RAND researchers examined recent peer-reviewed research literature to identify evidence on SEL interventions meeting ESSA’s requirements. They sought to answer: 1) What SEL interventions have recently been evaluated in U.S.- based, K–12 public schools? 2) What SEL interventions have yielded evidence meeting ESSA Tiers I–III?

Researchers conducted a comprehensive search of major electronic databases of indexed scientific literature from 2002 to 2016. This search yielded more than 24,000 citations. They developed inclusion and exclusion criteria to apply to the retrieved literature. Two independent reviewers then screened titles and abstracts for eligibility. They identified almost 5,000 eligible studies on SEL interventions. These studies involved activities, techniques, or strategies in which social and emotional competencies (e.g., self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and/or responsible decisionmaking) are taught to, modeled for, and/or practiced and applied by students. A full-text eligibility assessment was then conducted. This assessment yielded 150 eligible studies covering 68 SEL interventions. Of these, 60 evidence-based SEL interventions met ESSA Tiers I-III evidence requirements.