"Social and emotional skills shape how kids do in school, how healthy they are, and how they connect with their community. This study gives Houston — and the world — a clearer picture of what families, schools, and neighborhoods can do to help young people thrive. It also lets Houston compare its findings with cities and countries around the globe."
Kinder Institute for Urban Research | Rice University
Houston is the only U.S. site for an international study on the social and emotional skills of 10- and 15-year-olds, led by the OECD. The Kinder Institute's Houston Education Research Consortium sampled 7,500 students across 119 Houston ISD campuses. The study looks at how family, school, peers, and community affect students' social and emotional growth, and compares findings with other countries around the world.
Data gathered from this global research effort will help identify factors that support the development of social and emotional skills in students ages 10 and 15, and will provide an international context for how students exhibit these skills in their home countries.
Houston is serving as the only U.S. site of an international research study focused on the social and emotional well-being of 10- and 15-year-old students conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD).
Data gathered from this unique, global research effort will help identify factors that support the development of social and emotional skills in students ages 10 and 15, and will provide an international context for how students exhibit these skills in their home countries around the world.
The Houston study site, which sampled 7,500 students from 119 Houston ISD campuses, was managed by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research's Houston Education Research Consortium.
Factors that influence social and emotional skills across different cultures; and educational systems, and across the two age groups of students
Education, civic participation, social connectedness, health and general well-being
Family contexts, such as parenting styles and at-home learning resources
School environment, such as teaching methods, school curricula and instruction practices
Peer and community dynamics, such as friend relationships and participation in extracurricular activities
The Study of Social and Emotional Skills (SSES) at the U.S. study site was made possible through support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Houston Endowment, and The Wallace Foundation. The research reported was also made possible (in part) by a grant from the Spencer Foundation (#201800104). The findings, conclusions and views contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the funders.
Research
Aldine ISD: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Skills and Campus Discipline Outcomes
The Kinder Institute for Urban Research’s Houston Education Research Consortium partnered with Aldine ISD, an urban school district serving predominantly economically disadvantaged and minority students, to better understand how self-reported teacher and student SEL skills were associated with campus disciplinary practices.
Social and Emotional Skills of Students in the Houston Independent School District (Briefs 2-5)
This series of briefs looks at how social and emotional skills are related to academic outcomes, absenteeism, and exclusionary discipline; the context of SSES skills; and the commonalities and differences between students’ self-ratings and teachers’ ratings of students’ SE skills.
Social and Emotional Skills of Students in the Houston Independent School District (Brief 1)
Two briefs analyze the social and emotional skills of a representative group of 10 and 15-year-old students in HISD.
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Support the Kinder Institute
- Visit the Kinder Institute page to read the full study and research briefs
- Look up the brief series on Houston ISD students' social and emotional skills (Briefs 1–5)
- Read the Aldine ISD report to see how SEL skills connect to school discipline
- Sign up for the Kinder Institute's e-newsletter to get future research updates
- Share findings with teachers, school staff, or parent groups in your community
- Contact the Kinder Institute directly with questions at kinder@rice.edu or 713-348-4132
