I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6120 
To establish a competitive grant program for parent engagement that would 
focus on the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs 
designed to increase capacity of parents to demonstrate and teach chil-
dren social and emotional skills and of teachers to work with parents 
to develop these skills. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 14, 2018 
Mr. RYAN of Ohio introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish a competitive grant program for parent engage-
ment that would focus on the development, implementa-
tion, and evaluation of programs designed to increase 
capacity of parents to demonstrate and teach children 
social and emotional skills and of teachers to work with 
parents to develop these skills. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Social and Emotional 
Learning for Families Act’’ or the ‘‘SELF Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts appropriated to 
carry out this Act, the Secretary of Education shall award 
grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to de-
velop, implement and evaluate formal and informal parent 
education programs in partnership with the entities de-
scribed in subsection (c)(3). The programs should be de-
signed with objectives to— 
(1) provide instruction to parents on social and 
emotional skills; 
(2) provide instruction to parents on effective 
strategies for teaching and reinforcing these same 
skills to their children; and 
(3) provide training to teachers or school staff 
to support parent efforts to teach and reinforce chil-
dren’s social and emotional skills at home. 
(b) MAXIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.—The total amount 
of a grant awarded under this Act may not exceed 
$1,200,000. 
(c) USES OF FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity receiving a 
grant under this subpart shall use such funds to 
carry out a program at elementary schools and sec-
ondary schools served that— 
(A) involves instruction of social and emo-
tional skills based on research-based and lo-
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cally-relevant instructional materials for teach-
ers and parents; 
(B) provides professional development for 
pre-service and in-service teachers and other 
professional educators to engage parents and 
teach them social and emotional learning skills; 
(C) provides direct instruction on social 
and emotional learning to parents at hours 
when parents are available and in places that 
are convenient and easily accessible; 
(D) incorporates evidence-based practices 
to increase diversity of families participating in 
the program; 
(E) encourages participation of parents 
from the school, partner agencies, or commu-
nity organizations working with families to 
mentor the parents participating in the pro-
gram; and 
(F) is designed to result in improved meas-
urable child outcomes, including positive social 
behavior and academic outcomes. 
(2) STATE
EDUCATIONAL
AGENCIES.—In the 
case of an eligible entity that is a State educational 
agency, such entity shall award subgrants, on a com-
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petitive basis, to local educational agencies to carry 
out the program described in paragraph (1). 
(3) PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.—Each el-
igible entity awarded a grant under this Act and 
each local educational agency awarded a subgrant 
under this Act shall be encouraged to carry out the 
program funded under the grant in partnership with 
one or more of the following: 
(A) Elementary schools or secondary 
schools. 
(B) Institutions of higher education. 
(C) Nonprofit organizations. 
(D) Community-based organizations. 
(E) Public or private entities with dem-
onstrated record of success in delivering edu-
cational support. 
(d) APPLICATIONS.—An application for a grant 
under this Act submitted by an eligible entity shall dem-
onstrate long-term commitment for the proposed program 
through— 
(1) providing laboratory and instructional 
space; 
(2) commitment to scaling successful programs 
for parent education and involvement in social and 
emotional learning in elementary schools and sec-
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ondary schools under the jurisdiction of the eligible 
entity; and 
(3) commitment to serving diverse groups such 
as underrepresented or economically disadvantaged 
families. 
(e) ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
1 year after the first grant is awarded under this Act, 
and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress and make publicly available, a report on activi-
ties and results under this Act. Such reports shall de-
scribe— 
(1) the total number of grant applications re-
ceived for the preceding each year; 
(2) the number and geographic distribution of 
the grants for such year and for all grants awarded 
under this Act; 
(3) participation of minority-serving institutions 
of higher education, such as historically Black col-
leges and universities and Hispanic-serving institu-
tions; 
(4) participation of underrepresented and eco-
nomically disadvantaged families; 
(5) plans for collaboration among eligible enti-
ties receiving a grant under this Act; 
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(6) overall program outcomes and issues of con-
cern; and 
(7) recommendations for program revisions to 
achieve the desired program outcome. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) an institution of higher education; 
(B) a State educational agency; 
(C) a local educational agency, in the case 
in which the local educational agency is not re-
ceiving a subgrant under this Act for the fiscal 
year for which the agency is applying for a 
grant under this Act; or 
(D) a consortium of any of the entities de-
scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (C). 
(2) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘elementary 
school’’, ‘‘evidence-based’’, ‘‘local educational agen-
cy’’, ‘‘parent’’, ‘‘professional development’’, ‘‘sec-
ondary school’’, and ‘‘State educational agency’’ 
have the meanings given the terms in section 8101 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(3) 
HISPANIC-SERVING
INSTITUTION.—The 
term Hispanic-serving institution has the meaning 
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given the term in section 502 of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101(a)). 
(4) HISTORICALLY
BLACK
COLLEGE
OR
UNI-
VERSITY.—The ‘‘Historically Black college or univer-
sity’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘part B insti-
tution’’ in section 322 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). 
(5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 
(6) INSTRUCTION.—The term ‘‘instruction’’ 
means activities that— 
(A) emphasize communication of knowl-
edge concerning— 
(i) parenting fundamentals; and 
(ii) social and emotional skills in 
adults and children; 
(B) provide opportunities to practice par-
enting fundamentals and social and emotional 
skills through interactive activities between par-
ents and their children; and 
(C) are aligned with and integrated into 
parent involvement and engagement standards 
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that may exist in the applicable State or that 
may be developed. 
(7) 
MINORITY-SERVING
INSTITUTION.—The 
term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means an insti-
tution of higher education described in section 
371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1067q). 
(8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
(9) SOCIAL
AND
EMOTIONAL
SKILLS.—The 
term ‘‘social and emotional skills’’ includes— 
(A) self-awareness, or having a realistic 
perception of one’s own values, interests, and 
strengths, and being able to recognize one’s 
own emotions; 
(B) self-management, or how well one 
manages emotions, impulses, and stress, and is 
able to establish and achieve goals and exercise 
self-discipline; 
(C) social awareness, or the ability to take 
the perspective of and empathize with someone 
else and to appreciate and respect diversity; 
(D) relationship skills, or the ability to 
participate in healthy, cooperative, and caring 
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relationships, and effectively resolve conflicts; 
and 
(E) responsible decisionmaking, or the 
ability to recognize and generate good choices, 
evaluate the likely consequences of actions, and 
take responsibility for one’s decisions. 
Æ 
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