Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.  SEL is more than just a program or lesson.  It is about how teaching and learning happens, as well as what you teach and where you learn.  There are a variety of approaches used to teach SEL including:

        • Free-standing lessons designed to enhance students' social and emotional competence explicitly.
        • Teaching practices such as cooperative learning and project-based learning, which promote SEL.
        •  Integration of SEL and academic curriculum such as language arts, math, social studies, or health.
        • Organizational strategies that promote SEL as a school-wide initiative that creates a climate and culture conducive to learning.

Students develop their SEL skills across five competencies:

        • Self Awareness
        • Self Management
        • Social Awareness
        • Relationship Skills
        • Responsible Decision Making

SEL competencies are integrated into the Portrait of a Needham Graduate.
Please review the Alignment of CASEL and Portrait document:

A tiered system of SEL support is used to provide students with a range of learning opportunities, supports and interventions. 
Please review the SEL Tiered Systems of Support document: