School Differences in Social–Emotional Learning Gains: Findings From the First Large-Scale Panel Survey of Students

This study by Loeb et al. (2019) investigates how schools differ in promoting students’ social-emotional learning (SEL) growth, drawing on data from the first large-scale panel survey of over 400,000 students in California’s CORE Districts. The authors analyze changes in four SEL competencies—growth mindset, self-efficacy, self-management, and social awareness—over time, examining both student- and school-level factors that contribute to variation in SEL gains. Results reveal that while schools can and do influence SEL development, the magnitude of differences across schools is smaller than for academic outcomes, suggesting that SEL growth is more evenly distributed and potentially more influenced by out-of-school factors. The study provides evidence that school practices matter for SEL, though measuring and improving these competencies requires nuanced, context-sensitive approaches.