# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By Adam Tyner
Whether a response to lackluster academic gains in our nation's schools or longstanding beliefs about the wider purposes of schooling, social and emotional learning (SEL) has gained a massive following in education circles. Further, the mental-health challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic have strengthened the demand that schools do more to support students' social and emotional needs. Yet as educators embrace SEL as an essential part of a child's education, we know too little about how parents view it and the extent to which its terminology can be nebulous, obscure, and off-putting to some, particularly to parents who want schools to stick to basic academics.

To better understand parents' take on SEL and to explore possible pitfalls in communicating with them about SEL and its place in schools, we commissioned this nationally representative poll of 2,000 parents of children in grades K-12. Although it finds that parents overwhelmingly support the essence of SEL and recognize its rightful place in America's schools, some differences of opinion break along partisan lines. It also reveals genuine challenges in getting the terminology right. Ultimately, results from the survey can help educators, policymakers, and philanthropists gain parental support for their efforts.

Findings
Finding #1: There is broad support among parents for teaching SEL-related skills in schools, although the term "social and emotional learning" is relatively unpopular.
Parents agree that schools should be teaching specific SEL-related skills, such as goal setting and understanding people from different backgrounds. Yet they respond less favorably to abstract concepts and terms, including those that directly incorporate the words "social and emotional learning."
1A. Regardless of background or politics, large majorities support schools teaching SEL skills, agree on the importance of many SEL-related concerns, and believe that schools should be doing at least as much as they currently are doing in the SEL realm.
Figure 1 shows that all nine SEL-related skills garner support from more than three-fourths of parents. For some skills, support is nearly unanimous: More than 90 percent support schools teaching their children to set goals, approach challenges in an optimistic way, and believe in themselves and their abilities. Breaking out results by race, class, political party, and religiosity shows that no group displays less than two-thirds support for schools teaching any of the nine SEL skills in the survey (not shown).
Figure 1. Large majorities of parents support schools teaching all nine SEL-related skills that the survey asked about.
Note: For the full text of the survey item, see About the Survey. Responses are ordered from most to least support for teaching the respective SEL skill in schools. N = 2,000.

As we see in Figure 2, large majorities of parents of all backgrounds and politics also agree on a range of SEL-related issues. The biggest differences are generally by political party, but whether Democrat or Republican, there is near unanimity that students need honest feedback even if it might hurt their feelings, that working hard helps students develop character, that teachers and other school staff should serve as character models, that students' social and emotional needs must be met in order for them to reach their academic potential, and that school is an important place for learning right from wrong. Although less overwhelming, there is also wide agreement that testing detracts from other skills that students should be learning and that behavior is more important than grades.

This does not, however, mean that parents want schools to make SEL the top priority. Figure 2 also shows that majorities of parents of both parties agree that there isn't enough time in the school day to teach both academics and SEL, although this concern is more prevalent among Republican parents (65 percent) than Democratic parents (54 percent).
Figure 2. There is broad agreement among parents about a number of SEL-related issues.
Note: For the full text of the survey item, see About the Survey. Asterisks indicate that the difference between Democratic and Republican respondents is statistically significant at the p < 0.05 level. "Agree" includes the responses "somewhat agree" and "strongly agree." Statements are ordered from most to least overall support. N = 778 for Democrats; N = 451 for Republicans.
1B. Even as many specific elements of SEL garner broad support, the term "social-emotional learning" itself is less popular.
Although there is broad support for schools teaching SEL-related skills and agreement on many issues regarding what SEL should consist of in schools, skepticism surfaces in a number of places regarding the term "social and emotional learning" itself. Figure 3 shows how parents respond to various SEL-related or SEL-adjacent school programs.1 The strongest support is for a program called "Life Skills." Second strongest-though lagging by a wide margin-is "Social-Emotional & Academic Learning." But the term "Social-Emotional Learning"-without the addition of "Academic"-garners the second-lowest amount of support of any of the program labels we included.
Figure 3. Parents respond most positively to "Life Skills" and most negatively to "Soft Skills," while "Social-Emotional Learning" ranks second to worst.
Note: The "support index" represents the percentage of respondents who indicate that the program is one they would most want their child enrolled in, minus the percentage responding it is one they would least want their child enrolled in. For the full text of the survey item, see About the Survey. Responses are ordered from greatest to least overall support. N = 2,000.

