Welcome to the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Special Interest Group (SIG).  I am truly honored to succeed Patricia Jennings, Marc Brackett, Roger Weissberg, Susan Stillman, Joshua Brown, Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, and David Osher as Chair of the SEL SIG.  We are beginning our eight year with members from around the globe.

The purpose of the SEL Special Interest Group is to examine relationships among social-emotional competencies and academic, health, and citizenship outcomes; and the impact of social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions on the adjustment, behavior, and academic performance of children and adolescents and the professional effectiveness of educators. Our members are involved in investigating such research questions as the following:

• What are the relationships among social-emotional competencies and the immediate and long-term adjustment and school performance of children and adolescents?
• What social and emotional learning approaches are most effective in promoting improved attitudes toward and greater engagement in learning and improved academic outcomes?
• How do school-wide initiatives that go beyond classroom instruction enhance children’s social and emotional competence?
• Which qualities of school leaders most contribute to the school-wide implementation of SEL programming?
• What policies and structures are needed to support the wide-scale implementation of school-based prevention and youth-development programs?

This is an exciting year with members from around the globe. As I embark on my tenure as chair of the SEL SIG, I hope that we can continue to forge the type of culture that welcomed me. It is a culture that is alive and well in our SIG, esteeming high-level research and scholarly discourse, while also honoring the social-emotional competencies that we profess to know something about. I also hope that we will continue to build the relationships—both within and across nations-that will grow our community and field, inviting other colleagues to submit proposals, present at the annual meeting, and participate in the larger collective. Our social media presence will grow! But don't worry, we'll also keep our website updated with the same information. We’ll aim to post messages there about your recent SEL publishings, calls for participation, job openings, etc. In so doing, we will fulfill the promise of a group whose special interest both attends to and embodies the most noble purpose of education.

I invite you to join us for the SEL SIG-sponsored sessions at AERA's Centennial Year Annual Meeting, Friday April 8 – Tuesday, April 12, 2016 in Washington, DC. The AERA Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of scholars in the field of education research. We look forward to also seeing you at our Business Meeting, with distinguished keynote speaker, dialogue, and refreshments.  The times for all meetings will be published in the annual program.  We have much work to do requiring all the energy, creativity, and commitment you all bring to the challenge. If you have thoughts, activities, or other ways you would like to be involved, please contact me at rcorcoran@jhu.edu. I look forward to hearing your ideas and to seeing you at the conference in Washington, DC.

Dr. Roisin P. Corcoran, CPsychol, AFBPsS, Ph.D.

Chair, AERA Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Special Interest Group (SIG)

Assistant Professor

School of Education

Director of Data Analysis, Center for Research and Reform in Education

Principal Investigator, USDOE Investing in Innovations Validation Grant

Johns Hopkins University