Abstract This article presents findings from a meta-analysis of 213 school-based, universal social and emotional learning (SEL) programs involving 270,034 kindergarten through high school students. Compared to controls, SEL participants demonstrated significantly improved social and emotional skills, attitudes, behavior, and academic performance that reflected an 11-percentile-point gain in achievement. School teaching staff successfully conducted SEL programs. The use of four recommended practices for developing skills and the presence of implementation problems moderated program outcomes. The findings add to the growing empirical evidence regarding the positive impact of SEL pro- grams. Policymakers, educators, and the public can contribute to healthy development of children by supporting the incorporation of evidence-based SEL programming into standard educational practice Acknowledgements: This article is based on grants from the William T. Grant Foundation, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, and the University of Illinois at Chicago awarded to the first and second au- thors. We also wish to express our appreciation to David DuBois, Mark Lipsey, Mark Greenberg, Mary Utne O’Brien, John Payton, and Richard Davidson, who provided helpful comments on an earlier draft. We offer addi- tional thanks to Mark Lipsey and David Wilson for providing the macros used to calculate effects and conduct the statistical analyses. A copy of the coding manual used in this meta-analysis is available on request from the first author at [email protected]. Affiliations: Joseph A. Durlak, Loyola University Chicago; Roger P. Weissberg, Collaborative for Academic, So- cial, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and University of Illinois at Chicago; Allison B. Dymnicki, University of Illi- nois at Chicago; Rebecca D. Taylor, University of Illinois at Chicago; Kriston B. Schellinger, Loyola University Chicago. This article was originally published in the peer-reviewed journal Child Development in January 2011 in a special issue focused on the theme “Raising Healthy Children.” It is reprinted here with permission in a form adapted from the accepted version of the original article. We are grateful to the editors and publishers of Child Develop- ment for their permission to offer the article to interested researchers and colleagues. The correct citation for the article is: 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 Develop- ment, 82(1): 405–432. Social and Emotional Learning—Child Development, Jan. 2011 Page 1 eaching and learning in schools have strong social, success in school and life (Elias et al., 1997; Zins & Elias, emotional, and academic components (Zins, Weiss- 2006). Extensive developmental research indicates that T berg, Wang, & Walberg, 2004). Students typically effective mastery of social-emotional competencies is as- do not learn alone, but rather in collaboration with their sociated with greater well-being and better school perfor- teachers, in the company of their peers, and with the en- mance whereas the failure to achieve competence in couragement of their families. Emotions can facilitate or these areas can lead to a variety of personal, social, and impede children’s academic engagement, work ethic, academic difficulties (Eisenberg, 2006; Guerra & Brad- commitment, and ultimate school success. Because rela- shaw, 2008; Masten & Coatworth, 1998; Weissberg & tionships and emotional processes affect how and what Greenberg, 1998). The findings from various clinical, pre- we learn, schools and families must effectively address vention, and youth-development studies have stimulated these aspects of the educational process for the benefit of the creation of many school-based interventions specifi- all students (Elias et al., 1997). cally designed to promote young people’s SEL (Greenberg A key challenge for 21st-century schools involves serv- et al., 2003). On the other hand, several researchers have ing culturally diverse students with varied abilities and questioned the extent to which promoting children’s so- motivations for learning (Learning First Alliance, 2001). cial and emotional skills will actually improve their behav- Unfortunately, many students lack social-emotional com- ioral and academic outcomes (Duncan et al., 2007; Zeid- petencies and become less connected to school as they ner, Roberts, & Matthews, 2002). This meta-analysis ex- progress from elementary to middle to high school, and amines the effects of school-based SEL programming on this lack of connection negatively affects their academic children’s behaviors and academic performance, and dis- performance, behavior, and health (Blum & Libbey, 2004). cusses the implications of these findings for educational In a national sample of 148,189 sixth to twelfth graders, policies and practice. only 29% to 45% of surveyed students reported that they had social competencies such as empathy, decision mak- What is Social and Emotional Learning? ing, and conflict resolution skills; and only 29% indicated that their school provided a caring, encouraging environ- The SEL approach integrates competence-promotion and ment (Benson, 2006). By high school as many as 40% to youth-development frameworks for reducing risk factors 60% of students become chronically disengaged from and fostering protective mechanisms for positive adjust- school (Klem & Connell, 2004). Furthermore, approxi- ment (Benson, 2006; Catalano, Berglund, Ryan, Lonczak, mately 30% of high school students engage in multiple & Hawkins, 2002; Guerra & Bradshaw, 2008; Weissberg, high-risk behaviors (e.g., substance use, sex, violence, de- Kumpfer, & Seligman, 2003). SEL researchers and program pression, attempted suicide) that interfere with school designers build from Waters and Sroufe’s (1983) descrip- performance and jeopardize their potential for life suc- tion of competent people as those who have the abilities cess (Dryfoos, 1997; Eaton et al., 2008). “to generate and coordinate flexible, adaptive responses There is broad agreement among educators, policy- to demands and to generate and capitalize on opportuni- makers, and the public that educational systems should ties in the environment” (p. 80). Elias et al. (1997) defined graduate students who are proficient in core academic SEL as the process of acquiring core competencies to rec- subjects, able to work well with others from diverse back- ognize and manage emotions, set and achieve positive grounds in socially and emotionally skilled ways, practice goals, appreciate the perspectives of others, establish and healthy behaviors, and behave responsibly and respectful- maintain positive relationships, make responsible deci- ly (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Develop- sions, and handle interpersonal situations constructively. ment, 2007; Greenberg et al., 2003). In other words, The proximal goals of SEL programs are to foster the de- schools have an important role to play in raising healthy velopment of five inter-related sets of cognitive, affective, children by fostering not only their cognitive develop- and behavioral competencies: self-awareness, self- ment, but also their social and emotional development. management, social awareness, relationship skills, and Yet schools have limited resources to address all of these responsible decision making (Collaborative for Academic, areas and are experiencing intense pressures to enhance Social, and Emotional Learning, 2005). These competen- academic performance. Given time constraints and com- cies, in turn, should provide a foundation for better ad- peting demands, educators must prioritize and effectively justment and academic performance as reflected in more implement evidence-based approaches that produce mul- positive social behaviors, fewer conduct problems, less tiple benefits. emotional distress, and improved test scores and grades It has been posited that universal school-based efforts (Greenberg et al., 2003). Over time, mastering SEL compe- to promote students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) tencies results in a developmental progression that leads represent a promising approach to enhance children’s to a shift from being predominantly controlled by external Social and Emotional Learning—Child Development, Jan. 2011 Page 2 factors to acting increasingly in accord with internalized 2002). Although these reports differ substantially in terms beliefs and values, caring and concern for others, making of which intervention strategies, student populations, and good decisions, and taking responsibility for one’s choices behavioral outcomes are examined, they have reached a and behaviors (Bear & Watkins, 2006). similar conclusion that universal school-based interven- Within school contexts, SEL programming incorporates tions are generally effective. However, no review to date two coordinated sets of educational strategies to enhance has focused exclusively on SEL programs to examine their school performance and youth development (Collab- impact across diverse student outcomes. orative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2005). The first involves instruction in processing, inte- The Current Meta-analysis: Research Questions and Hy- grating, and selectively applying social and emotional skills potheses in developmentally, contextually, and culturally appropri- ate ways (Crick & Dodge, 1994; Izard, 2002; Lemerise