Ohio Department of Education Approved and Launched CASEL Social-Emotional Learning Program in 2019

In 2019 the Ohio Department of Education approved the standards for Ohio’s Strategic Plan for Education: Each Child, Our Future. Each Child, Our Future a social-emotional learning plan created in partnership with Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, or CASEL. The plan is intended to last through 2024.

CASEL describes itself as a “trusted source for knowledge about high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning.”

The Ohio Department of Education’s five-year plan, outlined in their document titled Each Child, Our Future, has three core principles, the first of which is “Equity,” as illustrated below. 

According to the CASEL paper titled State Policy Bright Spots: Social and Emotional Learning and Equity, equity and social-emotional learning work together.

All high-quality, SEL policies are designed to create conditions that advance equity and excellence. In the context of SEL, equity and excellence mean that each and every student—across race, ethnicity, family income levels, learning abilities, geographic locations, home language, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other factors—should have experiences and environments that support healthy social, emotional, and academic development. It is important to note that “SEL can be a powerful lever for creating caring, just, inclusive, and healthy schools that support all young people in reaching their fullest potential.”

According to an Oct. 25, 2022, article in Ohio Capital Journal, Ohio was one of 43 states (and Washington D.C.) to see decreases in fourth-grade mathematics scores, one of 51 to see decreases in eighth-grade math. In fourth-grade reading, the state was one of 30 to see decreases, and one of 33 in the nation to see lesser scores in grade 8 reading.

In snapshots of Ohio reading and mathematics scores for grade 4 and grade 8 students, the state showed a decrease in both areas. 

The Ohio Department of Education is located in Columbus, Ohio, and led by Stephanie Siddens, Interim Superintendent of Public Instruction.