If we don´t empower students with a strong moral criterion development is easy to people who see teen agers and youg adults like clients and (e.g) drug consumers to make "bussiness". In Mexico the drug consuming is increasing in the same way that the ethical and civical education is pericliting.

Try teaching good language skills and math and the rest will naturally come.

Many of the critical SEL skills are critical for collaborative work in education as well as in the work place. Often, when these skills are mastered, students perform better in traditional academic areas, engage in fewer disruptive behaviors, and take greater responsibility for themselves and their work.

Really grades are a bit of a joke, in terms of meaningful units, and adding a social skills grade just compounds the problem. Besides we're not measuring and grading "intelligence" emotional, or otherwise, but some form of learning units, math scores on a quiz, or turned in homework. And we're not measuring learning in any rigorous way because all we're measuring is the success on a specific test item--they may have learned a lot, just not what we're testing in the sample we're using. And lastly, grading someone on an intrinsic skill seems odd. But I guess we do this all the time, don't we.

The question assumes that America's schools have individuals qualified to assess Social/Emotional skills.

Based on the post 1983 top down, command and control emphasis in assessment practices and the pressure for meek compliance, the presumption of SE assessment skills is questionable.

Grading (?huh?) students on their emotional and social learning is another way to sugar-coat the already deficient academic teaching and learning in this country. It also trivializes the importance of learning knowledge and skills useful to lead a productive life and to be a good citizen. In addition, it perpetuates the wrong perception that all students "need" to get the fuzzy and warm feeling, instead of real and solid knowledge. Even the students themselves know that what counts is what they know about language and the other "hard" subjects. An easy "A" does not give pride to the student.

Schools could, however, help students acquire and learn social skills that will help them interact with others. Schools could also have trained staff to notice and help students who have emotional problems, especially at an early age, to help alleviate future problems.

One cannot expect schools and teachers to replace the family and parents/relatives, as resources are limited, although sometimes it seems necessary.

I agree that SEL is very important but I am not sure at all that a traditional grading system is the 'way' to empower learners about the value of developing these critical skills.

As a 'product' of a traditional, parochial education (through 10th grade, at least), I came to learn SEL through the caring provided by the 'teachers' I had who were religiously trained as well as pedagogically skilled.

Grading is simply no guarentor of proper or appropriate emphasis.

For the first 10 years of our curriculum we did not have quizzes or grades, but we did offer a pre-test and a post-test (available free on line at www.8togreat.com). What was interesting to us was that everyone, faculty members and students, flunked the pre-test and 95% aced the post-test even though the class was not graded.

Now that we have expanded the program and some schools are teaching it for an entire semester, we felt a need for quizzes. What we're finding is that the students are so interested in the material that they use it every day. Thus, the A's on their short quizzes and final report card not only feel good to them, but are a testimonial to their growth in this vital area.

By the way, I live in Omaha, NE. and had contacted the high school of the killer half a dozen times to institute an SEL program. No calls were returned. Now there is an abundance of interest and attention from administrators in the area. Let's hope that other communities do not require such a severe wake-up call.

Finally, special thanks to Edutopia and George Lucas for the phenomenal piece on East Anchorage High!
- MK Mueller

In my view, students should NOT be graded at all in anything: if education is to become learning how to learn, for serving others and for the benefit of all, all tests and measurements will become what they really are, i.e.: artificial and ruthless ways of discriminating against the majority of human beings, for the benefit of very few. Perhaps we could now, for the first time in history, learn from our own stupid mistakes and grow up to decent ways of serving our children and ourselves more adequately? Thanks for listening!
www.rabteneducation.com

I believe emotions/feelings are integrated in all subjects in school. I do not think they can be a separate grade. Teachers have enough to teach their
curriculum and keep up with the latest technology, on top being a pseudo (parent). I agree with Ida, to a certain extend, i.e., one of the pollsters that commented that parents need to "step up" and
take initiative with their child. I DO NOT agree with her commenting on "thinking" this is fluff stuff and the "so-called" hard academics are higher up on the ladder of things. She certainly
never took an Art Class and honed her skills there. WE deal with the emotions/critical thinking skills/left and right brain skill development. Schools would be better off in the long run if they
literally labeled ART as hard core...as it does not come easily to everyone. But, corporations want
people that can make decisions and not always spit out academics plablem..they want leaders/critical thinkers! Art provides for emotional development and more!