PRINCETON, N.J. – Scholars, policymakers and other stakeholders from 12 countries have gathered here to delve deeply into social and emotional learning (SEL), one of the newest frontiers in education that some researchers and practitioners are tying to academic achievement, future labor-market success and personal happiness.
Although in its infancy, SEL demonstrates great potential to boost the success and well-being of students from elementary school to post-graduate school, particularly low-income, first-generation and other groups underrepresented among the ranks of college graduates, according to about 50 participants in a three-day conference co-presented by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Austria-based Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS).
“Springboard for Success: How Social and Emotional Learning Helps Students in Getting to, Through and Beyond College” is focused on how to identify and meet the SEL needs of post-secondary students in North America, the critical role of teachers and how best to assess outcomes. The conference began Wednesday and concludes Friday.
On Tuesday, as attendees primarily from Canada, Mexico and the United States made their way to the Chauncey Conference Center on ETS’ picturesque 360-acre campus, the National University System in California announced that South Dakota entrepreneur and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford has given another $100 million to the private, nonprofit system to promote SEL education of children.
The gift – the 82-year-old billionaire banker’s latest in a series over the last five years – will expand his Sanford Harmony program that uses research-based strategies to develop SEL competencies among students in grades pre-K through six.
Now, the initiative has the potential to reach 30 million child students around the globe with the hope of increasing diversity and inclusion in schools and decreasing stereotyping and bullying.
“It’s really great to see that people who have money pick up on the importance of these constructs, and that it can stimulate further discussion,” said Dr. Jonas Bertling, a psychologist who directs two ETS programs for research-based development of socio-emotional characteristics and opportunity-to-learn measures.
