Improve Academic Success with Human Skills Programs

Improve Academics

Invest in Each Child's Potential

Give All Students a Better Shot at Success

Social, emotional, and cognitive development are interdependent. Decades of research have shown that children need social and emotional competence to succeed in school.^{1, 2} Regardless of socio-economic factors, social and emotional competence leads to improved relationships and increased school connectedness, which all provide powerful support for academic success.³

“We can’t teach the child anything else unless they have those social-emotional skills in place.”

Michelle Smith, Assistant Principal
Carpentersville, IL
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“When we’re creating these bonds, when we’re creating this positive interaction, we’re giving these kids tools that they can use for the rest of their lives.”

Sgt. Tanya Kalma, Tooele City
Police Dept.
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“We can’t teach the child anything else unless they have those social-emotional skills in place.”

Michelle Smith, Assistant Principal
Carpentersville, IL
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Boost Attendance and Graduation Rates

A positive, nurturing school environment keeps students coming back. Many schools that have implemented a universal human skills program have seen significant improvements in day-to-day attendance and four-year degree completion.

“Don’t be afraid to go out there and say [implementing an SEL program] is the right thing to do. Because it’s right for kids.”

David Thompson, Director of Student Services
Buncombe County, NC
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“It was becoming very clear that if we were to close the achievement gap in math, we would need to get the students safely to the table to do math first.”

Shelby Robins, Principal
Toppenish, WA
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“Don’t be afraid to go out there and say [implementing an SEL program] is the right thing to do. Because it’s right for kids.”

David Thompson, Director of Student Services
Buncombe County, NC
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Improve Measures of Academic Performance

In a 2011 meta-analysis of 213 human skills programs, participants who experienced human skills programs demonstrated not only improved social and emotional skills, attitudes, and behavior, but also demonstrated improved academic performance reflecting an 11-percentile-point gain in achievement.⁴

“In every district in the nation, there’s a lot of pressure on academic success, and there’s a lot of research showing that if we give students the skills to regulate their own emotions and behavior, academics improve.”

Sherrie Raven, Director of SEL
Austin, TX
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“Teaching them how to react to different situations, by them growing socially and emotionally, it does make them a better learner overall.”

Joy Price-Lewis, Kindergarten Teacher
Chicago, IL
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“In every district in the nation, there’s a lot of pressure on academic success, and there’s a lot of research showing that if we give students the skills to regulate their own emotions and behavior, academics improve.”

Sherrie Raven, Director of SEL
Austin, TX
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Flook, L., Repetti, R. L., & Ullman, J. B. (2005). Classroom social experiences as predictors of academic performance. Developmental Psychology, 41(2), 319–327.
Raver, C. C. (2002). Emotions matter: Making the case for the role of young children’s emotional development for early school readiness. Social Policy Report, 16(3), 3–18.
Wilson, D. (2004). The interface of school climate and school connectedness and relationships with aggression and victimization. Journal of School Health, 74(7), 293–299.
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1): 405–432.