{"id":75985,"date":"2023-03-20T11:03:32","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T16:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/casel.dev\/?post_type=blogposts&#038;p=75985"},"modified":"2025-10-15T15:22:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T20:22:57","slug":"highlights-from-the-first-national-sel-week","status":"publish","type":"blogposts","link":"https:\/\/casel.org\/blog\/highlights-from-the-first-national-sel-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Highlights From the First National SEL Week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>With so much to celebrate in the field of social and emotional learning (SEL) this year, <a href=\"https:\/\/selday.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SEL Day<\/a> grew into the biggest annual celebration of SEL yet: National SEL Week.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>March 6-10, thousands of parents, young people, policymakers, and educators from across the country united in support of SEL. From classrooms and homes all the way to the White House, we <a href=\"https:\/\/selday.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>uplifted hearts, connected minds<\/em><\/a>, and spread the word about SEL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are four highlights from the first ever National SEL Week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"national-sel-week-by-the-numbers\"><strong>National SEL Week by the Numbers<\/strong><\/h2><a class=top href=\"#top\">Back to top<\/a>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>1<\/strong> letter recognizing #SELday from President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>1<\/strong> bipartisan resolution for National SEL Week introduced in the U.S. Senate&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>9<\/strong> #SELday state proclamations, an increase from 2022&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More than <strong>4,100 <\/strong>people<strong> <\/strong>representing <strong>88<\/strong> countries and all <strong>50<\/strong> U.S. states signed up for #SELDay activities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Participants committed to over <strong>11,000<\/strong> actions to showcase, promote, advocate, and support #SELday<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Over <strong>10 million<\/strong> views from over <strong>5,000<\/strong> mentions and <strong>40,000<\/strong> interactions with #SELday across social media, making #SELday trend on Twitter for several hours!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"selsuperpowers-unite\"><strong>#SELSuperpowers Unite&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2><a class=top href=\"#top\">Back to top<\/a>\n\n\n\n<p>Parents, educators, students, and celebrities shared their SEL \u201csuperpowers\u201d through inspiring videos describing the SEL strengths in themselves, their schools, and their communities. The #SELSuperpowers Unite campaign on social media, launched by the <a href=\"https:\/\/leadingwithsel.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leading with SEL<\/a> coalition, showcased stories from around the country.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SEL champions highlighted superpowers like self-awareness and building relationships and shared how SEL shows up in their homes, schools, and communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><div class=\"embed-twitter\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">What\u2019s your <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SELSuperpower?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SELSuperpower<\/a>? People from across the country have been sending videos about theirs. Join us tomorrow as we launch a new campaign to celebrate National Social and Emotional Learning Week and answer this question. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SELDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SELDay<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SEL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SEL<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kZFI4W0krA\">pic.twitter.com\/kZFI4W0krA<\/a><\/p>&mdash; CASEL (@caselorg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/caselorg\/status\/1633226086099329024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 7, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Share your favorite SEL superpower video or <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1tfA0Q-5zsLijFccuDuLBKZlswkifBYwz39rm2ZN84so\/edit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">create one of your own<\/a> to keep the spirit of SEL Week going all year long!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sel-on-capitol-hill\"><strong>SEL on Capitol Hill<\/strong><\/h2><a class=top href=\"#top\">Back to top<\/a>\n\n\n\n<p>At an SEL Day briefing on Capitol Hill, parent, researcher, and educator voices came together to paint a clear picture of SEL and its benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI don\u2019t need to tell you the state of our nation\u2019s schools right now. We all know we need to do something. What I am here to share with you today is that there is robust and overwhelming contemporary evidence for the effectiveness of social and emotional learning to support all children to thrive.\u201d<\/em> &#8211; <strong>Dr. Christina Cipriano, researcher<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cSEL has been the path to cultivating schools with well-being at the center, schools with welcoming, safe, and inclusive learning environments. We want to send the message to students, \u2018Who you are, as you are, is exactly the student we want to serve.\u2019<\/em>&#8221; &#8211; <strong>Angelyn Nichols, SEL Coordinator, Virginia Beach Public Schools<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cSEL is brain science. These skills get the brain ready for learning and help wire the prefrontal cortex. It is a lifelong gift that you can give your students.\u201d<\/em> &#8211; <strong>Pender Makin, Maine Department of Education Commissioner<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cSEL deals with the child on a whole different level. That child feels wanted, supported, belonging, so that child wants to learn. It helped my son become a young man in high school. As a father, I believe in [SEL].\u201d<\/em> &#8211; <strong>Dewand Moore, father of a high school student<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI can\u2019t teach anything if I don\u2019t get to the root of what the problem is. I used to think there was no need to teach SEL, until I was in the fire. And I realized that there are serious problems here: we have students who may not have electricity, who may not have groceries, who may be running the household. We must welcome our students with love and lower the barriers to learning.