Part 2
In our previous blog, we explored why teaching kids about feelings is just as important as maths. We talked about how social and emotional skills aren’t “soft extras” but the foundation that makes academic learning possible. The research from Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg, and Walberg showed us that you can’t separate emotional development from academic outcomes any more than you can separate flour from a baked cake.
But here’s the question we keep hearing from parents and educators: “Okay, we get it. But how do we actually make this work in our schools?”
That’s precisely what the Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development set out to answer. After bringing together 25 commissioners, 28 distinguished scientists, 34 leading educators, youth voices, and parent advisors, they’ve given us a roadmap for turning research into reality.
What Students Are Actually Telling Us
Before developing any recommendations, the Commission did something crucial: they listened to students. And what those young people said echoes what we hear from learners on the Cape Flats every day at Rudder4Life.
Students want positive relationships with educators and peers who enhance their sense of belonging. They want to know that the adults in their schools trust them and care about them. They want meaningful choices and opportunities to achieve their goals.
Think about a Grade 8 learner at a school in Hanover Park. When she walks into class, she doesn’t check her emotions at the gate like a school bag. Her worry about her grandmother’s health, her excitement about the upcoming school trip, and her frustration with a friendship conflict all travel with her into the classroom.
This is precisely what we discussed before: learning is a social process, and schools are social places. The question is, how do we create environments that honour this reality?
The Science Confirms the Practice
The Commission’s research brief brings together scholars from multiple fields to confirm what effective educators have always known: social, emotional, and academic components of learning are interconnected.
Dr Stephanie Jones from Harvard University puts it clearly: “The evidence should move us beyond debate as to whether schools should address students’ social and emotional learning to how schools can effectively integrate social, emotional, and academic development into their daily work.”
The research shows that when children experience consistent, supportive connections with trusted adults, it can actually alter their brain chemistry. Like the fynbos that regenerates after fire, our brains are remarkably resilient and malleable, crucial for learners who’ve experienced trauma.
Six Principles for Making SEAL Work
1. Make It Intentional, Not Incidental
Just as we discussed previously, supporting social-emotional development needs to be as deliberate as teaching long division. This might look like direct SEL instruction, integration into academic subjects, or using informal moments, such as morning meetings and break times, as opportunities to develop social skills in natural settings.
2. Start with Relationships: Build a Stokvél of Care
Remember our stokvél analogy? Just as a stokvél works because members trust each other, classrooms thrive when students experience genuine belonging. Jillian Ahrens, a teacher and union leader, says it simply: “Kids need to know they can trust others in the classroom. The classroom and the school need to be safe places.”
A teacher at Kensington High who learns students’ names correctly, who asks about the significance of Eid or a church youth camp, she’s not wasting time. She’s building the foundation on which all learning rests.
3. Support the Whole Teacher First
Here’s where many programs fall apart. As we discussed previously, you can’t pour from an empty cup. It’s like the oxygen mask rule on aeroplanes, you have to secure your own mask before helping others. Meria Carstarphen, superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools and a Commission member, puts it bluntly: “It’s hard for someone to give what they don’t have. You can’t assume that, just because they’re adults, they have the skills and mindsets they need to model healthy behaviours.”
Teachers navigating Cape Town’s traffic, managing overcrowded classrooms, and dealing with financial pressures, need opportunities to develop their own social and emotional skills first.
4. Create Supportive Environments for Every Student
The Commission emphasises the importance of understanding the broader environmental and social context in which students learn. This is especially crucial in Cape Town, where students bring diverse experiences shaped by our city’s history.
Karen Pittman, CEO of the Forum for Youth Investment, emphasises bringing an equity lens: “Building on students’ strengths is what great teachers, great parents, and great mentors do. They create environments in which young people feel comfortable owning the skills and values they have and working on the skills they still need.”
Our students’ diversity means our approaches must affirm their culture, background, and experiences, recognising the resilience, multilingualism, and cultural wealth they bring.
5. Weave It Into the Entire School Fabric
The interconnectedness of social, emotional, and academic development must be reflected in all aspects of schooling, from classroom instruction to school culture to family engagement.
Antwan Wilson, chancellor of schools in Washington, D.C., emphasises community: “We all need to work hard to create schools where students like coming to learn, where they are challenged by people who care for them, and where parents are invited to be partners in the process.”
This echoes what we discussed earlier about parent-teacher partnerships. When home and school send the same messages, it’s like stereo speakers working together; the sound is more precise and stronger.
6. Respect Local Context—Adapt the Recipe
As we noted before, not all SEL programs are created equal. A program that works brilliantly in the Northern Suburbs might need significant adaptation for Mitchell’s Plain or Hout Bay.
The Commission emphasises there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Local leaders need autonomy and flexibility to determine their approach based on their students’ unique strengths, needs, and contexts. As one Commission partner put it: “You have to respect local differences and listen. You have to involve parents, and you have to listen to teachers.”
What the Evidence Shows
The Commission’s work confirms the research we discussed earlier. Students in quality SEAL programs demonstrate better school attitudes, improved behaviour, and stronger academic performance. That meta-analysis we mentioned of 165 studies? The Commission’s work builds on these findings, showing SEAL programs consistently reduce dropout rates and attendance problems, particularly relevant for our schools.
Building Our Own Table Mountain
Table Mountain didn’t form overnight. It took millions of years of geological processes, each layer building on the last. Similarly, transforming education to support the whole child truly won’t happen with a single policy or program.
But the momentum is building. The Commission offers us a clear vision: when we help children develop strong social-emotional skills within supportive environments, we’re not just making them feel better; we’re dramatically improving their chances of succeeding in school and in life.
At Rudder4Life, we see this reality every day in our work with Grade 8 learners. When students can manage their emotions, build relationships, and feel genuinely supported, everything else becomes possible. Grades improve. Attendance improves. Confidence grows.
The Way Forward
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, administrator, or community member, the message is clear: investing in children’s social-emotional development isn’t taking time away from academics; it’s making academics possible.
The Commission asks three questions we should all consider:
- What actions are you already taking to support students’ social, emotional, and academic development?
- What do you need to ensure success in this work?
- If you were writing the recommendations, what would your headline be?
These aren’t rhetorical questions. They’re an invitation to join a movement that recognises a simple truth: education isn’t just about what happens from the neck up. It’s about the whole child.
Like the southern right whales that return to False Bay each year, students will return to learning when the conditions are right. When we create schools where social, emotional, and academic development are truly integrated, not as add-ons, but as the very foundation, we make the conditions for all our children to flourish. The science is precise. The demand is there. The path forward is becoming visible. Now it’s time to walk it together. (Read the next blog here)
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