• Skills for Learning & Life

    What are Skills for Learning & Life (SLL)?

    Skills for Learning & Life (SLL) lead to youth and adults achieving academic, post-secondary, career and life success. SLL strengthens teaching and learning of academic content, builds confidence, supports mental health, and enables youth and adults to overcome challenges.

    The School District of Palm Beach County's SLL Framework is based upon required Health Instruction as outlined in Florida State Statute 1003.43(2)(o)(4) and involves acquiring and effectively applying knowledge, attitudes, and skills of self-awareness and self-management, responsible decision-making, resiliency, relationship skills (including conflict resolution), and social awareness (including understanding and respecting other viewpoints and backgrounds).  In addition, the SLL Themes help students work towards achieving the outcomes of the Florida Character Education Standards. 

    These competencies represent life skills that build confidence, support mental and emotional health, and enable youth and adults to overcome challenges.

    • Self-Awareness & Self-Management: Ability to recognize your strengths and opportunities for growth with a well-grounded sense of confidence and purpose, and better understand how to work through your thoughts and feelings.

    • Resiliency: The ability to bounce back after challenges and tough times. Resilience develops when we experience challenges and learn to deal with them in positive ways.

    • Social Awareness: Ability to better understand different viewpoints and backgrounds and have empathy and compassion for others.

    • Relationship Skills: Ability to communicate clearly, connect with others, and resolve conflict in a constructive way.

    • Responsible Decision-Making: Ability to make caring and constructive choices, analyze your actions and how they can affect yourself and others, and find solutions.

    Why are These Skills Important?

    Decades of research confirm that the these skills:

    • Boost Academics: Increase student academic performance by up to 11 percentile points.

    • Improve Mental Health and Wellness: Help students manage stress and depression, improve their attitudes about themselves, others, and school, and increase well-being.

    • Benefit ALL Student Groups: Show an impact on development across all demographics and backgrounds.

    • Support Workforce Development: Six out of the top 10 in-demand career skills involve life skills, such as complex problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity.

    • Resiliency Education: Build skills to include  Character, Personal Responsibility, Mentorship and Citizenship; and Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, for students to meet Florida Resiliency Education Standards.