SEL Journal Recap: 3 Ways to Enhance SEL Outcomes for All Students

Key Points

• Drs. Christina Cipriano and Michael McCarthy, in collaboration with other researchers, recently published a meta-analysis of 13 years of universal school-based (USB) SEL interventions for over 500,000 K-12 students. They found consistent positive impacts on academic achievement, engagement in learning, school climate, relationships between teachers and peers, and much more.
• Despite the success of SEL programs with K-12 students as a whole, however, the researchers noted that the field knows little about how these programs specifically impact students across race, ethnicity, language learner status, or ability.
• Now, Cipriano and McCarthy have published a research article in the SEL Journal to more closely examine the effects of USB SEL interventions for these students, along with offering recommendations for improving program design, implementation, and research to support a truly inclusive SEL. 

Cipriano and McCarthy explain that historically, marginalized and minoritized students (including by gender, race, ethnicity, language, or ability) have not shared equitably in the benefits of educational interventions and “best practices” in teaching. SEL programs have the potential to serve as a “pathway to educational equity,” but questions remain as to whether evidence-based SEL is in fact effective or accessible to minoritized students. 

These questions are difficult to conclusively answer because studies often don’t include complete information about students’ race, ethnicity, native language, or disability status, among others. 

Because these students are at additional risk for poor social and emotional well-being, it is essential to determine the efficacy of SEL programs with marginalized and minoritized students, along with how students receive and interact with program content to ensure meaningful, impactful engagement.

In their paper in the SEL Journal, Cipriano and McCarthy explore improvements to program design, implementation, and research that can support a truly inclusive SEL.

Here are three key takeaways about enhancing SEL outcomes for all students:

1. Program Design

To design more inclusive SEL programs, Cipriano and McCarthy suggest program designers:

• Ensure flexibility in program design and implementation. Curricula and learning materials must reflect a diverse student body, including varying learner profiles, in order to foster meaningful engagement. This includes flexibility in how the program is implemented, along with accommodations for various learning needs.

• Foster community and family partnerships. Programs should be inclusive of diverse family cultures and identities, and program developers should include families in the design of SEL curricula.

• Promote diversity and inclusivity within the program developer team. Assemble a team that can offer multiple perspectives on how a range of cultures value, understand, and engage in social-emotional discourse and interactions.

2. Program Implementation

As districts and schools implement SEL programs, Cipriano and McCarthy recommend that they:

• Implement SEL programs with teachers using SAFE criteria. Research indicates that SEL programs are most effective when delivered by teachers and Sequenced, Active, Focused, and Explicit.

• Use culturally responsive teaching methods. Teachers should receive pre-service training and in-service professional development on how to adapt SEL programs to meet the needs, abilities, and cultural backgrounds of the students they are serving.

• Actively engage students in both the teaching and learning processes. Invite students to become part of the teaching and learning process of SEL, elevating their identities, knowledge, and cultural experience as teaching resources.

3. Program Research

Finally, researchers themselves should:

• Avoid clustering students into general and over-simplified categories of learners to increase the visibility of marginalized or underrepresented identities in efficacy research, maximizing their opportunities for benefiting from this work.

• Gather qualitative data regarding student experiences with SEL programs. Incorporate the voices of students from differing backgrounds to better understand how they comprehend and connect to the learning material.

• Report on what works and what does not work. The advancement of the field depends on how we learn and grow, so it’s essential to also report on “what not to do,” as well as if and how program effects vary for students with differing backgrounds and abilities.

To learn more, read the full research paper in the SEL Journal. 

Interested in being published in the SEL Journal? Submit your work to the Journal’s special edition on “Integrating Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning.” Letters of intent due Feb. 15. 

Related Posts:

• 5 Must-Read Articles from the SEL Journal 
• 30 Years of SEL Research: What’s New, and What’s Next?
• The Natural Pairing of SEL and Social Inclusion

Write for Us

Are you interested in writing for CASEL’s blog, Constellations? Learn more about what we’re looking for and how to pitch your idea!