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The purpose of this brief is to introduce a developmental framework for states working to systematically integrate evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) with career and workforce development efforts. Career and workforce development is a well-known, nonpartisan strategy for preparing students for postsecondary success in schools. According to the Coalition for Career Development Center (CCD), career development is "a process that informs individuals about career opportunities, helps them identify their talent, become aware of how their talent transfers into a wide range of occupational opportunities and enables them to make effective decisions on the academic and postsecondary pathways that will enable them to pursue their career and life goals" (CCD, 2021). Adopting this definition, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) uses the term "career and workforce development" to capture the diversity of approaches and efforts employed by states to describe this process and the efforts that support it. CASEL, the Coalition for Career Development Center, and CIVIC created this developmental framework in collaboration with eight states (Delaware, Kansas, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wisconsin) participating in the CASEL Collaborating States Initiative (CSI) SEL and Career and Workforce Development Community of Practice (CoP). This community of practice supports states advancing the integration of SEL with career and workforce development and fosters relationships in which lessons can be shared, common challenges can be discussed, and innovative ideas can be discovered. Specific strategies for the integration of SEL and career and workforce development efforts are being co-constructed through our partnership with states. [This report was prepared with the Coalition for Career Development Center (CCD) and CASEL's Collaborating States Initiative (CSI) partners.]

This document is designed to help guide the process of developing, implementing, and sustaining social and emotional learning (SEL) policies and practices by state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) that want to implement SEL policies and guidelines. Based on their extensive experience supporting state and district teams, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and American Institutes for Research (AIR) designed this tool to support teams as they work through the process of developing policies and guidance. The document identifies steps to complete the process and should be used in combination with more content-driven documents. Included is a flow chart of the process they recommend for writing and implementing SEL policies and guidelines, which may include learning goals or standards for student social and emotional competencies. [For more content-driven documents about the process of articulating learning goals for SEL, see "Systemic Social and Emotional Learning for States. Theory of Action" (ED617366) and "Key Features of High-Quality Policies and Guidelines to Support Social and Emotional Learning: Recommendations and Examples for the Collaborating States Initiative (CSI)" (ED581623).]