding ways to help students who appear to be struggling with problems outside of school” difficult, and 23% said their most challenging task was “finding ways to help students who appear to be experiencing emotional or psychological distress."

As research into incidences of childhood trauma and the benefits of trauma-informed education grows, addressing the social and emotional needs and skills of students is becoming more of a priority for school leaders. Teachers are at the front line when it comes to dealing with students and are often the first to spot social and emotional issues that arise, particularly when these issues impact the classroom.

Training can come from multiple approaches, including the Turnaround for Children program mentioned in the article. Whatever approach school leaders take, they must realize that many teachers themselves need to acquire social-emotional learning skills before they can prepare to pass these skills on to students.

Read the full article about social-emotional skills by Amelia Harper at Education Dive.