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Majorities of teachers in Massachusetts and the rest of the nation recognize the importance of SEL

• Large majorities of teachers in both Massachusetts and the rest of the nation recognize the importance of SEL and believe that SEL can affect other domains of student development and achievement.
• Massachusetts teachers reported greater use of specific SEL programs and curricula and less use of schoolwide behavioral management systems than their counterparts nationwide.
• Massachusetts teachers in secondary and nonurban schools are more likely to report getting in-service training than their counterparts nationwide.
• Many Massachusetts teachers reported that strategies for incorporating SEL into curricula would improve their ability to address SEL.
• Many Massachusetts teachers put students' SEL success on par with academic success, but believe many of their colleagues disagree.
• About three-quarters of Massachusetts teachers reported that their schools emphasized SEL.
• Large majorities of Massachusetts teachers reported experiencing SEL-related professional development, but most Massachusetts teachers believed they and their schools need more support integrating SEL into instruction.

Recent shifts in education policy have emphasized expanding definitions of student success beyond high scores on standardized tests. Massachusetts is one of a growing number of U.S. states that have articulated social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies, standards, or policies that encourage adoption and implementation of SEL programs and practices in districts and schools. This report presents American Teacher Panel survey results on teachers' perspectives about social and emotional learning. It analyzes results from teachers in Massachusetts and how they compare to their peers in the rest of the nation on three topics: (1) teachers' opinions about SEL, (2) their approaches to promoting students' social and emotional development, (3) and their perceptions of supports that would help them do this more effectively. Like their peers in the nation, large majorities of Massachusetts teachers recognize the importance of SEL and believe it can have an effect other domains of student development. Massachusetts teachers also reported a greater use of some SEL programs and less use of schoolwide behavioral management systems compared to teachers in the rest of the nation. Most Massachusetts teachers expressed an interest in more support in integrating SEL into instruction. The report discusses the need for future research on how the Massachusetts state policy context could affect the views Massachusetts teachers on SEL.