Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

Attention, SEL program providers!

The window will be closing soon on the CASEL Program Guide. It will remain open for one more week for new submissions. If you would like your SEL program considered for inclusion, submit your information by June 8, 2026.
https://bit.ly/3Rn29JE

Well done to this Virginia wrestling coach who is putting his students' mental health first in his sports practices.

Read the story in this K-12 Dive article titled How school coaches are prioritizing mental health for student athletes.

How school coaches are prioritizing mental health for student athletes To get the best out of students, "we have to learn to love them holistically," says one Virginia wrestling coach who has taken mental health awareness training.

Attention, SEL program providers!

The CASEL Program Guide opens today for new submissions. If you would like your SEL program considered for inclusion, now is the time to submit your information.
https://bit.ly/3Rn29JE
The application portal will be open from May 26-June 8, 2026.

Meet our fellows!

Linyun Fu is a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago and part of the SEL program development team at the RICI Foundation, and NGO based in China. Here’s why she wanted to be part of this special cohort:

"I am actively involved in efforts to scale up SEL programs to reach more schools across China by leveraging rigorous research evidence and collaborating closely with local education bureaus and school districts."

We’re so glad to have her voice as part of this conversation!

How do we help students navigate their digital lives safely and confidently?

One key takeaway from a panel at our Exchange Spring Virtual Conference: we have to acknowledge students’ agency and resilience while equipping them with the social-emotional skills to manage online spaces.

This EdWeek article by Arianna Prothero explores what SEL can do to support students in this area. Read it here:

What SEL Can Do to Help Kids Manage Their Online Lives It's important to show students how social media can be helpful and harmful.

Has your school or district redefined how you measure and define success? For a long time, success in education has been measured by test scores and graduation rates. But that definition is shifting.

This recent EdWeek article by Evie Blad explores how districts across the country are rethinking outcomes, moving beyond academics to focus on career readiness, durable skills, and whole-child development. Many are anchoring this work in CASEL's own “portrait of a graduate,” framework. Read it here:

Inside One District’s Experiment to Anchor Learning Around Career-Ready Skills Employers identify skills like creativity and collaboration as key to success in careers.

It’s graduation season for many schools! 🎓

That makes it the perfect time to reflect on an important question: What do we want for our graduating seniors?

Our latest blog explores how a Portrait of a Graduate can help.

Read it here:

What Do We Want for our Graduating Seniors? A Portrait of a Graduate Can Help - CASEL Key Points Back to top Jared will be graduating from high school in a few months. He’s got a flair for math, so he naturally gets straight A’s in that area. He’s planning on college and thinking about a career in STEM. The future is bright, right? Maybe, but maybe not. There are a few […]

You’ve likely seen our recent posts about the inaugural International SEL Fellows Academy.

Want to learn more about why we created this group and the goals behind it?

Read the blog:

Forging a Global Community: CASEL’s Inaugural International SEL Fellows Academy - CASEL Key Points Back to top At a time when the world is more interconnected and complex than ever, the need for social and emotional learning (SEL) has never been clearer. Across education systems, workplaces, and communities, there is growing recognition that skills like self-awareness, empathy, collabo...

CTE should be the connected path to social and economic mobility for every learner.

It is time to dismantle the silos that have long separated Career Technical Education (CTE) from core academics and build a system where every learner, at every level, experiences career-connected learning as the norm, not the exception.

From elementary school through postsecondary education and beyond, all learners deserve instruction that integrates academic, technical, and employability skills.

This looks like:

*Rigorous academic content living inside CTE courses and core academic classrooms integrating real-world experiences.

*Career exploration, work-based learning, and coordinated advising available to every learner regardless of geography, subgroup, or next steps.

*All instructors and advisors equipped with the training and resources to guide learners at every stage of their career journey.

Every classroom can be a launchpad to college and career readiness.

Explore The Connected Path: A Shared Vision for Opportunity and Empowerment Through CTE (CTE Connects) today! http://careertech.org/cte-connects
"

We know you love all the new data and research showing the difference that SEL makes in academic performance, so we’re launching a four-part blog series on the topic.

Read the first post here:

New Data: Academic Performance and Social & Emotional Learning - CASEL Key Points Back to top Imagine a sixth grader in science class dissecting a frog for the first time. The teacher has paired them with someone they haven’t worked with before. They’re learning science, yes, but what else? While working with their lab partner, they’re practicing relationship ski...