- CASEL (Consortium for Academic & Social Emotional Learning) is the lead SEL organization. They are primarily funded by the Bill Gates Foundation, the Zuckerberg Institute, and other global corporate entities.
- CASEL claims it’s origins from the Fetzer Institute.
- Who is John E. Fetzer, founder of the Fetzer Institute? More importantly for Catholics, what is Fetzer’s foundational principles and worldview? In a word: Occultism.
- John Fetzer was a devotee of Alice Bailey. He read and owned all her books and recited her invocation after every meeting of his inner circle.
- Fetzer was a 33rd Degree Scottish Freemason. He was into channeling, seances, and other occult practices.
- Alice Bailey was married to a 32 nd Degree Freemason. In 1922 she started the Lucifer Publishing Company to publish all her books. In 1924 she changed the name to Lucius Trust. They are the largest publisher of occult materials in the U.S.
- There is an abundance of information available to verify that both Fetzer and Alice Bailey were into the occult. This is the root organization of Social Emotional Learning.
- Parents may find a random program not tied to CASEL (see below). However, before making the claim SEL is a good idea, parents and schools should realize the roots of the thing they are calling “good.”
- The Minnesota Department of Education aligns all SEL curricula to CASEL.
More on CASEL, in their own words:
- The purpose of SEL is “Equity” (“SEL is a lever for equity.”) [EQUITY DEFINITION: Equal outcomes by identity group. It divides all people into racial and identity groups that are either oppressors or oppressed, believes that ‘white privilege’ is systemic to our legal structures, and that America is fundamentally racist and our institutions must be dismantled.] https://casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/equity-and-SEL-.pdf
- How Does SEL Support Educational Equity and Excellence? – CASEL “District practices aim to explicitly position and communicate about SEL as a lever for equity by (1) 2 establishing values, commitments, or standards that communicate districts’ priorities around equity and the alignment of SEL to these priorities and (2) creating organizational structures and partnerships to synergistically coordinate SEL and equity efforts.” CASEL-Gateway-Advancing-SELfor-Equity-Excellence.pdf (p. 8)
- CASEL: The purpose of social emotional learning is to “make explicit issues such as power, privilege, prejudice, discrimination, social justice, empowerment, and self-determination” with the goal of developing “justice-oriented, global citizens.” Who defines justice and what is it based upon? What is required of a global citizen? Frameworks-Equity.pdf (casel.org)
- In CASEL’s document, they define the five competencies through an “equity lens.” For example: “SEL is relevant for all students in all schools and affirms diverse cultures and backgrounds. All students bring to school their identities, strengths, values, lived experiences, and culture. SEL does not seek to have students conform to the values and preferences of the dominant culture but uplifts and promotes understanding of the assets of diverse individuals and communities.” SEL As a Lever for Equity | CASEL District Resource Center
- Resources:
- General points on what SEL is: https://cplaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2023-SEL-talking-points.pdf
- James Lindsay: What is SEL, Occult roots https://youtu.be/vd35sdYSVDM?si=vtCFUEhwwiJ3X5bO
- SEL curricula NOT tied to CASEL: https://thefederalist.com/2022/09/02/four-social-and-emotional-learning-programs-that-wont-corrupt-your-child/
