Key points:
- Social emotional learning looks to evidence-based classroom practices to support a critical development in children
- Educators can employ several strategies to deal with the politicization of social emotional learning
- See related article: 3 key parts of this district’s student mental health support
The concept of social emotional learning (SEL) has been around for 30 years—a bit of esoteric, if well-meaning, academia intended to improve the way kids are taught. Post-pandemic, the phrase has somehow entered the culture wars leaving educators with a delicate balance between implementing these essential concepts without becoming politicized.
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