This paper reviews literature relating to social and emotional (SE) issues that affect students within the school context. The three themes that emerged from the reviews include the particular SE issues affecting school performance, interventions and strategies assisting students who experience SE issues, and supportive people and environments. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize previous research conducted with the intention of enhancing my knowledge in relation to my current professional position, which involves working with students who experience SE issues in an alternative educational setting. The results of this synthesis are discussed in the context of the emergent themes. Discussion is centred not only on how these research findings relate to my professional position, but also on how implementation will be incorporated into school programming as a result of research discoveries.