Social-Emotional Support Services for Secondary Students

Incorporate social-emotional support services for secondary students into school culture to provide academic and social support for secondary students.

Social-emotional practices have unique benefits for secondary students, who face an especially critical social and emotional development period. Incorporate social-emotional support services for secondary students into school culture to provide academic and social support for secondary students.

Advisory group programs and restorative disciplinary practices at contact districts can help students build social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies. In addition, this research provides strategies for gaining faculty and administrative support for SEL.

Effective SEL practices

Incorporating SEL practices at the secondary level provides specific benefits for secondary students entering a critical development period. SEL competencies help students in this age group navigate increasingly complex relationships, both with their friends and with themselves. Secondary-aged students engage in riskier behavior and navigate increasingly complex social challenges (e.g., peer pressure, exposure to social media). In a survey of secondary students conducted by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the majority believed that SEL practices prepare them for careers and college, improve relationships with peers, reduce bullying, and improve absorption of academic content.

Below are five core SEL competencies from CASEL.

Self-awareness

Identifying emotions Accurate self-perception Recognizing strengths Self-confidence Self-efficacy

Self-management

Impulse control Stress management Self-discipline Self-motivation Goal-setting Organizational skills

Social awareness

Perspective-taking Empathy Appreciating diversity Respect for others

Relationship skills

Communication Social engagement Relationship-building…