A Call for Equity-Focused Social-Emotional Learning

Abstract

The approaches we are using presently with social–emotional learning (SEL) curricula are not truly meeting the needs of our students. SEL programs have proven successful in many areas of mental and social wellbeing but fall short of their intended goals of promoting social warmth and human relationships. The literature suggests that minoritized students consistently report issues with perceptions of fit in the classroom environment, and these perceptions have known negative effects on academic and social outcomes. Current SEL curricula largely reflect White, middle class, American beliefs and values, perpetuating the negative social arrangements of disenfranchisement and marginalization. There is a significant need to reframe SEL curriculum development to remove this majority influence and encourage school stakeholders to challenge existing social inequities. SEL curricula have the potential to be key elements in creating more equitable school communities by more effectively addressing discrimination and prejudice through their frames of reference and the skills they help students and other stakeholders develop. Future research, actionable items and recommendations regarding how to adapt current SEL curricula are also discussed. Impact Statement Current social–emotional learning (SEL) continues to perpetuate systems of oppression and fails to meet the needs of our minoritized student populations (Black/indigenous/people of color, LGBTQ+, dis/abled, immigrant, etc.). The school psychologist is integral in helping to facilitate the shift in the focus of SEL from “fixing” the deficits of individual students to focusing on the social contexts and social systems that affect the entire classroom, school, and community in order to more effectively meet the needs of minoritized student populations.