This issue brief was written to assist state policymakers in better understanding how social and emotional learning (SEL) can help students to be college and career ready. The brief provides a short description of what SEL is, why it is needed, and what it looks like in practice. In addition, examples of standards that support SEL at the federal and state levels, current SEL initiatives and programs, and outcomes and measures that can be used to assess SEL programming are described. A list of resources is included at the end of this brief for policymakers who are interested in learning more. The framework used in this brief aligns with the "College and Career Development Organizer," developed by the National High School Center (National High School Center, 2012). In the following sections, we describe how SEL fits into each of the three strands focused on (1) goals and expectations for college and career readiness, (2) pathways and supports for college and career preparation, and (3) outcomes and measures for college and career success. In the first section of the brief, we describe what high school graduates should know and be able to do. In the second section, we discuss what policies, programs, and structures will help high school graduates meet expectations. And, in the third section, we describe how we know when high school graduates meet expectations.