When asked a question that frames the work of schools as a tradeoff between SEL and academics, about half of parents (49 percent) agree with the statement that "schools should focus on academics and leave social and emotional learning (SEL) to parents and others." One parent in five agrees strongly with that statement (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Parents are split regarding the extent to which schools should focus on SEL.
Note: For the full text of the survey item, see About the Survey. N = 2,000.
1C. Parents most want their child's school to focus on a mix of core academic subjects and SEL-related skills.
Although the responses in Figure 4 suggest that many parents are skeptical that schools are the appropriate venue for SEL, perhaps the "either-or" question orientation encourages a negative response. To better understand how parents view such potential tradeoffs, we gave them a series of exercises that asked them to rate thirty-two various skills, values, and subject areas that they wanted their child's school to focus on most and least (for more about this "MaxDiff" exercise, see About the Survey).

Parents mostly favor core academic subjects and a few SEL-related skills. Specifically, they most value the skill of "reasoning and problem solving." Core academic subjects including math, English/reading, science, computer science, and history, as well as career and technical education (CTE), land in the top ten. So do four SEL-related skills, namely, taking responsibility for one's actions, communication/interpersonal skills, self-confidence, and self-motivation (Figure 5).

When faced with choosing alternative priorities for their children's education, parents put comparatively little emphasis on non-core academics such as recess/gym, foreign language, arts, music, and health, as well as values such as fairness, courage, and gratitude.

"[SEL is] important-but, all too often, it comes at the expense of actually learning." - Father of a fifth grader
Figure 5. "Reasoning and Problem Solving" is the skill with the greatest support from parents.
Note: For more on this MaxDiff exercise, see About the Survey. SEL-related skills and values are shaded orange and academic subjects are shaded teal. Results were scaled so that the median score was equal to 100. Scores are interpretable such that "Courage," which has a value of 50, can be considered roughly half as important to parents as the median item, "Respect for Peers," with a value of 100. Recess/Gym is considered an SEL-related activity, as it is not academic and can promote SEL-related skills such as teamwork, cooperation, and resilience.2 N = 2,000.

Finding #4: Republicans are somewhat more wary than Democrats that SEL might divert schools away from academics or conflict with their own values.
Republicans are more apt to prefer a vision of schools that prioritizes academics and traditional values, while Democrats prioritize typical SEL-related skills, such as communication, cultural sensitivity, and curiosity, more than their Republican counterparts.

As indicated, although majorities of all parents agreed with the statement, "There is not enough time in the day to teach both academics and social and emotional learning," nearly two-thirds of Republicans voiced agreement, suggesting concerns that SEL may crowd out academics (see Figure 2 above).

"Until our students are leading the world in mathematics, science, and reading skills, we don't need to worry about fluff." - Mother of a tenth grader

Republican parents prioritize core academic subjects more than Democratic parents, especially when it comes to math, English, history, and science, as well as career, technical, and vocational education (Table 2). Still, Republicans prioritize two SEL-related skills more than Democrats: "respect for authority" and "responsibility for one's actions," both of which could be considered more traditional values. (Per Table 1 under "Perspectives on SEL by Party," Democrats prioritize SEL-related skills and values, including reasoning/problem solving, interpersonal skills, equality, sensitivity to other cultures, and active citizenship, more than Republicans.)
Table 2. Republicans prioritize core academic subjects more than Democrats.
Aside from distracting from academics, Republicans are more likely to worry that SEL could promote controversial ideas or otherwise be out of step with their values. One-fourth of Republicans with concerns about SEL say that is in part because it may teach "values that conflict with my values" (Figure 14). That said, like their Democratic counterparts, Republicans express comparatively greater concern that teachers will need more training to address SEL and that it is more complex than people imagine.
Figure 14. Parents' biggest concerns about SEL are that teachers will need more training and that SEL is more complex than many people imagine.

