Across the United States, educators and education leaders are increasingly recognizing the value of social and emotional learning (SEL), school climate, and related whole-person efforts as keys to enabling student success.

If educators at every level of the K–12 system — from the state level to the classroom — work in aligned and coherent ways to sustain the conditions that support whole-person learning and development, every student will have experiences that support personal purpose, healthy relationships, a sense of place in community, success in school and the workplace, and engaged citizenship.

This guide aims to support state and regional leaders to identify districts or schools with notably positive outcomes in the areas of SEL and school climate, learn about those exemplars’ strategies and experiences, and share their learnings in order to scale up whole-person efforts and outcomes.

The report is divided into three sections:

  • Part 1: Quantitative Analyses to Identify Potential Exemplars
  • Part 2: Qualitative Analysis to Verify and Finalize Exemplars
  • Next Steps: Communicate and Scale the Exemplars’ Success

This comprehensive, adaptable, research-informed, and field-tested guide is also the basis of a related WestEd service. Discover how our technical assistance team can lead you through a structured yet flexible process to improve the alignment and coherence of whole-person efforts.