In this article examining the history of social emotional learning (SEL) in the United States, Kelsey A. Dalrymple and Joel M. Phillips use an intellectual history approach to demonstrate that the development of contemporary SEL was significantly influenced by different sociocultural, political, and economic factors. They highlight how metaphorical wars waged by presidential administrations from the 1960s to the 1990s shaped public policy and societal attitudes toward minoritized and marginalized groups and describe how education became a key strategy to battle many of the perceived ills and behaviors associated with those groups. Outlining ongoing debates on SEL, they argue that acknowledging the racialized and socioeconomic roots of SEL can help inform contemporary policy and practice and also educate advocates and critics alike on the ways SEL may serve to address and/or perpetuate long-standing social injustices.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
September 10 2024
The Complicated Rise of Social Emotional Learning in the United States: Implications for Contemporary Policy and Practice
Kelsey A. Dalrymple;
Kelsey A. Dalrymple
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Search for other works by this author on:
Joel M. Phillips
Joel M. Phillips
Middleton–Cross Plains Area School District
Search for other works by this author on:
Harvard Educational Review (2024) 94 (3): 337–361.
Citation
Kelsey A. Dalrymple, Joel M. Phillips; The Complicated Rise of Social Emotional Learning in the United States: Implications for Contemporary Policy and Practice. Harvard Educational Review 1 September 2024; 94 (3): 337–361. doi: https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-94.3.337
Download citation file:
393
Views
Citing articles via
Examining the Schooling Desires of Youth During the COVID-19 Crisis
Joanne E. Marciano, Lee Melvin M. Peralta, Ji Soo Lee
Cultural Mentoring as Acompañamiento: Rethinking Community Cultural Wealth
Andrea Dyrness, Jackquelin Bristol, Daniel Garzón
Book Notes
Ron Grady, Phoebe A. Grant-Robinson, Pennie Gregory
Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity
Phoebe A. Grant-Robinson