In a day when online shopping and instant messages encourage gratification now, kids need more help with that practice. One strong conclusion by the scientists who studied the Dunedin, New Zealand, kids was the need for interventions that boost self-control, particularly during early childhood and the teen years. The SEL programs fill the bill, covering the years from kindergarten through high school.
It’s intriguing that Singapore has become the first country in the world to require every one of its students go through an SEL program. The tiny city-state represents one of the great economic success stories of the last fifty years, as a paternalistic government built a diminutive nation into an economic powerhouse. Singapore has no natural resources, no great army, no special political sway. Its secret lies in its people — and the government has intentionally cultivated these human resources as the driver of its economy. Schools are the incubator for Singapore’s outstanding workforce. With an eye toward the future, Singapore has partnered with Roger Weissberg, now president of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, to design emotional intelligence–based lesson plans for its schools. And for good reason: one conclusion by economists involved in the Dunedin study was that teaching all kids these skills could shift an entire nation’s income up a few notches, with added gains in their health and a lower crime rate.
— Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence (Daniel Goleman), Loc. 2568–79