The crossroads of social and emotional learning and critical social justice

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has seen rapid growth in practice and evidence, yet it is increasingly caught in the crossfire of America’s culture wars. While many view SEL as a necessary tool to address student well-being and school climate, some critics accuse it of being a vehicle for progressive indoctrination. Other critics accuse it of inadequately addressing injustice and argue for integrating critical social justice (CSJ) frameworks into SEL to redress systemic inequities. This paper critically examines the tensions between traditional skills-based SEL and CSJ-oriented SEL, exploring the philosophical and practical divergences between them. It argues that the increasing politicization and conceptual ambiguity surrounding SEL jeopardize its legitimacy and effectiveness. The paper proposes “civic empiricism”—a commitment to open inquiry, rigorous evidence, and pluralistic dialogue—as a guiding principle to help the SEL field navigate ideological divides while remaining anchored to its core mission. Recommendations include fostering intellectual humility, promoting adversarial collaboration, and clarifying definitions around contested social justice concepts such as equity, antiracism, and liberation.