This report puts forth the position of the Ministry of Education of Alberta, Canada, with respect to education for the social development of the elementary school student. The report provides a brief and selective overview of the literature on normal social development during the first 15 years of life in the domains of affective, interpersonal, and moral development. For each domain, the report explains the normal changes that occur from infancy to preschool, during elementary grades, and during adolescence. The section on affective development includes an overview of Eric Erickson's (1950) theory of the stages of psychosocial development and a discussion of student stress. The section on social development includes a list of attributes associated with popularity, a chart showing R. L. Selman's (1980) stages of social development, and a discussion of peer influence. The section on moral development provides an introduction to L. Kohlberg's theories, an overview of L. Nucci's theory of developmental changes in perceptions of social conventions, and a discussion of the formation of stereotypes. Next, guidelines for teaching social skills by role modeling and mediating, by directly or indirectly providing instruction, and by facilitating experiential learning, are provided. Concluding comments underscore the important role of schools in developing children as social beings. A 98-item bibliography is attached. (AC)