HOW SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING SUPPORTS STUDENT LITERACY, PRE K-GRADE 5

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Callum

This brief argues that social and emotional learning (SEL) is integral to elementary students’ literacy development, especially from PreK through grade 5. It situates the need within declining U.S. reading performance and widening achievement gaps after COVID-19, drawing on the Science of Reading and emerging state policies. The document explains how children learn to read by linking phonological awareness and the alphabetic principle with social and emotional development. It concludes with district and state policy recommendations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages38

Reading Time1 h 36 min

AccessFree to download

Learning to Read: An Overview

Emergent Literacy

HOW SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING SUPPORTS STUDENT LITERACY, PRE K-GRADE 5 AUTHORS DR. ALESSANDRA E. WARD, WHEATON COLLEGE, MASSACHUSETTS JENNA L. BEEBE, WHEATON COLLEGE, MASSACHUSETTS GEORGE M. LANE, WHEATON COLLEGE, MASSACHUSETTS LAKEISHA STEELE, COLLABORATIVE FOR ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING AILEEN MA, COLLABORATIVE FOR ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING CASEL recognizes the generous support of W.K. Kellogg Foundation and W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation in advancing the work that generated this brief. We are grateful for their continued support and collaboration JANUARY 2025 We are currently at an inflection point in the United States that requires us to support each student to learn to read fluently and well. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, reading scores have been on a decline over the past decade, with steep declines in most states after the COVID-19 pandemic. Long-term trend data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show widening gaps between high performers and low performers, and a widening Black-white achievement gap. NAEP data also show significant declines in reading scores across student groups, including Black students, white students, and students of two or more races and multilingual learners since 2019–2020. What’s more, NAEP data indicate that reading scores throughout the 1990s were relatively flat, which signals that children in the United States have experienced a decades-long struggle with reading. Since the 2000 National Reading Panel, new insights have emerged from a comprehensive understanding of the Science of Reading—not only about the nature of reading but also about how students develop their skills in it and what effective teaching pedagogy is. Many states have passed legislation in the past few years emphasizing a comprehensive approach to improving reading and literacy. There is more we can and must do to support literacy development and instruction to ensure student success. In our nation’s classrooms, we tend to see the academic demands of learning as separate from emotions and relationships. However, current research in the fields of human development, learning sciences, and neurosciences build on each other and demonstrate that learning environments and instruction that support students’ social and emotional development are integral to student literacy development. This is the second in a series of briefs published by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) on how social and emotional learning (SEL) is integral to the teaching and learning of literacy practices. In this brief, we discuss how to support the development of elementary-aged children’s ability to read competently. We explain the crucial role that SEL plays in supporting the literacy development of children in the early childhood and elementary years (grades PreK through 5) . We provide an overview of how children in this age group learn to read, and of all the skills and processes that the contextualized behavior of reading encompasses. Further, we explain the background and history of SEL, including its benefits for children’s general and academic development and specifically their literacy development. In closing, we outline policy recommendations to strengthen literacy development and instruction at the district and state levels. For recommendations on the federal level, please refer to the white paper by CASELand leading researchers,“Bridging Sciences: An Integrated Approach to Supporting Student Literacy Development.” HOW SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING SUPPORTS STUDENT LITERACY, PRE K-GRADE 5 2 LEARNING TO READ: AN OVERVIEW The process of learning to read, which begins in childhood and continues throughout the lifespan, is nothing short of incredible. While we may not be able to recall our own early reading journeys, many parents and early childhood educators can recount tales of the

FAQs

Why does the brief emphasize social and emotional learning for literacy?

Research in human development, learning sciences, and neurosciences shows that learning environments and instruction supporting social and emotional development are integral to student literacy development.

What reading-related challenges does the brief cite in the United States?

It cites declining reading scores over the past decade, steep declines after COVID-19, widening gaps between high and low performers, and a widening Black-white achievement gap, based on NCES and NAEP data.

What prerequisites for learning to read does the brief describe?

It highlights phonological awareness and the alphabetic principle, explaining how children build skills from hearing sounds to understanding how letters represent speech sounds.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Callum