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Both the 2018 USG Strategy on International Basic Education and the 2018 USAID Education Policy emphasize the importance of social and emotional skills or soft skills in assuring the long-term success of children and youth. Through the Strategy and Policy, USAID is providing new opportunities to systematically design, measure, implement, and understand the impact of programs that build social and emotional skills or soft skills for children and youth.

To support USAID staff and implementing partners in this work, this brief:

• Provides an introductory understanding of what USAID means by the terms “social and emotional skills” and “soft skills” and how to communicate about them.
• Specifies the desired outcomes and quality standards for programming that teach social and emotional skills or soft skills.
• Identifies areas in which evidence and best practices still have gaps, and areas in which we should consider investing in further learning.