Learning With Heart: How Emotional Intelligence Drives Academic Growth
In today’s rapidly changing world, academic success requires more than strong test scores or content mastery. At Premier Charter School (PCS), we believe that learning with heart—developing emotional intelligence alongside academic skills—is essential to helping students thrive both in school and in life. This belief sits at the core of The Premier Way: a whole-child, character-driven approach to learning that prepares students to become critical thinkers, compassionate leaders, and responsible community members.
Why Emotional Intelligence Matters in Education
Emotional intelligence includes skills such as self-awareness, empathy, self-management, relationship building, and responsible decision-making. These skills are foundational—not only for personal growth, but for academic success as well. Research consistently shows that students with strong social-emotional skills demonstrate:
Improved academic performance
Greater resilience and perseverance
Stronger relationships with peers and adults
Increased engagement and motivation
When students understand their emotions and learn how to manage them, they are better equipped to focus, collaborate, and problem-solve—skills that directly support literacy development, mathematical reasoning, and critical thinking across content areas.
Teaching the Whole Child—Every Day
At PCS, emotional intelligence is not a separate program or occasional lesson. It is woven intentionally into daily instruction across grade levels. In classrooms, students learn empathy, appreciation for others, and self-awareness alongside reading comprehension, writing, and mathematical reasoning.
Teachers explicitly model and teach skills such as:
Naming and regulating emotions
Listening with understanding
Resolving conflicts respectfully
Reflecting on personal growth
These practices create learning environments where students feel safe taking academic risks and confident expressing their ideas.
Using Data to Support Social-Emotional Growth
Just as we use assessments to guide academic instruction, we also rely on tools such as the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) to better understand and support students’ social-emotional development. The DESSA allows educators to identify student strengths and areas for growth in key competencies like self-management, relationship skills, and personal responsibility.
This data-driven approach ensures that:
Students receive targeted support when needed
Small groups and interventions are intentional and responsive
Growth is monitored over time, just as it is in reading and math
By treating social-emotional learning with the same importance as academics, we reinforce the message that who students are becoming matters just as much as what they are learning.
Stronger Relationships, Stronger Learning
One of the most powerful outcomes of emotional intelligence instruction is the strength of relationships within our school community. Students who feel known, valued, and understood are more engaged learners. Teachers build meaningful connections with students, and students learn to support one another with kindness, respect, and care.
These strong relationships help foster:
A positive and inclusive school climate
Increased student confidence and voice
A deep sense of belonging that fuels academic success
At PCS, we believe learning thrives when every student feels known, valued, and a true sense of belonging.
Preparing Students for Life Beyond the Classroom
Academic achievement opens doors—but character and emotional intelligence determine how students walk through them. By teaching students to reflect, empathize, and persevere, we prepare them not only for the next grade level, but for lifelong success as learners, leaders, and citizens.
Learning with heart is not an add-on—it is the foundation. And at Premier Charter School, it is how we ensure every child is empowered to grow, achieve, and lead with purpose.
