ABSTRACT
Successful schools ensure that all students master basic skills such as reading and math and have strong backgrounds in other subject areas, including science, history, and foreign language. Recently, however, educators and parents have begun to support a broader educational agenda – one that enhances teachers’ and students’ social and emotional skills. 1 Research indicates that social and emotional skills are associated with success in many areas of life, including effective teaching, student learning, quality relationships, and academic performance. 2-4 Moreover, a recent meta-analysis of over 300 studies showed that programs designed to enhance social and emotional learning significantly improve students’ social and emotional competencies as well as academic performance. 5
