Today’s release of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data confirms the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student achievement and well-being.
With students’ learning, safety, and well-being top of mind for parents and educators, academic recovery will require comprehensive, evidence-based solutions that take a holistic view of students’ social, emotional, and academic learning. In tandem with interventions focused on academic content and skills, social and emotional learning (SEL) strategies create conditions that enhance student learning. These evidence-based strategies can be supported with investments through the American Rescue Plan Act, passed in March 2021. Research demonstrates that that social and emotional learning bolsters academic achievement:
- SEL programs increased students’ academic performance by 11 percentile points.
- 27% more students would improve their academic performance with an investment in SEL.
- SEL programs have potentially as much long-term impact on academic growth as programs designed specifically to support academic learning.
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is amplifying research-based information on social, emotional, and academic learning in partnership with the Leading with SEL coalition, 24 organizations that represent a wide range of education stakeholders.
Dr. Aaliyah A. Samuel, CEO and president of CASEL, issued the following statement:
“Parents and educators alike know that students’ academic growth and recovery are dependent upon social and emotional skills and environments that are conducive to learning. When students feel engaged — when they feel connected to the classroom and the content — they perform better academically. At its core, social and emotional learning is integral to academic achievement and develops lifelong learners.
We encourage states and districts to use historic funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to promote social and emotional learning as an evidence-based strategy to create the conditions to support student learning and well-being.”
