The Incorporation of Social-Emotional Competencies into School Curricula (2020–2025): A Comparative Analysis between Europe, the United States, and Latin America

Abstract

This article examines the integration of social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies into school curricula across Europe, the United States, and Latin America between 2020 and 2025, aiming to identify regulatory progress and the persisting gap between recommendation and curricular enforcement. A narrative review was conducted based on 52 documents selected from an initial corpus of 124 records retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, and institutional repositories such as UNESCO, OECD, CASEL, and the European Commission. Boolean search strings and filters by language, publication type, and date were applied. The findings reveal substantial heterogeneity among regions: the European Union issues non-binding guidelines, with only nine countries having partially integrated SEL; the United States has state-level standards adopted by 49 states but lacks a coherent federal framework; and in Latin America, only Brazil and Chile have formally incorporated SEL into their national curricula. The main obstacles identified include the absence of reliable indicators, limited teacher preparation, and a lack of longitudinal evaluation mechanisms. In conclusion, although SEL has achieved significant discursive visibility, its regulatory consolidation remains weak. Strengthening teacher training through certified micro-credentials, developing comparable evaluation frameworks, and ensuring stable funding are proposed as essential steps toward institutionalizing socio-emotional wellbeing policies in educational systems.