Our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) framework, widely recognized as the “CASEL wheel,” is instrumental in developing essential skills and fostering environments that significantly enhance student learning and overall development.
Educators, districts, policymakers, and various stakeholders can leverage CASEL’s Framework to:
- Cultivate essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes across five core areas of social and emotional competence.
- Establish inclusive and equitable learning environments and coordinate effective practices across four key settings that collectively support students’ social, emotional, and academic growth.
This framework serves as a robust foundation, empowering communities to implement evidence-based SEL strategies in ways that are deeply relevant and meaningful within their specific local context. It’s adaptable to diverse priorities and can be seamlessly aligned with each community’s unique strengths, needs, and cultural nuances.
Are you new to Social Emotional Learning and eager to delve deeper? Explore our free, self-paced introductory course online to begin your journey. Learn more
Interactive CASEL Wheel
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Explore our interactive CASEL wheel to gain a deeper understanding of each competency and setting by simply selecting an area of interest.
COMMUNITIES Aligned Learning Opportunities Authentic Partnerships FAMILIES & CAREGIVERS Schoolwide Culture, Practices & Policies SCHOOLS SEL Instruction & Classroom Climate CLASSROOMS Self-Awareness Self-Management ResponsibleDecision-Making Relationship Skills Social Awareness Social &EmotionalLearning 
CASEL Wheel
Communities and Social Emotional Learning
Communities. Community partnerships play a vital role in fostering safe and enriching environments conducive to learning and development. Community partners bring invaluable insights into local needs and resources, often serving as trusted allies for families and students. Their established networks can also connect schools and families with crucial support services. Moreover, community programs provide young individuals with practical opportunities to apply their social and emotional skills in relevant contexts, potentially unlocking future opportunities. To ensure cohesive SEL integration across both in-school and out-of-school time, schools and community partners should establish common language and coordinate strategies for all SEL-related initiatives.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL – Community Partnerships
Families & Caregivers and Social Emotional Learning
Families & Caregivers. Strong, authentic partnerships between schools and families are foundational for reinforcing students’ social and emotional development. Families and caregivers are a child’s first and most influential teachers, possessing profound knowledge of their child’s development, experiences, cultural background, and learning styles. These invaluable perspectives are critical for informing, supporting, and sustaining effective SEL initiatives. Research indicates that evidence-based SEL programs achieve greater impact when extended into the home environment. Furthermore, families are more likely to engage in school partnerships when they feel that the school’s values and cultural representations resonate with their own experiences. Therefore, schools must cultivate inclusive decision-making processes that actively involve families—especially those from historically marginalized communities—in the planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of SEL programs.
Schools can foster family partnerships through various avenues, including establishing consistent two-way communication channels, offering resources to help caregivers understand child development, facilitating teacher understanding of diverse family backgrounds and cultures, creating opportunities for family involvement in school activities, extending learning and discussions into home settings, and coordinating family services with community resources. These collaborative efforts should actively engage families in understanding, experiencing, contributing to, and supporting their students’ social and emotional growth.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL – Family Partnerships
Schools and Social Emotional Learning
Schools. Effective schoolwide integration of SEL necessitates ongoing planning, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement involving all members of the school community. Successful SEL initiatives both contribute to and rely upon a positive school climate where every student and adult feels respected, supported, and actively engaged.
The school environment encompasses numerous settings—classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, playgrounds, and buses. Cultivating a healthy school climate and culture demands active participation from all adults and students. A robust school culture is deeply rooted in students’ sense of belonging, which research suggests plays a crucial role in student engagement. SEL also presents an opportunity to strengthen existing student support systems by integrating SEL goals and practices with universal, targeted, and intensive academic and behavioral supports. By strategically coordinating and building upon SEL practices and programs, schools can create an environment that seamlessly integrates SEL into every facet of the student educational experience, promoting positive social, emotional, and academic outcomes for all.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL
Classrooms and Social Emotional Learning
Classrooms. Research has consistently demonstrated that social and emotional competence can be effectively enhanced through diverse classroom-based approaches. These include: (a) explicit instruction where social and emotional skills and attitudes are directly taught and practiced in developmentally, contextually, and culturally responsive ways; (b) pedagogical practices such as cooperative learning and project-based learning; and (c) the integration of SEL into academic curricula across subjects like language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, health, and performing arts. High-quality SEL instruction is defined by four key elements, represented by the acronym SAFE: Sequenced – employing a coordinated set of training activities to progressively build competencies; Active – utilizing active learning methodologies to facilitate student practice and skill mastery; Focused – implementing curricula that intentionally targets the development of specific SEL competencies; and Explicit – clearly defining and targeting specific skills, attitudes, and knowledge domains.
