Promoting social and emotional learning.

Elias, M. J., Zins, J. E., Weissberg, R. P., Frey, K. S., Greenberg, M. T., Haynes, N. M., Kessler, R., Schwab-Stone, M. E., & Shriver, T. P. (1997). Promoting social and emotional learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (164 pp., $22.95 pb, ISBN-0-87120-288-3).

This book approaches social and emotional learning (SEL) from a practical perspective. The authors state that: "In this book, we draw upon recent scientific studies, the best theories, and the successful efforts of educators across the nation to provide guidelines to help school administrators, teachers, and pupil-services personnel design, implement, and evaluate comprehensive, coordinated programming to enhance the social and emotional development of children from preschool through high school." (p. vii) The authors are members of the Research and Guidelines Committee of the Collaborative for the Advancement of Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), whose "purpose is to encourage and support the creation of safe, caring learning environments that build social, cognitive, and emotional skills." (p. viii) They are researchers, professors, psychiatrists, and trainers with many years of experience in the field. The authors stress the importance of a holistic program in place of today's piece-meal attempts at addressing issues such as drug abuse, violence, and teen pregnancy separately. Social and emotional programs that address all aspects of a student's life, and begin doing so early, are certainly important in today's increasingly violent world.

By highlighting successful programs that have already been implemented, the authors help readers learn about the basic steps involved in running such a program. The book is very straightforward including such things as what social and emotional learning is, why it is needed, ways it can fit in with practices schools are already using, and how to implement and evaluate a SEL program. For each of the 39 guidelines introduced there is a rationale, tips on implementation and application, as well as examples from existing programs. The book presents a positive perspective while recognizing that implementing and working with such programs can be frustrating at times.

The needs of gifted and creative students are not the focus of this book, though such students certainly can benefit from social and emotional learning experiences. Lessons on controlling behavior when one is angry, getting along with others, information on issues such as drug abuse, and the care and support provided by teachers in these programs would all have a positive effect on such students. However, gifted and creative students have their own unique issues; an SEL program may need to differentiate for their needs. One means through which this could have been accomplished would be to add programs for gifted and creative students to the site visits that were made to successful SEL programs in 1996. These real-life examples are very pertinent, interesting, and encouraging in that they let the reader see difficulties that have been overcome, improvements seen in their students, as well as the approval received from constituents (teachers, administrators, parents).

The book is particularly enhanced by its appendices, which include a curriculum scope and sequence for all age groups, the 39 guidelines at a glance, and contact information for successful programs that are willing to share ideas. In keeping with the belief in a need for holistic programs, guideline 27 was particularly useful because it discussed the need for SEL programs to include a wide range of skills and prevention techniques in order to be most effective. It outlined four areas to touch upon, including different types of skills, attitudes and values, and specific and generic topics. It would have been helpful to include more information on program content, but the book focuses mainly on justifying programs, gaining support for them, and running them. This is a guidebook, intended to be more practical than theoretical, and to function as a supplement to improvement or implementation efforts.

The book did have a few weak points in its organization. When reading the first chapter that contained guidelines, it was hard to tell how the guidelines and examples are aligned, particularly when the examples were not specifically referenced in the text. It would have been helpful to have an outline in the beginning of each chapter. It would also have been interesting to get to know one of the programs in-depth, rather than skipping from program to program. This would have given the reader a richer understanding of the program, the areas it addressed, the difficulties it has had to overcome, and its results. Overall, however, I would say that this is a very helpful book for any teacher or administrator interested in learning some of the basics of implementing or improving a SEL program.

Reviewed by Jess Hoffmann, a doctoral student in the Foundations of Leadership and Policy department at the University of Virginia, and has worked with gifted students in the past, specifically in guiding them through social and emotional issues.