Since our founding, we have served as the field leader of research on social and emotional learning (SEL). Our work includes:
Original Research
Back to topIn 1997, nine CASEL collaborators co-authored Promoting Social and Emotional Learning: Guidelines for Educators, which formally defined the field of SEL. Since then, CASEL has produced research that has laid the foundation for the field, including two field-defining books, Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning: Research and Practice (2016) followed by Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning, Second Edition (2024).
Some of our foundational research includes:
- Promoting Social and Emotional Learning: Guidelines for Educators (1997), by M. Elias, J. E. Zins, and R. P. Weissberg, ASCD.
- Enhancing School-Based Prevention and Youth Development Through Coordinated Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning (2003), by M. T. Greenberg et al. in American psychologist, 58(6-7), 466.
- Systemic Social and Emotional Learning: Promoting Educational Success for all Preschool to High School Students (2020), by J. L. Mahoney et al. American Psychologist, 76(7), 1128.
- Social and Emotional Learning: Past, Present, and Future (2015), by R. P. Weissberg et al. .
- Nationwide scans of SEL implementation in 2021-2022 and 2023-2024 showing that the majority of schools surveyed are implementing SEL programs or practices.
To learn more about the groundbreaking research we’ve done in key focus areas, see our initiatives, including landscape scans on nationwide SEL policy and implementation, adult SEL, and research about how SEL can help states and districts bring the Portrait of a Graduate visions to life.
The Program Guide
Back to topTo support educators and leaders in selecting an evidence-based SEL program, CASEL developed the Program Guide, our Consumer Report-style product that showcases well-designed, evidence-based SEL programs (pre-kindergarten through high school) and the impact they have on student outcomes. Using the Program Guide’s filtering tools and guidance, districts and schools across the country turn to the Program Guide to select programs that are most effective and appropriate for their students. Learn about the criteria that all programs must satisfy to be in the Program Guide.
Convenings and Communities
Back to topFrom the CASEL Weissberg Scholars program, which brings together the next generation of SEL researchers, to the Research and Advisory Council (RAC), which assembles research experts across fields, CASEL engages a collaborative research community committed to sharing and expanding knowledge about SEL.
Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs)
Back to topRPPs offer a unique collaborative experience with a dual benefit: practitioners get the chance to collaborate and participate in research that has meaningful applications for their work, while researchers have access to a rich, “real-time” opportunity to test and assess their hypotheses. Check out CASEL’s series of briefs documenting the insights from these collaborative partnerships.
Outreach and Dissemination
Back to topCASEL’s research is regularly presented widely at AERA, SEL Week Congressional briefings, and at our annual conference, the Exchange. Our work and staff appear frequently in media outlets such as EdWeek and K-12 Dive.
To keep abreast of our latest research, subscribe to CASEL’s monthly newsletter.