Technical Appendix

This survey of 2,000 parents of K-12 students was conducted by YouGov from April 2 to April 16, 2021.
Matching and weighting
YouGov interviewed 2,735 respondents, which was matched down to a sample of 2,000 to produce the final dataset. Sample matching is a methodology for selecting representative samples from non-randomly selected pools of respondents. YouGov uses a statistical technique called proximity matching to select respondents who are as similar as possible to the reference population across a variety of characteristics. The respondents were matched to a sampling frame on gender, age, race, and education. The frame was constructed via a stratified sample gleaned from the 2017 Current Population Survey (CPS)-specifically, a subset of parents with children ages 6-17.

The matched cases were weighted to the sampling frame using propensity scores for each wave. The matched cases and the frame were combined, and a logistic regression was estimated for inclusion in the frame. The propensity score function included age, gender, race/ethnicity, years of education, and region. The weights were then post-stratified via a four-way stratification of gender, age (three categories), race (four categories), and education (four categories) for each wave to produce the final weight.
Sampling methodology
Panelists are invited gradually through a process called "turbosampling." Every 30 minutes, YouGov's survey system evaluates the sample needs of all surveys in the field, selects a random sample from the whole panel, and invites the members of that random sample who are currently eligible for a survey. At the second stage, when a panelist responds to an invitation, the system selects the survey where that panelist is most needed and sends him/her there. For this reason, invitations tend to be fairly generic. Panelists who do not respond receive two reminder invitations.
MaxDiff methodology
MaxDiff is a methodology that leverages experimental design and hierarchical Bayesian analysis of a multinomial regression model to deliver respondent-level relative importance in as efficient of an exercise as possible. The respondent-level results can then be aggregated by any subgroup for statistical testing and reporting needs.

In this survey, a MaxDiff was used to determine the relative importance of various academic and SEL goals in school. Respondents were presented 32 skills or subject areas (12 academic and 20 SEL). Respondents saw 12 screens with eight items per screen. On each screen, they identified the area deserving most and least attention in school. An experimental design ensured sufficient evaluations of each area to determine the relative ranking of each.
Surveying during the Covid-19 pandemic
In anticipation of fielding the survey during the Covid-19 pandemic, we conducted additional mini- surveys from fall 2020 through spring 2021. In the three waves of "mini-surveys," YouGov interviewed 541 respondents in both waves one and two and 544 respondents in wave three. Using the same sample matching methodology used in the main study, each of these samples were matched down to a sample of 500. These mini-surveys only asked parents a few questions about how they viewed the importance of SEL in order to contextualize the results of the main survey. Table A1 summarizes the data collection schedule.
TABLE A1. Data were collected from November 2020 to June 2021.

Data Collection

Date

Mini-Survey, Wave 1

Nov 13, 2020, to Nov 23, 2020

Mini-Survey, Wave 2

Jan 12, 2021, to Jan 19, 2021

Main Survey

April 2, 2021, to April 16, 2021

Mini-Survey, Wave 3

May 27, 2021, to June 6, 2021

According to these survey results, there were some measurable changes in schooling over this turbulent year. For example, as the vaccination campaign ramped up and cases of Covid-19 plummeted during the first half of 2021, the share of students attending school completely in person rose from 23 percent to 42 percent, while the share of students participating in full-time virtual learning dropped from 55 percent to 36 percent (Figure A1).
FIGURE A1. Students shifted to more in-person instruction during 2021.
Note: November data collection N = 419; January data collection N = 421; April data collection N = 1,835; and June data collection N = 429. Base is children currently enrolled in school.

Still, the results show that, on the whole, parent opinions about SEL were stable during this period. For example, the percentage of parents responding that schools should play more of a role in developing SEL varies only slightly during this period, moving from 52 percent in the November survey to 49 percent in the January and April surveys-and back to 53 percent in the June data collection (Figure A2).
FIGURE A2. There's been little change over the last year regarding how parents view the role of schools in SEL development.
Note: November data collection N = 419; January data collection N = 421; April data collection N = 1,835; and June data collection N = 429.

