Students are heading back to school across America after a challenging few years which brought major changes to their lives. One learning framework increasingly implemented in schools is called social emotional learning, or SEL. In Building Classroom Connections, from TODAY and sponsored by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, we dive into just what SEL looks like in practice and explore whether this framework is the future of education.

Walking the halls of Chicago International Charter School in the city’s Bucktown neighborhood, you’re likely to hear some interesting terms. Empathy interviews. Restorative justice. It’s all part of the school’s social emotional learning approach. But what does this teaching terminology look like in practice? In this episode of Building Classroom Connections, from TODAY and sponsored by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, we speak with students and educators about how SEL affects their experiences at school and outside the classroom.

Priscilla Chan, CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, credits her teachers with inspiring her academic success. And so do the students at Valor College Prep, a Nashville school with a whole child approach to education supported in part by her organization. In this episode of Building Classroom Connections, from TODAY and sponsored by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, NBC’s Morgan Radford talks to Chan about CZI’s commitment to education initiatives and the importance of fostering strong student-teacher relationships. And, students and teachers tell their stories, about the kind of collaborative strategies helping them succeed together.