Research findings make a strong case for investments in SEL; when students have the opportunity to develop and practice social, emotional, and academic competencies across settings, academic outcomes and behavior improve while higher levels of well-being are reported by educators engaging in SEL.

Social-emotional learning is not a quick-fix, however, for the challenges faced by education systems today. Rather, it is a foundational practice centered on relationships of trust. This extends beyond student-to-student or student-to-teacher relationships and includes relationships with families and the broader community. Families are an important SEL partner given that the greatest impact comes from an integrated approach across settings.

Parent Teacher Home Visits is a pathway for creating the strong home-school partnerships needed for strong SEL implementation. On an individual level, educators and families use Parent Teacher Home Visits to identify and work toward common goals, often relating to a student’s social and emotional well-being. On a systems level, the model embodies practical implementation of critical SEL competencies such as communication, collaboration, empathy, and relationship-building. It is an asset-based approach to bridging people across difference. Parent Teacher Home Visits help educators to not only attune to and appreciate the unique strengths, needs, and backgrounds of students’ and their families but create more inclusive and responsive classrooms for all students.