Social Emotional Learning

Our students need more than academics.

When was the last time a student at your school struggled with mental illness, behavioral issues, substance abuse, or bullying? What support systems do you have in place to support students dealing with these struggles?

Now more than ever, students need a rich education that goes beyond academics to support their social and emotional needs.

Studies show that evidence-based SEL programs lead to improved academic performance and student behavior and yield an average return-on-investment of 11:1.

The power & promise of SEL

The evidence is increasingly clear that students benefit greatly from an education that goes beyond academics to foster their social & emotional development.

Learn more in this infographic

Back view of schoolboy raising hand to answer the question.

Bring SEL to your school community

Incorporating social emotional learning into your school’s curriculum requires a good deal of work. You’ll need to create a cultural shift in your school, provide staff training, and curate educational content vetted by experts to support students and families. But you don’t have to go about all this on your own.

Here are a few resources that can help you get started:

Professional development for school leaders & staff

Empower your educators with rigorous, research-backed professional learning on SEL — from introductory courses to multi-part programs aligned to CASEL competencies.

Explore courses

Michigan Cares

With support from the state of Michigan, the most comprehensive mental health and prevention education program and social emotional learning (SEL) programming is now available to schools and districts!

Michigan Cares

Adolescent Suicide Prevention

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association (MEMSPA), and Michigan Virtual have partnered to offer a series of five professional development courses about suicide prevention for adolescents.

Adolescent Suicide Prevention

An example of inspiring SEL leadership

Not sure where to start with creating a culture of SEL at your school? In this webinar, Dr. Joe Ricca, superintendent of White Plains Public Schools in New York, shares how he helped his school community embrace social emotional learning.

See how he did it

Take a deeper dive.

Because social emotional learning is so critical to student wellbeing, we've curated a variety of articles, podcasts, and videos on the topic from researchers and experts in the field. If you find these resources helpful, subscribe to the Digital Backpack to stay up-to-date on our latest tips & tricks for innovating student learning.