I'm against implementing anything regarding SEL (Social Emotional Standards of Learning) in public schools. The goal of education is academics. How does SEL serve the goal of academics? It's merely likely to direct more precious time away from teaching and learning academic subjects.

Worldwide, the USA is 'perceived' to have the second best educational system. Why, then, do so many various countries of the world consistently rank above the USA, especially in the academic areas of math and science? In 2018, the latest year in which I could find information, the USA ranked 38th in math and 24th in science globally. This is unacceptable! Further, the USA's rankings have been falling for the past three decades.

Time and resources need to be spent on thoroughly grasping the basics of education: reading, writing, and arithmetic from elementary grades through high school. Students should not be pushed through the system until they ready for the next level of education. According to an article by CNN 19% of high school graduates are functionally illiterate. America's students deserve better than this.

Mary Martinez