By Katelyn Fry
August 2, 2017

According to the University of British Columbia, the University of Illinois at Chicago and Loyola University, new research finds that incorporating social-emotional learning programs in the school curriculum will benefit children both immediately and in the long-term.

In an article published by ScienceDaily.com, the researchers say programs that teach children to recognize and understand their emotions, feel empathy, make decisions and build relationships have shown to improve the children' "learning outcomes and [reduce] anxiety and behavioral problems.”

After analyzing 82 different learning programs and more than 97,000 students, researchers found that kids were still benefiting from the programs six months after their completion and only continued to do so. These programs yielded a higher percentage of high school and college graduates and a lower percentage of drug use, behavioral problems, arrest rates and even mental health issues.

Eva Oberle, an assistant professor at UBC’s Human Early Learning Partnership in the school of population and public health, noted that kids spend 923 hours in class every year, and so “what happens in schools is very influential on child development.”

Before excelling in any of their other classes throughout the day, or any challenge for that matter, students must first have a grasp on the social-emotional concepts and skills. If a child is suffering from stress, low self-esteem or any kind of internal distraction, their time in the classroom will be less beneficial, both academically and socially. Social-emotional learning programs help ensure kids’ education is the most valuable, positive nd effective experience it can be.

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