"Social and emotional competence is the ability to understand, manage, and express the social and emotional aspects of one's life in ways that enable the successful management of life tasks such as learning, forming relationships, solving everyday problems, and adapting to the complex demands of growth and development. It includes self-awareness, control of impulsivity, working cooperatively, and caring about oneself and others. Social and emotional learning is the process through which children and adults develop the skills, attitudes, and values necessary to acquire social and emotional competence." - Maurice J. Elias, Joseph E. Zins, Roger P. Weissberg, Karin S. Frey, Mark T. Greenberg, Norris M. Haynes, Rachael Kessler, Mary E. Schwab-Stone & Timothy P. Shriver
"If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far." - Daniel Goleman
"Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults 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. Social and emotional skills are critical to being a good student, citizen, and worker, and many risky behaviors (e.g., drug use, violence, bullying and dropping out) can be prevented or reduced when multiyear, integrated efforts are used to develop students' social and emotional skills. " - Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
"There is no separation of mind and emotions; emotions, thinking, and learning are all linked.” - Eric Jensen
"I have a very deep belief now that students do not do well academically unless they feel cared about, that they’re included, and that there’s a climate around them where they can take risks. When you create that kind of safe place, students are better able to learn. They’re better able to work with peers. They’re more comfortable in the classroom. There is a process where we can consciously create, both through curriculum and through the way we structure our classrooms, a place that enables students to feel that sense of community." - Dr. Sheldon Berman
""Fortunately, there is evidence of a sea change in education worldwide, a new way of thinking about what it means to be not only an educated person but a 'smart person,' someone prepared to be an engaged world citizen, a productive worker, and a caring and compassionate friend and family member." - Linda Lantieri
"(Studies show that) if kids get training in social and emotional learning, all pro-social behaviors -- things like attendance, behaving well in class, liking school -- they all go up about nine or ten percentile points. And the things that they’re trying to prevent -- drug use, violence in schools, bullying -- all of that goes down by the same margin." - Daniel Goleman
"We want to provide kids with the best possible education so that they are knowledgeable, responsible, caring people who contribute and who are going to succeed in postsecondary education and in careers and as good community and family members. I think there's a growing research base that says when you have high-quality social and emotional learning programs, it improves kids' pro-social behavior; it reduces their conduct problems; and it promotes academic engagement, connection to teachers, and academic performance." - Roger Weissberg
"The skills taught through SEL, all of which benefit ourselves and others, ultimately help us to cultivate more positive emotions." - Vicki Zakrzewski