Response options were randomized and Likert scales randomly reversed for some respondents to prevent anchoring biases. Some questions were only asked of parents who gave specific responses to previous questions, as noted in the report.

Q1. Please let us know how much of a priority, if at all, is it to you that your [INSERT age]-year-old child have the knowledge, skills, and ability to do each of the following:

a. set goals and work toward achieving them

b. recognize their own emotions and understand, express, and control them

c. recognize and empathize with the feelings and experiences of other people

d. navigate social situations, solve conflicts, and get along with others

e. respond ethically, even when it is hard to do the right thing

f. prepare to be an active, informed citizen and participate in solving public problems

g. approach challenges in a positive, optimistic way

h. understand, respect, and stand up for people of different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences

i. believe in themselves and their abilities in order to grow as a person and overcome obstacles

Scale:

Not a priority

Very low priority

Low priority

Moderate priority

High priority

Very high priority

One of my biggest priorities

Q2. The term "social and emotional learning" means the process of developing self-awareness, self-control, interpersonal skills, responsible or ethical decision making, and civic awareness. Do you think that [IF CHILD IN SCHOOL your child's school should be playing more or less of a role in building these skills than it currently is]/[IF CHILD NOT IN SCHOOL: schools should play more or less of a role in building these skills than they currently do]?

Much more of a role

Somewhat more of a role

Neither more nor less of a role (stay the same)

Somewhat less of a role

Much less of a role

I don't know

Q3. When it comes to your child, please rank in order of who you think should be most responsible for developing the qualities we have been talking about. Please rank all that apply for your child; where 1 is most responsible and 7 is least responsible.

Parents or guardians

Family members other than parents/guardians

Teachers

Child's friends/peers

Coaches, school club sponsors, leaders of other extracurricular activities at the school

Members of community, civic, faith, or youth organizations

The child herself/himself

Q4. We just asked you about who ought to be responsible for developing the qualities we have been talking about, now we'll ask you who has made the greatest contribution when it comes to your child developing these qualities.

Besides parents and guardians, who in your opinion has contributed the most to your child developing these qualities? Select all that apply.

Family members other than parents/guardians

Teachers

Child's friends/peers

Coaches, school club sponsors, leaders of other extracurricular activities at the school

Members of community, civic, faith, or youth organizations

The child herself/himself

INTRO: We will be asking a series of questions about your child's education and education in general. Understanding that school may look different this year due to COVID-19, please answer thinking about your child's experience of school under normal circumstances.

Q5. Which, if any, of the following do you think schools should teach children? Please select one response per row.

Schools should teach children how to:

a. set goals and work towards achieving them

b. recognize their own emotions and understand, express and control them

c. recognize and empathize with the feelings and experiences of other people

d. navigate social situations, solve conflicts and get along with others

e. respond ethically even when it is hard to do the right thing

f. prepare to be an active, informed citizen and participate in solving public problems

g. approach challenges in a positive, optimistic way

h. understand, respect and stand up for people of different backgrounds, cultures and experiences

i. believe in themselves and their abilities in order to grow as a person and overcome obstacles

Scale:
MAXDIFF INTRO:
The next series of questions will ask you to select the skills or subject areas that your child's should focus on the most and which your child's should focus on the least.

You will see a total of 12 screens with 8 items per screen. On each screen you will be asked to select one skill or subject area per category. We encourage you to select your responses based on your initial reaction.

