The burgeoning multidisciplinary field of social and emotional learning (SEL) now has a comprehensive and definitive handbook covering all aspects of research, practice, and policy. The prominent editors and contributors describe state-of-the-art intervention and prevention programs designed to build students' skills for managing emotions, showing concern for others, making responsible decisions, and forming positive relationships. Conceptual and scientific underpinnings of SEL are explored and its relationship to children's and adolescents' academic success and mental health examined. Issues in implementing and assessing SEL programs in diverse educational settings are analyzed in depth, including the roles of school- and district-level leadership, teacher training, and school-family partnerships.

Introduction: The Uncommon Core, Timothy Shriver & Jennifer Buffett
I. Foundations
1. Social and Emotional Learning: Past, Present, and Future, Roger P. Weissberg, Joseph A. Durlak, Celene E. Domitrovich, & Thomas P. Gullotta
2. Applying Theory to the Development of Approaches to SEL, Marc A. Brackett, Nicole A. Elbertson, & Susan E. Rivers
3. Integrating SEL with Related Prevention and Youth Development Approaches, Maurice J. Elias, Larry Leverett, Joan Cole Duffell, Neil Humphrey, Cesalie Stepney, & Joseph Ferrito
4. Culture and Social and Emotional Competencies, Michael L. Hecht & YoungJu Shin
5. The Neuroscience of SEL, Clancy Blair & C. Cybele Raver
6. The Potential Effects of SEL on Biomarkers and Health Outcomes: A Promissory Note, Mark T. Greenberg, Deirdre A. Katz, & Laura Cousino Klein
7. The Economic Case for SEL, Damon Jones, Mark T. Greenberg, & Max Crowley
8. Financing and Funding for SEL Initiatives, Olga Acosta Price
II. Evidence-Based Programming
9. SEL Programs for Preschool Children, Karen L. Bierman & Mojdeh Motamedi
10. SEL in Elementary School Settings: Identifying Mechanisms that Matter, Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman & Chris S. Hulleman
11. A Review of Classroom-Based SEL Programs at the Middle School Level, Robert J. Jagers, Alexis Harris, & Alexandra Skoog
12. SEL Programs in High School, Ariel A. Williamson, Kathryn L. Modecki, & Nancy G. Guerra
13. SEL in Higher Education, Colleen S. Conley
14. SEL for Students with High-Incidence Disabilities, Andrew L. Wiley & Gary N. Siperstein
15. SEL and Student–Teacher Relationships, Amanda P. Williford & Catherine Sanger Wolcott
16. The Role of School–Family Partnership Programs for Promoting Student SEL, S. Andrew Garbacz, Michelle S. Swanger-Gagné, & Susan M. Sheridan
17. After-School Programming and SEL, Thomas P. Gullotta
18. SEL Programs for Juvenile Justice Settings and Populations, Patrick H. Tolan, Emily Nichols, & Nicole DuVal
III. Assessment
19. Assessment of SEL in Educational Contexts, Susanne A. Denham
20. Systems for Assessing and Improving Students' Social Skills to Achieve Academic Competence, Stephen N. Elliott, Jennifer R. Frey, & Michael Davies
21. Challenges and Opportunities in the Direct Assessment of Children's Social and Emotional Comprehension, Clark McKown
22. Using Formative Assessment with SEL Skills, Robert J. Marzano
23. Assessment of Climate and Conditions for Learning, Mark Garibaldi, Sally Ruddy, Kimberly Kendziora, & David Osher
24. Assessing Organizational Readiness, Shannon B. Wanless, Christine J. Groark, & Bridget E. Hatfield
25. Indicators of Effective SEL Practice, Sam Redding & Herbert J. Walberg
IV. Toward Widespread Practice and Policy
26. What Everyone Should Know About Implementation, Joseph A. Durlak
27. SEL and Preservice Teacher Education, Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl, Jennifer L. Hanson-Peterson, & Shelley Hymel
28. Inservice Preparation for Educators, Patricia A. Jennings & Jennifer L. Frank
29. Developing Socially, Emotionally, and Cognitively Competent School Leaders and Learning Communities, Janet Patti, Peter Senge, Claudia Madrazo, and Robin S. Stern
30. SEL and Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, George G. Bear, Sara A. Whitcomb, Maurice J. Elias, & Jessica C. Blank
31. Taking SEL to Scale in Schools: The Role of Community Coalitions, Abigail A. Fagan, J. David Hawkins, & Valerie B. Shapiro
32. Systemic Support for SEL in School Districts, Amy Kathryn Mart, Roger P. Weissberg, & Kimberly Kendziora
33. Accountability and SEL Programs: The Getting To Outcomes® Approach, Annie Wright, Andrea Lamont, Abraham Wandersman, David Osher, & Eric S. Gordon
34. Current and Potential Uses of Technology to Enhance SEL: What's Now and What's Next?, Robin S. Stern, Tucker B. Harding, Allison A. Holzer, & Nicole A. Elbertson
35. The Case for Preschool through High School State Learning Standards for SEL, Linda A. Dusenbury, Jessy Zadrazil Newman, Roger P. Weissberg, Paul Goren, Celene E. Domitrovich, & Amy Kathryn Mart
36. Federal Policy Initiatives and Children's SEL, Martha Zaslow, Bonnie Mackintosh, Sarah Mancoll, & Sarah Mandell
37. International Perspectives on SEL, Catalina Torrente, Anjali Alimchandani, & J. Lawrence Aber
Afterword: Making SEL Work for All Children, James Comer
Afterword: The Future of Social and Emotional Learning, Daniel Goleman