SEL Curriculum Guide: How to Choose a Program (2026)

By the Transforming Education editorial team. Reviewed for accuracy against the sources listed below.

An SEL curriculum is a sequenced set of lessons and routines that teach students to understand emotions, manage themselves, read social situations, build relationships and make sound decisions. Those five areas are CASEL's five competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. Most published programs map their lessons to that framework, which makes comparison easier than it used to be.

What has not become easier is choosing. Publishers use similar language, evidence claims vary in quality, and prices often sit behind a quote form. This guide compares ten programs that selection committees ask about most, using what each publisher states on its own site and what the CASEL Program Guide reports after reviewing the evidence. It does not crown a winner. The right program depends on your grades, your schedule and the adults who will teach it.

How we compared programs

Every program below appears in the CASEL Program Guide. CASEL assigns one of three designations after reviewing a program's design and its evaluations. The highest, SELect, is described by CASEL as a program that demonstrates evidence of effectiveness at improving student outcomes at the highest level, supports students across all five competencies and offers multi-year programming. The next level, Promising, indicates evidence of effectiveness at improving student or teacher outcomes. A third designation, SEL-Supportive, also exists; the guide's FAQ page explains its criteria.

Two details matter more than the badge. First, CASEL lists the specific grades where evidence of effectiveness was demonstrated, which is often narrower than the grades a program sells. Second, the guide aligns its evidence review to ESSA tiers: both tiers require a statistically significant positive effect, evaluations with 350 or more students and evaluations in two or more districts; Tier 1 (strong) requires a randomized controlled trial, while Tier 2 (moderate) accepts a quasi-experimental design. We also checked the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) where a report exists, and we quote prices only where a publisher lists them publicly.

Comparison table

Grades sold come from each publisher's site; designations and evidence grades come from the CASEL Program Guide page for each program, accessed November 2026.

Program profiles

Second Step

Second Step is published by Committee for Children. The current lineup is a digital curriculum for elementary, middle and high school, an Early Learning program for PreK, Elementary Classroom Kits for K-5, an Out-of-School Time program, and add-on Bullying Prevention and Child Protection units.

CASEL lists Second Step Elementary as SELect with evidence in grades K-4, and Second Step Middle School as SELect with evidence in grade 6. The middle school evidence includes a 2010-2011 randomized trial of 3,616 sixth graders across 36 Midwestern schools in which participants reported significant decreases in physical aggression, and a 2022-2024 quasi-experimental study of 2,192 students that found higher ratings of teacher-student relationships, belonging and climate, plus higher final ELA grades. The publisher's store lists a single elementary grade-level classroom kit at $570; digital licenses are quoted on request.

CharacterStrong

CharacterStrong sells PurposeFull People for PreK-5 and the CharacterStrong curriculum for grades 6-12, both redesigned for 2026-27. Each weekly lesson runs through five components (Start, Connect, Grow, Respond, Exit) on a single screen, with Tier 2 small-group sessions of 15 to 25 minutes and a Future Ready strand. Pricing is by quote.

CASEL designates PurposeFull People SELect with evidence in grades 2-5, based on a 2022-23 randomized trial of 354 students that found higher demonstrated behavioral expectations and motivation. The Secondary Curriculum is also SELect, with evidence in grades 6-8 from a 2022-23 randomized trial of 726 students that found significantly lower teacher-reported disruptive behavior. Both reports are unpublished, which is worth knowing if your board asks for peer-reviewed research.

RULER

RULER comes from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and is an organizational approach rather than a lesson bank. Schools begin with staff learning, then move to classroom instruction and family engagement. The publisher describes it as suitable for PreK-12.

CASEL lists the RULER Approach as SELect with evidence in PreK and grades 5 and 6. Cited studies include a 2013 randomized trial of 3,824 fifth and sixth graders that found greater observer-rated emotional support in participating classrooms, and a 2017-2018 quasi-experimental study of 1,051 pre-K students in 95 classrooms that found greater growth in pre-literacy skills. Entry is through a RULER Institute; the online version runs six weeks at up to 2.5 hours per week and costs $6,000 for a three-person team, plus $1,000 per additional person.

PATHS

PATHS (Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies) is distributed by PATHS Education LLC for preschool through sixth grade. Materials are classroom kits taught by educators, with trainer support available.

CASEL lists PATHS as SELect with evidence in PreK and grades 1-6, supported by several randomized trials. One 2015 trial of 705 students in grades 4-6 in an urban Northeastern district found higher reading and math mastery scores for students who began the program in grade 4. Prices are not published.

Responsive Classroom

Responsive Classroom from the Center for Responsive Schools is an approach built on four components: developmental responsiveness, engaging academics, positive community and effective management. It now serves kindergarten through eighth grade. Teachers learn it through professional development: a three-day core course and a three-day advanced course (each carrying a 21-hour certificate), a four-day course for middle school educators, and one-day introductory workshops.

CASEL lists Responsive Classroom as SELect with programming for K-6 and evidence in grades 1-4. A 2007 quasi-experimental study of 1,389 students in grades 2-4 found gains in standardized reading and math scores two to three years after baseline. Because there are no student lesson scripts, budget is mostly training days and substitute coverage.

Caring School Community

Caring School Community is published by Collaborative Classroom for K-8. Each grade package includes 30 weeks of daily lessons, daily morning and closing circles in K-5, weekly class meetings in grades 2-8, cross-age buddy activities, Home Connection activities and a Principal's Package for schoolwide culture.

CASEL lists it as SELect with evidence in grades 3-6, including a 2002-2006 randomized trial of 5,700 students in grades 3-4 that found higher math and communication arts scores and improvements in altruistic and bullying behaviors. The WWC's 2007 report rated the program's behavior effects as potentially positive and found no discernible effects on academic achievement, based on the earlier Child Development Project studies. Pricing is by quote.