\u201d<\/em> &#8211; <strong>William Haith, school principal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The momentum from the briefing continued into the evening of March 10, as the U.S. Senate introduced a <a href=\"https:\/\/casel.org\/u-s-senate-introduces-resolution-recognizing-national-social-and-emotional-learning-sel-week-with-bipartisan-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bipartisan resolution<\/a> from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois). The two senators reached across the aisle to recognize the critical role SEL plays in supporting the academic success and overall well-being of students, educators, and families.You can continue spreading the word about SEL in your children\u2019s school or in your community by downloading the free <a href=\"https:\/\/leadingwithsel.org\/toolkit-for-champions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leading with SEL Toolkit for SEL Champions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"highlighting-the-evidence-for-sel\"><strong>Highlighting the Evidence for SEL<\/strong><\/h2><a class=top href=\"#top\">Back to top<\/a>\n\n\n\n<p>In celebration of National SEL Week, SEL champions shared the latest research confirming decades of evidence on the benefits of SEL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><div class=\"embed-twitter\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Today is national <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SELDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SELDay<\/a>! Let&#39;s not forget the positive impact social and emotional learning has on academic performance. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WIAjI8KF14\">pic.twitter.com\/WIAjI8KF14<\/a><\/p>&mdash; CASEL (@caselorg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/caselorg\/status\/1634237852195143705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 10, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the congressional briefing, Dr. Cipriano spotlighted her latest work, a <a href=\"https:\/\/osf.io\/mk35u\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">meta-analysis<\/a> of 424 universal school-based SEL studies impacting over 575,000 K-12 students. The studies consistently found that students who participate in SEL:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Have increased academic achievement, homework completion, attendance, and engagement in learning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Demonstrate decreased aggression and bullying<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have increased prosocial behaviors and civic attitudes and behaviors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Experience less anxiety, stress, depression, and suicidality<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Feel safer at school and have better relationships with teachers and peers&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the research led by Dr. Cipriano, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/366301585_What_we_know_and_what_we_need_to_find_out_about_universal_school-based_social_and_emotional_learning_programs_for_children_and_adolescents_A_review_of_meta-analyses_and_directions_for_future_research_\/link\/639b6bdc095a6a777430811b\/download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2022 review<\/a> of meta-analyses of universal, school-based SEL programs involving an estimated one million students and a 2023 <a href=\"https:\/\/learningpolicyinstitute.org\/product\/evidence-social-emotional-learning-schools-brief\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">review of 12 meta-analyses<\/a> of school-based programs both separately reached the same conclusion. SEL programs in schools significantly benefit students socially, emotionally, and academically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the words of Dr. Cipriano, \u201cIs SEL effective? Does it improve academic achievement? Does it help kids feel safer? The answer is overwhelmingly yes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Thank you to The Bernard &amp; Sandra Otterman Foundation and the Stuart Foundation for their generous support of this work.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related Posts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/casel.org\/blog\/sel-week-2024-what-a-week-it-was\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SEL Week 2024: What a Week it Was!<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/casel.org\/blog\/sel-week-blog-contest-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 \u201cNational SEL Week\u201d Blog Contest<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/casel.org\/blog\/it-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-child-and-to-champion-sel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">It Takes a Village to Raise a Child\u2014and to Champion SEL<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"write-for-us\"><strong>Write for Us<\/strong><\/h2><a class=top href=\"#top\">Back to top<\/a>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you interested in writing for CASEL\u2019s blog,&nbsp;<em>Constellations<\/em>?&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1zSZFveKA8xsmlCADpfDP8t-y9emN0qswHQh1MnfmqBI\/edit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more<\/a>&nbsp;about what we\u2019re looking for and how to pitch your idea!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:0px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With so much to celebrate in the field of social and emotional learning (SEL) this year, SEL Day grew into the biggest annual celebration of SEL yet: National SEL Week.&nbsp; March 6-10, thousands of parents, young people, policymakers, and educators from across the country united in support of SEL. From classrooms and homes all the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26603,"featured_media":81706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","theme":[203],"class_list":["post-75985","blogposts","type-blogposts","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","theme-water-cooler"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blogposts\/75985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blogposts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blogposts"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26603"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75985"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/theme?post=75985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}