What will students need to know and be able to do in order to thrive in our fast-changing, complex, and interconnected world? For educators today, this is a driving question and one which social and emotional learning (SEL) addresses in a systematic way. SEL also provides a structure for organizing education to ensure students are equipped for the global future they will inherit. The purpose of this chapter is to explore how SEL can serve as an organizing framework to optimize education. We define social and emotional competencies and review evidence-based SEL programming in schools, including recent research on the efficacy of SEL programs and specific program design characteristics. We conclude with case examples and anecdotes of implementation of SEL in school systems.