Giving Compass' Take:

•  El Paso Independent School District has invested in social-emotional learning and continues to see its success in academic achievement.

• SEL has clear benefits for students. How can education donors support and expand access to this learning style for school districts that do not yet teach it in classrooms? 

• Learn more about how to measure social-emotional learning.

For far too long, reading, writing and arithmetic were widely touted as the foundational academic subjects for young learners. To understand just how woefully inadequate this assumption was, we need only look to the recent events of 2020.

A quick scan of U.S. news headlines reveals what our students and communities have been grappling with: crises, uncertainty, personal loss, unemployment, racism, oppression, unrest, and trauma. How do our schools and more specifically, educators and educational leaders address these far-reaching and deeply disturbing issues?

Across the 86 campuses of El Paso Independent School District (EPISD), an emphasis on social and emotional learning (SEL) has been a defining factor in our continued success. And despite its absence from state accountability systems, SEL is picking up traction in K-12 education—with good reason.

What was initially viewed by some as a ‘nice-to-have’ element in our curricula has been a core competency all along. In centering our early work on SEL, EPISD was able to provide a foundation for students that has carried them—and our educator teams—through a period of challenging circumstances none of us will soon forget.

Our work at EPISD started on shaky ground in a community wounded by crisis. We needed to build community trust in a new leadership team, and an emphasis on SEL wasn’t just the most practical approach—it held promise for empowering our students and families over the long-term. SEL is grounded in the understanding that the best learning emerges in the context of supportive relationships.

The process we follow focuses on building students’ knowledge, skills, and attitude to navigate the world by explicitly teaching skills like life management and social awareness. It’s part of a five-step method EPISD students learn from an early age: self-management, social awareness, responsible decision making, self-awareness, and relationship skills.

Read the full article about invest in social-emotional learning by Juan Cabrera and Ray Lozano at Getting Smart.