Q6.Which of the following skills or subject areas do you think your child's should focus on the most and which do you think your child's should focus on the least?
SEL Elements:

1. Active Citizenship

2. Communication/Interpersonal Skills

3. Kindness

4. Integrity

5. Courage

6. Gratitude

7. Perseverance

8. Reasoning and Problem Solving

9. Curiosity

10. Respect for Authority

11. Respect for Peers

12. Responsibility for actions

13. Standing up for the less fortunate

14. Sensitivity to other cultures

15. Teamwork

16. Fairness

17. Self-confidence

18. Self-motivation

19. Equality

20. Recess/Gym Class

Academic Elements:

1. Independent reading/Read-aloud time

2. English/Reading class

3. Mathematics

4. History

5. Civics

6. Science

7. Foreign Language

8. Health Education

9. Arts Education

10. Music Education

11. Computer Science/IT

12. Career, Technical and Vocational Education

Q7A. The following school programs could relate to aspects of child development beyond academic skills. Based on the names only, which of these programs would you most want your child enrolled in? Please select the programs you would most want your child enrolled in. You may choose up to 3.

Q7B. The following school programs could relate to aspects of child development beyond academic skills. Which would you least want your child enrolled in? Please select the programs you would least want your child enrolled in. You may choose up to 3.

1. Success Factors

2. Social-Emotional Learning

3. Character Education/Development

4. Life Skills

5. Soft Skills

6. Emotional Intelligence

7. Positive Youth Development

8. 21st Century Skills

9. Social-Emotional & Academic Learning

10. Whole Child Development

11. Behavioral Skills

12. Developing Grit and Growth Mindset

Q8. How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

1. Teachers and other school staff should serve as character models for students.

2. Learning life skills and social skills at school is just as important as learning academics.

3. Students' social and emotional needs must be met in order for them to reach their full academic potential.

4. School curriculum should be designed in a way that is sensitive to different cultures.

5. The focus on testing in schools takes away from other skills students should be learning.

6. My child's school needs more in-school specialists to address the social and emotional needs of students.

7. There is not enough time in the school day to teach both academics and social and emotional learning (SEL).

8. Schools should focus on academics and leave social and emotional learning (SEL) to parents and others.

9. I want my child's school to give them honest feedback on their academic performance and progress even if it may hurt their feelings.

10. I care more about my child demonstrating good behavior than about his/her grades.

11. I'd be willing for my child's school to have a longer school day or year to teach social and emotional learning (SEL) skills more thoroughly.

12. School is an important place for students to learn the difference between right and wrong.

13. Working hard helps students develop strong character.

Scale:

Strongly Agree

Somewhat Agree

Somewhat Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Q9. How should social and emotional learning (SEL) skills be taught, if at all, in schools? Please select all that apply.

Through...

1. "service learning" activities and/or field trips where students give back to their community

2. events that acknowledge and celebrate the holidays and practices of different cultures

3. individual sessions with school therapists or counselors

4. opportunities for students to practice mindfulness or meditation

5. opportunities for students to serve in leadership roles

6. strict discipline and attendance policies that are uniformly enforced

7. a required course on SEL taught separate from other academic instruction

8. high expectations for all students, including rigorous grading policies

9. SEL topics being addressed in core academic classes (English, History, Science, etc.)

10. SEL topics being addressed outside of core academic classes (electives, homeroom, recess etc.)

11. the way teachers teach (using project-based learning, cooperative learning etc.)

12. after-school programs focused on SEL skills

13. a school-wide initiative focusing on SEL

14. Schools should not play a role in teaching social and emotional (SEL) learning

Q9A. Schools can teach social and emotional learning (SEL) skills both directly and/or indirectly. Which approach would you prefer for your child's school?

Direct (for example, teachers teaching from a social-emotional learning curriculum; students participating in programs designed to cultivate social-emotional learning)

Indirect (for example, teachers taking advantage of teachable moments or serving as role models; students discussing challenges faced by a character in a story)

A mix of both direct and indirect methods

Q10. Which, if any, of the following do you think would be the best use of schools' resources when it comes to strengthening social and emotional learning (SEL)? Please select all that apply.

1. Hiring more counselors or therapists for students' mental health needs

2. Providing SEL training for teachers

3. Offering extra programs that explicitly address social and emotional learning

4. Implementing and enforcing stricter disciplinary policies for violating school rules

5. Adopting restorative justice policies (where offenders accept responsibility and make it up to those they hurt)

6. None of these

Q11. What grade would you give your child's school on helping your child develop social and emotional learning skills?

