The purpose of this study is to examine elementary teachers' perceptions of SEL and its association with students' social-emotional competency. This study's population was teachers in an elementary school in a suburban Atlanta school district. Research participants were selected through purposive or criterion sampling. Each participant was emailed the Teacher SEL Beliefs scale through the University of West Georgia Qualtrics platform. The survey was used to evaluate teachers' perceptions of SEL programs. Following the survey, participants completed the DESSA-mini, a Likert rating scale to assess students' social-emotional competency. A correlational analysis indicated a strong positive linear correlation between teachers' perceptions of SEL and students' social-emotional competency as measured by the scales used in this study. After conducting the Teacher SEL Beliefs survey and the DESSA-mini, the collected data from the participants were analyzed using UWG Qualtrics to calculate the mean score. Subsequently, three teachers were sampled from high and low scorers for a semi-structured interview. A qualitative data analysis using QCA yielded three categories and 12 subcategories. Categories included the following: (a) the role of a teacher, (b) successes, and (c) challenges. In connecting the results to effective SEL implementation practices, this study's analysis suggests that teachers and school leaders must consider contributing factors associated with student outcomes, including implementing several strategies. Future studies should consider a mixed-method study with a larger sample size, conduct an experimental design that allows for causation via random group assignment, and include interviews with educational administrators who could contribute valuable insights to the research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]