Education Commission of the States

What role do arts education programs play in children’s social and emotional learning (SEL) and development?

This is not a new question; social and emotional competencies have increasingly been acknowledged as an essential component of a well-rounded education with important implications for lifelong success. In turn, education researchers have increasingly paid attention to understanding how social and emotional outcomes can be developed, and school leaders have increasingly paid attention to developing these competencies in their students. Simultaneously, arts education researchers and practitioners have also begun to pay more attention to the role of arts programs in SEL...