Seeing the spectrum: North American approaches to emotional, social, and moral education

Abstract

Interest in emotional, social, and moral (ESM) concerns in K—12 education in North America has grown considerably during the past decade. This increased concern is considered a response to the increased prevalence of social problems experienced by children and youth, such as bullying, substance abuse, and depression, and to research indicating that schools can influence the likelihood of students having these types of problems (Schonert-Reichl 2000). Research and theory in psychology which suggests that emotional development is an essential foundation of cognitive development and, therefore, is related to academic achievement also has contributed to this expanded interest (Martin and Reigelu..