We are proud to announce the launch of two new sections of our Evidence for ESSA website (www.evidenceforessa.org): K-12 social-emotional learning and attendance. Funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the new sections represent our first foray beyond academic achievement.

The social-emotional learning section represents the greatest departure from our prior work. This is due to the nature of SEL, which combines many quite diverse measures. We identified 17 distinct measures, which we grouped in four overarching categories, as follows:

Academic Competence

• Academic performance
• Academic engagement

Problem Behaviors

• Aggression/misconduct
• Bullying
• Disruptive behavior
• Drug/alcohol abuse
• Sexual/racial harassment or aggression
• Early/risky sexual behavior

Social Relationships

• Empathy
• Interpersonal relationships
• Pro-social behavior
• Social skills
• School climate

Emotional Well-Being

• Reduction of anxiety/depression
• Coping skills/stress management
• Emotional regulation
• Self-esteem/self-efficacy

Evidence for ESSA reports overall effect sizes and ratings for each of the four categories, as well as the 17 individual…