Beyond Content: A New SEL Course That Helps Teachers Support Teens and Themselves

In today’s middle and high school classrooms, educators face the dual challenge of meeting rigorous academic standards while supporting students’ social and emotional needs. Balancing these priorities can feel overwhelming, especially with limited time and resources.

What if there were a way to approach both in a way that strengthens student success in every area?

Our new online professional development course, Supporting and Understanding Social and Emotional Development, is built for secondary educators who want to help students grow academically and personally. It also addresses something often overlooked in professional development: educators need emotional support, too.

What SEL Looks Like in Middle and High School

SEL isn’t therapy, a buzzword, or a one-off activity. It’s a structured, evidence-based approach to education that builds skills students use daily—managing emotions, handling stress, making decisions, and working well with others.

The course introduces the five key areas of SEL as defined by the CASEL framework:

• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills
• Responsible Decision-Making

While these competencies are often introduced in elementary classrooms, they are equally important in secondary education. Adolescents experience rapid brain development, peer pressure, identity exploration, and growing independence. Teaching SEL at this stage keeps students engaged in learning, supports healthy peer interactions, and builds long-term habits that benefit academic and personal success.

Integrating SEL into instruction, rather than being treated as an add-on, enhances the classroom environment and makes learning more meaningful.

SEL Supports Academic Growth

Teachers know from experience that strong academic performance depends on more than content mastery. Skills like emotional regulation, persistence, collaboration, and problem-solving are essential.

These “non-cognitive” skills shape how students show up, participate, and succeed in class.

Research confirms this connection. A 2017 meta-analysis by CASEL found that students in SEL programs scored an average of 11 percentile points higher on academic assessments than peers not receiving SEL instruction, with gains in graduation rates, college readiness, and long-term professional success.

This course offers practical strategies and best practices to help teachers integrate student development with their academic instruction, strengthening both areas.

Fundamental Strategies That Work in Real Classrooms

Time is one of the biggest concerns teachers have about SEL. With full schedules and packed curricula, few can imagine adding something new to their day. That’s why this course focuses on realistic, efficient approaches that fit within what you already teach.

Module 2: Teaching the Whole Student

This section explores how each CASEL competency aligns with existing instructional strategies, such as group projects, feedback cycles, and classroom management.

Module 4: Teaching Practices That Support SEL

Covers the SEL 3 Signature Practices:

• Inclusive Welcomes That Build a Sense of Safety and Community
• Active Engagement Strategies That Promote Participation
• Reflective Closings That Encourage Ownership and Connection

These practices work in any subject and take just minutes to implement, making your teaching more responsive without requiring a separate curriculum.

From One Teacher to Schoolwide Change

SEL doesn’t have to start with district-level mandates. Often, meaningful change begins in individual classrooms.

Module 5: An Integrated Approach to SEL Implementation helps educators expand their impact beyond their teaching space.

You’ll learn:

• The Four Phases of SEL Implementation: Exploration, Installation, Initial Implementation, and Full Integration
• How to Use Relationship Mapping to Identify Students Who May Be Feeling Disconnected
• Ways to Align SEL with MTSS and Professional Learning Communities

These tools help you build momentum for SEL adoption across your school and give you the confidence to advocate for what works.

Teachers Need Support, Too

SEL isn’t just for students—educators also face challenges that affect their well-being and career sustainability.

Module 6: Promoting Teacher Resilience focuses on supporting the adults in the room with tools and mindset shifts that work in real life:

• Setting and Maintaining Personal Boundaries
• Practicing Mindfulness and Reframing Stress
• Building Supportive Professional Relationships

You’ll also see how modeling SEL competencies—such as self-awareness and responsible decision-making—can inspire students by showing them what these skills look like in action.

As UND Today notes, “Teachers deserve mental health support as much as any professional on the front lines.” This course was created with that truth in mind.

A Unique Approach: Learning Through Storytelling

Throughout the course, you’ll follow Sam, a high school science teacher whose students excel academically but struggle with teamwork, empathy, and motivation. As Sam faces burnout, he learns to apply the strategies from this course in real-world situations. His journey reflects the experience of many teachers, demonstrating how SEL can bring renewed purpose and connection to the classroom.

SEL Isn’t “One More Thing.” It’s the Key to Making What You Do Work Better.

Supporting and Understanding Social and Emotional Development is part of Vector Solutions’ Positive School Climate library of professional development courses, designed to help educators and staff create safe, supportive, and engaging learning environments

This new professional development course offers actionable tools that you can use immediately, whether you want to enhance student engagement, lead SEL adoption in your school, or strengthen your own resilience.

It also connects with our Student Safety & Wellness program, which addresses SEL through engaging student courses. Download our CASEL alignment guide to see how our student content supports SEL competencies in line with best practices.