The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is a champion of public education, and an exemplary regional resource to students, parents, school districts, community agencies and businesses. The SCCOE is committed to serving, inspiring, and promoting student, staff, and public school success, and to create a safe, caring, empathetic environments that are inclusive, foster strong, caring relationships, respect diversity, communicate openly, and grow together to become the leaders and innovators of a global society.
Systemic whole-school implementation of SEL encourages safe, supportive school communities in which all people are valued. This Hub provides research, resources and tools that support districts, schools, and individual educators in their work to create schools that effectively prepare adults and students to succeed in school and in life.
Social & Emotional Learning
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
These are the skills we all need to handle ourselves, our relationships, and our work effectively and ethically. Everyone strengthens their social competencies to connect across race, class, culture, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, learning needs, and age.
Sources: CASEL/
Oakland Unified School District
Indicators of Schoolwide SEL
There are four (4) by indicators of high-quality implementation that, when fully implemented, schoolwide SEL is evidenced in the classroom, school, family, and community. While schoolwide SEL can take up to 3 to 5+ years (like PBIS) to be fully realized, positive impacts can begin with high-quality implementation throughout the process.
- Build foundational support and plan
- Strengthen adult SEL competencies and capacity
- Promote SEL for students, and
- Practice continuous improvement
When these four focus areas are fully implemented, schools create an environment that infuses SEL into every aspect of students’ educational experiences and promotes equitable outcomes for all students. While schoolwide SEL can take up to 3 to 5 years to be fully realized, schools can begin seeing evidence of high-quality implementation throughout the process.
