Social and emotional learning can be defined in a variety of ways. There are SEL competencies, noncognitive skills, 21st century skills, and mind-sets. It is clear that afterschool programs contribute to the development of youth, especially if they are high quality programs and youth actively participate. However, the research on these outcomes is still limited.
The efforts to define and measure social and emotional competencies in afterschool settings are still emerging. This brief provides an overview of work done to define social and emotional learning, shares research on how afterschool programs contribute to the development of these competencies, and offers some recommendations to both practitioners and researchers.
The executive summary of this brief is available here.