SEL programs improve students' engagement and academic performance, with an 11-percentile-point achievement gain in the Durlak meta-analysis¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 2 studies (3 entries) · 2 review r2 · q3 · i1 small
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i1 Fostering social-emotional competencies increases students' engagement in learning and improves cognitive and academic performance (effect sizes range from 0.18 to 0.28). → Greenberg 2023 q3 i? The Durlak et al. meta-analysis of 213 programs with outcomes from over 270,000 K–12 students found an 11-percentile-point gain in achievement (the report says "percentage-point"; Durlak et al. report percentile points). → Greenberg 2023 (2)

q3 i? In a meta-analysis of 213 SEL programs, students achieved on average an 11 percentile-point improvement in academic performance in the 37 studies examining achievement. → Melnick 2017

Evidence¶

Greenberg 2023¶

Greenberg, M. T. (2023). Evidence for social and emotional learning in schools. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/928.269

q3 · i1 · review · r2

Synthesis of the 12 meta-analyses reviewed, including one focused exclusively on academic outcomes, reports academic performance effects; the report states "effect sizes range from 0.18 to 0.28".

"Fostering these competencies increases students' engagement in learning and subsequently improves students' cognitive and academic performance (effect sizes range from 0.18 to 0.28)."

Greenberg 2023 (2)¶

Greenberg, M. T. (2023). Evidence for social and emotional learning in schools. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/928.269

q3 · i? · review · r2

Narrative summary of the Durlak et al. (2011) meta-analysis of 213 school-based universal SEL programs with outcomes data from over 270,000 K–12 students; the report notes "the 11-percentage-point gain in achievement". Durlak et al. (2011) report this figure as an 11-percentile-point gain, not percentage points; the report's wording is kept in the quote.

"Of particular note was the 11-percentage-point gain in achievement, which suggested that SEL programs improved students' academic success."

Melnick 2017¶

Melnick, H., Cook-Harvey, C. M., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Encouraging social and emotional learning in the context of new accountability. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. http://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/sel-new-accountability

q3 · i? · review · r2

The report cites a 2011 meta-analysis of 213 SEL programs reporting positive effects on social competence, behavior, and academics; in the 37 achievement studies, students showed "an 11 percentile-point improvement in academic performance" on grades and test scores. No standardized effect size is printed.

"In an oft-cited 2011 meta-analysis of 213 SEL programs that focused on different aspects of SEL, researchers found that these programs had positive effects on students' social competence, behavior, and academics."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• A 2017 meta-analysis found SEL program participation associated with a 6% increase in high school and an 11% increase in college graduation rates — related
• Universal school-based SEL programs improve students' behaviour, with a small and, in recent randomised trials, negligible effect on academic achievement — reports the opposite
• SEL programs improve social emotional skills — related
• Schoolwide SEL programs are associated with long-term achievement gains, with multiple meta-analyses estimating an 11-percentile-point gain on average for participating students — related
• Social and emotional learning programs promote competencies, reduce behavior problems, and improve engagement and achievement, with sustained longer-term benefits — a broader claim this one bears on
• SEL interventions improve attitudes, self-regulation, behaviour, and academic performance across reported effect-size ranges — related
• Social-emotional learning benefits persist at follow-up — related
• SEL programs reduce disruptive behavior problems and emotional distress and foster prosocial behavior — related