Move This World

Move This World is now part of Riverside Insights and is designed to pair with the DESSA social-emotional screener. It covers PreK-12 with Tier 1 and Tier 2 content organized into early elementary, late elementary, middle and high school bands. Lessons are short video routines; hosts pause so the teacher can run discussion.

CASEL designates it Promising with evidence in grades K-3, based on a 2022-23 quasi-experimental study of 3,531 students in Title I Midwestern schools that found higher ELA and math RIT scores. The sample was 89% white, so check fit with your population. Pricing is by demo request.

Harmony SEL

Harmony is published by Sanford Harmony at National University for PreK-6, with professional learning that extends to PreK-12. The digital curriculum is offered at no cost to schools and organizations; the Harmony at Home app is licensed separately.

CASEL lists Harmony SEL as SELect with evidence at grade 5, from a 2010-2012 quasi-experimental study of 627 fifth graders in a suburban Southwestern district that reported higher GPAs, greater classroom identification and fewer teacher-reported aggressive behaviors. Evidence in other grades is not yet listed.

Wayfinder

Wayfinder is a division of Lemnis based in Beaverton, Oregon. It sells PreK-12 content organized around belonging and purpose, delivered through a digital core-lesson library with spiral-bound workbooks, game boxes and Spanish-language materials. Professional learning is offered; prices are by demo.

CASEL lists Wayfinder as SELect with programming for K-12 and evidence in grades 6-9 and 12. A 2022-23 quasi-experimental study of 3,590 students in grades 6-8 at Title I schools in the Southeast found improved school safety, and a 2021-22 study of 471 students in grades 9 and 12 found gains in social awareness, engagement and belonging. For a secondary-focused adoption, that evidence profile is unusual and useful.

Positive Action

Positive Action covers PreK-12 with instructor-led, scripted lessons in a six-unit design, delivered through kits and the Pasela digital app. The publisher lists the Pasela Elementary Combo at $2,800, which includes one year of digital access and one starter kit per grade from kindergarten through grade 5, shipping included.

CASEL lists Positive Action as SELect with evidence in grades 1-5. Its longest study followed 1,714 students from grades 1-2 through grade 5 (2001-2006) and found lower self-reported problem behaviors and lower teacher-reported violent behavior. The WWC rated the program's behavior effects as positive and its academic achievement effects as potentially positive in a 2007 report. Both CASEL and WWC evidence sit in elementary grades, so secondary adopters are relying on program design rather than demonstrated effects.

A selection rubric

Score each finalist from 1 (weak) to 4 (strong) on the criteria below, then multiply by the weight. Adjust weights to your priorities; the ones shown reflect what tends to predict a program still being used three years later.

A program that scores well on evidence but poorly on schedule fit usually fails in year two. Bring teachers from every grade band into the scoring.

Implementation considerations

Delivery model shapes staffing. Lesson-based programs (Second Step, PATHS, Positive Action, Wayfinder, CharacterStrong, Harmony, Move This World) need a protected weekly slot and a named teacher for each class. Teaching-practices approaches (Responsive Classroom, Caring School Community) and organizational approaches (RULER) need multi-day adult training and leadership follow-through before students see any change. Mixing one of each is common: a lesson-based program for explicit instruction plus a practices approach for the rest of the day.

Evidence grades are not the same as grades sold. Five of the ten programs above sell through grade 12, but only Wayfinder and CharacterStrong's secondary curriculum list CASEL evidence above grade 6. If you serve high school, ask the publisher for any secondary evaluation and read the design, sample and outcomes before you weigh it.

Training is part of the product. Second Step's self-guided modules for its classroom kits take 60 to 90 minutes; Responsive Classroom's core and advanced courses take six days in total; RULER's online institute requires a three-person team including an administrator. Budget substitute days and calendar time, not just dollars.

Protect the first year. Plan for an implementation lead, a standing agenda item in staff meetings, and a short fidelity check (were lessons taught, how long did they take, what got skipped). Our SEL integration approach describes how to weave skills into academic instruction so the explicit lessons are reinforced all day.

Try this: Before signing, ask every finalist for the same three artifacts: a full sample lesson for each grade band you serve, the scope and sequence, and the research summary CASEL reviewed. Put them side by side with your rubric scores at one meeting.

Cost considerations

Only three of the ten publishers list prices on their sites: Harmony (digital curriculum free), Positive Action ($2,800 for its elementary combo with one year of digital access) and Second Step ($570 per elementary classroom kit, digital licenses quoted). Yale publishes the RULER Institute fee ($6,000 for three participants) but not subscription costs. Everyone else quotes by school or district size.

When you request a quote, ask for a three-year total that separates licenses, print consumables, training, coaching and renewal increases. Confirm whether Spanish or other language versions cost extra, whether family materials are included, and what happens to digital access if you pause for a year. Then compare the three-year total against the cost of staff time: a 30-minute weekly lesson across a 25-teacher elementary school is roughly 400 teacher hours a year, which dwarfs most license fees. The expensive mistake is not the price tag, it is a program that is bought and quietly abandoned.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Skipping a pilot and discovering in October that lessons run 15 minutes long.
• Buying a lesson-based program with no plan for adult SEL or classroom practices between lessons.
• Treating the CASEL badge as a stopping point instead of reading the evaluation details.
• Forgetting to align the program's language with the check-in questions, discipline approach and assessment tools you already use.

See our guide to the five SEL competencies for a refresher on what these programs target, and ESSA and SEL for making the case under federal funding rules.