Title: SELF Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Social and Emotional Learning for Families Act or the SELF Act
This bill directs the Department of Education to award competitive grants to state or local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, or partnerships of such entities for the development, implementation, and evaluation of parent-education programs. Such programs shall be designed to: (1) instruct parents on social skills, emotional skills, and effective strategies for teaching and reinforcing such skills to their children; and (2) train teachers or school staff to support parents' efforts to teach and reinforce social and emotional skills at home.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6120 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 children 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 engagement that 
   would focus on the development, implementation, 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 Representatives 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''.

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 develop, implement and evaluate formal and 
informal parent education programs in partnership with the entities 
described in subsection (c)(3). The programs should be designed 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 children'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 secondary schools served that--
                    (A) involves instruction of social and emotional 
                skills based on research-based and locally-relevant 
                instructional materials for teachers 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 community organizations 
                working with families to mentor the parents 
                participating in the program; and
                    (F) is designed to result in improved measurable 
                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 competitive basis, to local educational 
        agencies to carry out the program described in paragraph (1).
            (3) Public-private partnerships.--Each eligible 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 demonstrated 
                record of success in delivering educational support.
    (d) Applications.--An application for a grant under this Act 
submitted by an eligible entity shall demonstrate 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 secondary 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 activities and results under this Act. Such reports shall 
describe--
            (1) the total number of grant applications received 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 colleges and 
        universities and Hispanic-serving institutions;
            (4) participation of underrepresented and economically 
        disadvantaged families;
            (5) plans for collaboration among eligible entities 
        receiving a grant under this Act;
            (6) overall program outcomes and issues of concern; and
            (7) recommendations for program revisions to achieve the 
        desired program outcome.
    (f) Definitions.--
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' 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 receiving 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 described 
                in subparagraphs (A) through (C).
            (2) ESEA terms.--The terms ``elementary school'', 
        ``evidence-based'', ``local educational agency'', ``parent'', 
        ``professional development'', ``secondary 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 given the term in section 
        502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101(a)).
            (4) Historically black college or university.--The 
        ``Historically Black college or university'' has the meaning 
        given the term ``part B institution'' 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 knowledge 
                concerning--
                            (i) parenting fundamentals; and
                            (ii) social and emotional skills in adults 
                        and children;
                    (B) provide opportunities to practice parenting 
                fundamentals and social and emotional skills through 
                interactive activities between parents and their 
                children; and
                    (C) are aligned with and integrated into parent 
                involvement and engagement standards that may exist in 
                the applicable State or that may be developed.
            (7) Minority-serving institution.--The term ``minority-
        serving institution'' means an institution 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 
                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.
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