Perceptions of Directly Targeting SEL Learning Skills in Public Education

Abstract

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has garnered increasing attention across education over the last decade. The continual decline in the mental health of students in PK-12 education, in light of the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, has forced school districts nationwide to re-examine their reliance on student performance data as measured by high-stakes standardized tests. This is particularly true for students in underserved populations who were among the greatest impacted. Many schools in districts across the nation have begun to examine SEL and its impact on student performance. Despite numerous studies highlighting the benefits of SEL programming, school administrators and teachers still struggle with implementing the practices in their classrooms and campuses. This research sought to identify current perceptions of SEL held by public school practitioners. Practitioner understanding of SEL was based on a ranking of key SEL skills needed for student success. Perceptions regarding potential barriers and with whom the responsibility for directly targeting SEL skills lies w ere also examined. A non-experimental survey design was utilized to compare data between two groups of public education practitioners: teachers and administrative staff. Overall, it was determined that educators, for the most part, agree on what SEL skills make a student successful; however, reported barriers to implementation and designation of the individual responsible for directly teaching SEL skills differed between the two groups.