“For the first time ever, both houses of Congress have included social and emotional learning in drafts of the federal government's bellwether education legislation. On February 9, Representative John Kline (R-MI), chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, introduced the "Student Success Act" (HR3989)  and the "Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act" (HR3990). The definition of professional development in the "Student Success Act" states:

‘The term professional development . . . includes activities that . . . advance teacher understanding of instructional strategies that are (I) evidence-based, (II) strategies for improving student academic achievement or substantially increasing the knowledge and teaching skills of teachers, including through addressing the social and emotional development needs of students....’

Although the overall House legislation is controversial and will not likely pass in its present form, this is an important step in getting social and emotional learning written into the language of the final bill. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee already included social and emotional learning in its version of the ESEA reauthorization bill late last year.”

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