Key messages
- Socio-emotional skills at school entry strongly predict early academic achievement: Children with stronger socio-emotional skills at school entry perform significantly better in grade 2 literacy and mathematics, even after controlling for baseline cognitive skills and socio-economic background.
- Learning environments matter: The academic benefits of socio-emotional skills are larger in better-resourced schools and among children from wealthier homes. This suggests that socio-emotional skills are most effective when supported by enabling school and home environments.
- Integrating socio-emotional learning can promote equity: Socio-emotional skills are associated with improved academic outcomes across the socio-economic spectrum, offering a promising lever to help narrow learning gaps.
Key messages as published in the author’s policy brief.