The most effective SEL instruction occurs within nurturing and safe environments characterized by positive and caring relationships between students and teachers. To deliver age-appropriate and culturally responsive instruction, educators must understand and appreciate the unique strengths and needs of each student, and actively support students’ diverse identities. When educators incorporate students’ personal experiences and cultural backgrounds and actively solicit their input, they cultivate an inclusive classroom environment where students become active partners in their learning journey, enhancing their sense of agency. Strong relationships between educators and students foster co-learning, facilitate mutual growth, and enable collaborative solutions to shared challenges.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Effective SEL Programs
Self-Awareness in Social Emotional Learning
Self-awareness: The foundational ability to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and personal values and how these factors influence behavior across various contexts. This encompasses the capacity to accurately recognize one’s strengths and limitations, coupled with a well-grounded sense of self-confidence and purpose.
Key components of self-awareness include:
- Integrating personal and social identities
- Identifying personal, cultural, and linguistic assets
- Recognizing and naming one’s emotions
- Demonstrating honesty and integrity in actions
- Understanding the connections between feelings, values, and thoughts
- Examining personal prejudices and biases
- Experiencing self-efficacy and belief in one’s capabilities
- Cultivating a growth mindset focused on learning and development
- Developing personal interests and a sense of purpose in life
For further insights, explore this video from PBS Learning Media.
Self-Management in Social Emotional Learning
Self-management: The ability to effectively regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors across different situations and to work towards achieving personal and collective goals. This encompasses skills like delaying gratification, effectively managing stress, and maintaining motivation and agency to pursue both individual and shared objectives.
Key components of self-management include:
- Managing one’s emotions in healthy ways
- Identifying and effectively using stress management strategies
- Exhibiting self-discipline and intrinsic self-motivation
- Setting meaningful personal and collective goals
- Utilizing planning and organizational skills to achieve goals
- Showing courage and initiative in taking action
- Demonstrating personal and collective agency and responsibility
For further insights, explore this video from PBS Learning Media.
Social Awareness in Social Emotional Learning
Social awareness: The ability to understand and empathize with the perspectives of others, particularly those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This involves the capacity to feel compassion for others, understand broader social and ethical norms for behavior across different settings, and recognize available family, school, and community resources and supports.
Key components of social awareness include:
- Taking the perspectives of others and understanding their viewpoints
- Recognizing and appreciating strengths in others
- Demonstrating empathy and compassion towards others
- Showing concern for the feelings and well-being of others
- Understanding and expressing gratitude for support and kindness
- Identifying diverse social norms, including recognizing unjust norms
- Recognizing situational demands and opportunities for social engagement
- Understanding the influences of organizations and broader systems on behavior
For further insights, explore this video from PBS Learning Media.
Responsible Decision-Making in Social Emotional Learning
Responsible decision-making: The ability to make thoughtful and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across a range of situations. This involves considering ethical standards, safety concerns, and evaluating the potential benefits and consequences of various actions for personal, social, and collective well-being.
Key components of responsible decision-making include:
- Demonstrating curiosity and open-mindedness in considering options
- Learning to make reasoned judgments based on analyzing information, data, and facts
- Identifying effective solutions for both personal and social problems
- Anticipating and carefully evaluating the potential consequences of one’s actions
- Recognizing the broad applicability of critical thinking skills both inside and outside of academic settings
- Reflecting on one’s role in promoting personal, family, and community well-being
- Evaluating the broader personal, interpersonal, community, and institutional impacts of decisions
For further insights, explore this video from PBS Learning Media.