Q12. Which of the following are available or occur [IF CHILD IN SCHOOL: at your child's school/IF CHILD NOT IN SCHOOL during your child's education?] Please select one response per row.

1. "Service learning" activities and/or field trips where students give back to their community

2. Events that acknowledge and celebrate the holidays and practices of different cultures

3. Individual sessions for students with school therapists or counselors

4. Opportunities for students to practice mindfulness or meditation techniques

5. Opportunities for students to serve in leadership roles

6. Strict discipline and attendance policies that are uniformly enforced

7. A required course on social and emotional learning taught separate from other academic instruction

8. High expectations for all students, including rigorous grading policies

9. SEL topics are addressed in core academic classes (English, History, Science, etc.)

10. SEL topics are addressed outside of core academic classes (electives, homeroom, recess, etc.)

11. Teachers incorporate SEL in the ways they teach (using project-based learning, cooperative learning, etc.)

12. Ater-school programs focused on SEL skills

13. A school-wide initiative focusing on SEL

Scale:

Yes

No

Don't know/Not sure

Q13. How concerned, if at all, are you about how efforts to implement social and emotional learning (SEL) initiatives in schools will actually work in practice?

Extremely concerned

Very concerned

Somewhat concerned

Not very concerned

Not concerned at all

Q14. And which of the following are you most concerned about specifically? Please select all that apply.

1. Teachers will need a lot more training to address social and emotional learning.

2. I think social and emotional learning is more complex than many people imagine.

3. Schools will not prioritize and invest adequately in social and emotional learning.

4. I am concerned that social and emotional learning teaches values that would conflict with my values.

5. Often social and emotional learning programs are too infrequent, or too low quality, to make a difference for students.

6. Other needs take priority over social and emotional supports right now.

7. It will be too difficult to reliably measure whether students are mastering social and emotional skills.

8. Assessments intended to gauge whether students learn social and emotional skills may have unintended consequences or negative ramifications.

9. I am unclear what efforts on social and emotional learning look like in practice.

10. I feel like the interest in social and emotional learning may be a fad and may not last.

11. Other

12. I do not think social and emotional learning should be taught in schools

Q15A. What should schools be doing differently to help students?

Q15B. Please tell us your broader thoughts on social and emotional learning in schools.

Acknowledgments

This report was made possible through the generous support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and The Louis Calder Foundation, as well as our sister organization, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.

Many thanks to our partners at YouGov for helping to develop, field, and collect data from the parent survey, specifically Jill Kennelly, Chelsea Burns, and Katie Dietrich. We are also deeply grateful to our three external reviewers who gave us feedback on the survey instrument and draft report: Deborah Moroney, vice president at the American Institutes for Research; Cameron White, partner at NewSchools Venture Fund; and Tyrone Martinez-Black, practice integration specialist at the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

On the Fordham side, we thank Fordham's associate director of research Adam Tyner for serving as analyst and author of the report, Chester E. Finn, Jr. for providing feedback on drafts, Pedro Enamorado for managing report production, Victoria McDougald for overseeing media dissemination, Olivia Piontek for handling funder communications, and Fordham research assistant Tran Le and interns Julie Fitz, Melissa Gutwein, Will Rost, and Jeremy Smith for their invaluable assistance at various stages in the process. We also extend thanks to Pamela Tatz for copyediting, Andrew Kittles for report design and layout, and David Flanagan for illustration of the cover image.

This survey of 2,000 parents of K-12 students was conducted by YouGov in April 2021.

×

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Sell SEL: Parents and the Politics of Social-Emotional Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Social and emotional learning (SEL) has gained a massive following in education circles...

# data[].attributes.body
Viriginia Beach City Public Schools

# data[].attributes.body
Viriginia Beach City Public Schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Virginia Beach Simple Version_SEL Message

# data[].attributes.body
Viriginia Beach City Public Schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Virginia Beach Extended Version_SEL Message Map