Increasing the Buy-In and Effectiveness of a Social and Emotional Learning Class Program in a Single Sex, Urban and Charter High School: Social and Emotional Learning Specialists and Student Perceptions of Its Implementation.

Social-emotional learning has yet to be implemented in many schools in America. Without adequate social and emotional skills, students struggle to navigate their academic and social environments. Students attending a single-sex, urban charter school participated in focus groups and completed surveys about their perceptions of a social-emotional learning program that was implemented during the 2015–2016 school year. Social-emotional learning facilitators completed surveys and participated in focus groups to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of the program. Graphs and themes based on the information gathered from the surveys, open-ended questions, and focus groups were used to analyze the data. Both students and SEL specialists reported that class sizes were too large, students should be given a letter grade, and that more buy-in was needed from various stakeholders. This data could be used to help implement SEL programs across the country. Students, parents, communities, and schools should benefit from having high-quality SEL programs implemented in schools. This movement could help bring about social change and equity in a number of schools across the country that struggle to meet student and community needs