Relationship Skills in Social Emotional Learning
Relationship skills: The abilities needed to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate diverse settings with various individuals and groups. This includes the capacity to communicate clearly, actively listen, cooperate effectively, work collaboratively to solve problems and constructively manage conflict, navigate situations with differing social and cultural expectations, provide leadership, and seek or offer assistance when needed.
Key components of relationship skills include:
- Communicating effectively and respectfully in diverse settings
- Developing and nurturing positive and healthy relationships
- Demonstrating cultural competency and understanding in interactions
- Practicing teamwork and collaborative problem-solving approaches
- Resolving conflicts constructively and respectfully
- Resisting negative social pressure and influences
- Showing leadership and initiative within group settings
- Seeking or offering support and help when needed
- Standing up for the rights and needs of others
For further insights, explore this video from PBS Learning Media.
Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) Defined
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is fundamental to both education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and effectively apply the essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy self-identities, manage emotions effectively, achieve personal and collective goals, experience and demonstrate empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions in all aspects of life.
SEL actively promotes educational equity and excellence through genuine school-family-community partnerships. These collaborations are crucial for establishing learning environments and experiences that prioritize trusting and collaborative relationships, incorporate rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and utilize ongoing evaluation for continuous improvement. Social emotional learning is a powerful tool to address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to collaboratively create thriving schools and contribute meaningfully to safe, healthy, and just communities for all.
The CASEL 5: Core Competencies of Social Emotional Learning
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The CASEL 5 framework outlines five broad and interconnected areas of competence within social emotional learning. These core competencies—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making—are applicable and can be effectively taught and integrated across all developmental stages, from early childhood through adulthood, and across diverse cultural contexts. Numerous school districts, states, and even countries have adopted the CASEL 5 to establish comprehensive learning standards and competencies from preschool through high school. These standards articulate what students should know and be able to do to achieve academic success, active school and civic engagement, overall health and wellness, and fulfilling career paths.
Adopting a developmental perspective within SEL acknowledges how social and emotional competencies are expressed and can be enhanced at different ages, from preschool through adulthood. Students’ varying social, emotional, and cognitive developmental levels, along with age-appropriate tasks and challenges, should guide the design of SEL standards, instructional methods, and assessment strategies. Therefore, stakeholders should collaboratively determine the most effective ways to prioritize, teach, and assess the growth and development of the CASEL 5 competencies within their specific local schools and communities.
Learn more about a developmental perspective.
Key Settings for Social Emotional Learning Implementation
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Our systemic approach to social emotional learning emphasizes the critical importance of establishing equitable learning environments and strategically coordinating practices across key settings: classrooms, schools, families, and communities. This coordinated approach is essential to maximize the social, emotional, and academic learning outcomes for all students. High-quality implementation of well-designed, evidence-based classroom programs and practices forms the cornerstone of effective SEL. We firmly believe in the benefits of integrating SEL comprehensively throughout a school’s academic curricula and overall culture, extending across broader schoolwide practices and policies, and fostering ongoing collaboration with families and community organizations. These coordinated efforts should prioritize youth voice, agency, and engagement; cultivate supportive classroom and school climates and positive approaches to discipline; enhance adult SEL competence and capacity; and establish authentic and robust family and community partnerships.
Students, families, schools, and communities are all integral parts of larger systems that profoundly shape learning, development, and lived experiences. Systemic inequities rooted in race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other factors are deeply embedded within the majority of these systems. These inequities significantly impact both student and adult social, emotional, and academic learning trajectories. While SEL alone cannot dismantle longstanding and deeply entrenched inequities within the education system, it is a powerful catalyst for creating the necessary conditions for individuals and schools to critically examine and actively disrupt inequitable policies and practices. SEL can pave the way for creating more inclusive and equitable learning environments, and for identifying and nurturing the unique interests and assets of every individual within the learning community.
Video: Introduction to the CASEL Framework for Social Emotional Learning
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CASEL provides a comprehensive presentation that defines social emotional learning and thoroughly explains the CASEL framework. This video resource is invaluable for those seeking to deepen their understanding of the core competencies and key settings within the CASEL framework for SEL.
