A Fish in Water

Recently, I asked a district to describe their goals for social emotional learning (SEL). They responded, “To have goals for SEL”. I appreciated both the humor and honesty in that response. After twenty-plus years of evidence regarding the benefits of comprehensive SEL school programs, that response left me grappling with my own goals for SEL: How can we address the current barriers to successful implementation of SEL? On my way to an answer, in this post I unpack the current state of SEL.