Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/focus-on-social-and-emotional-health-raises-test-scores Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript A new trend in public schools is helping students focus not just on math and science, but also on their feelings. John Tulenko of Learning Matters reports on how social and emotional learning is improving test scores. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. JIM LEHRER: Next tonight, learning about reading, writing and feelings. Our story comes from special correspondent John Tulenko of Learning Matters, which produces education stories for the NewsHour. STUDENT: My name is Claudia. And when I'm very angry, I cry and scream. JOHN TULENKO: Once a week in Sherley Guerrero's fourth-grade classroom, students set aside academics to focus on a different kind of learning. STUDENTS: I feel angry when you bother me because I need respect. JOHN TULENKO: Guerrero's students at Public School 24 in Brooklyn, New York, are learning to identify their feelings and communicate what's behind them. It's part of a small, but growing movement in education called social and emotional learning.Today's lesson is about self-expression, using what's called an "I" message. STUDENT: My name is Julia. And when I'm angry, I, like, want to yell at people.SHERLEY GUERRERO, Public School 24: An "I" message is basically a way to communicate. It opens up communication, and it helps kids do exactly that: express their feelings and what they need.We have to talk about what we feel, because that's the only way that we're going to solve our problems.A lot of children hold in what they're feeling and then that's what interferes with their learning.They're going to embrace the anger, but we're going to transform… JOHN TULENKO: Watching you in your class, I thought, "She's their therapist." SHERLEY GUERRERO: No, far from it. That's not what we're doing. It's not about therapy. It's about giving them the tools they need so that they can deal with those emotions so that they can focus on the academics. JOHN TULENKO: Down the hall, a different kind of lesson. The teacher is Martin Alvarado.MARTIN ALVARADO, Public School 24: So, Kevin, do you want to start? STUDENT: Mr. Alvarado, I have a problem outside in the schoolyard, that a kid is calling me a villit (ph) and — Mr. Alvarado? MARTIN ALVARADO: Yes?My lesson today was on active listening. I wanted them to actually see what poor listening looked like. STUDENT: I can't do stuff, because I'm weak. Mr. Alvarado, are you listening? MARTIN ALVARADO: Yes, I'm listening.If you're actively listening, you can better understand where one person is coming from, from their own point of view. STUDENT: Mr. Alvarado?