CASEL’s ambitious agenda aims at nothing less than making Social and Emotional Learning an essential piece of every American child’s basic education. But in a school environment fixated on the acquisition of knowledge, young people’s emotional wellbeing and social competence are too often overlooked. Social and emotional learningSuch an intervention is in fact currently underway in several school districts around the country. “Social and emotional learning is not only about helping young people learn new competencies,” Dieringer says. Social and Emotional Learning SEL focuses on teaching children the skills and strategies to recognize andmoderate their own emotions and to manage conflicts with others.