Title: Teacher Health and Wellness Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Teacher Health and Wellness Act
This bill directs the National Institutes of Health to carry out a five-year study on reducing teacher stress and increasing teacher retention and well-being by implementing and analyzing the results of any of several types of innovative approaches that include:

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2544 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2544

 To require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to carry 
  out a study to add to the scientific knowledge on reducing teacher 
 stress and increasing teacher retention and well-being, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 18, 2017

Mr. Ryan of Ohio (for himself and Mrs. Davis of California) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education 
   and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to carry 
  out a study to add to the scientific knowledge on reducing teacher 
 stress and increasing teacher retention and well-being, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Teacher Health and Wellness Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) High levels of stress are adversely affecting teachers' 
        health. Teachers with high levels of stress are less effective 
        in raising student achievement than their healthier peers.
            (2) Elementary school teachers who have greater stress and 
        show more symptoms of depression create classroom environments 
        that are less conducive to learning.
            (3) Stress is contributing to the high turnover rate among 
        teachers, which causes instability for students and 
        communities. This leads to higher costs for school districts to 
        train new teachers and hinders students' academic success.
            (4) School organization, low job autonomy, and a lack of 
        ability to access teacher leadership opportunities are main 
        sources of teacher stress. If teachers are unable to manage 
        their stress levels, this leads to lower level teacher 
        instruction, which then impacts student well-being.
            (5) High teacher turnover brings down students' math and 
        language arts scores.
            (6) According to a 2014 Gallup survey, 46 percent of 
        teachers experience high daily stress during the school year. 
        This percentage is tied for the highest rate of high daily 
        stress among occupations and is a significant increase from 
        teacher stress levels in 1985.
            (7) Stress affects the health and well-being of teachers. 
        In a study of high school teachers, 46 percent of teachers were 
        diagnosed with excessive daytime sleepiness and 51 percent with 
        poor sleep quality, which compromises health quality of life 
        and teaching performance.

SEC. 3. STUDY ON REDUCING TEACHER STRESS AND INCREASING TEACHER 
              RETENTION AND WELL-BEING.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the National Institutes of Health 
shall carry out a five-year study on reducing teacher stress and 
increasing teacher retention and well-being by implementing and 
analyzing the results of any of the following programs:
            (1) Workplace wellness programs that are designed to 
        improve teacher health, attendance, and engagement.
            (2) Social emotional learning programs that help teachers 
        improve student engagement in the classroom.
            (3) Teacher stress management programs that improve teacher 
        performance.
            (4) Mentoring and induction programs during the school year 
        and teacher pre-service that improve teacher well-being.
            (5) Organizational interventions such as principal training 
        programs that reduce stress through supervisor/peer support and 
        increasing opportunities for teachers to participate in 
        professional learning communities, teacher leadership 
        positions, and decision making regarding school interventions 
        and management.
            (6) Teacher residency programs that provide mental health 
        and psychological support.
            (7) Complementary health approaches, such as mindfulness 
        meditation, that improve teacher performance.
            (8) School reorganization that creates the conditions to 
        facilitate the transmission and sharing of knowledge among 
        teachers.
            (9) Other innovative evidence-based approaches that reduce 
        stress and increase well-being in the teaching profession, 
        which may include increased compensation.
    (b) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the end of 
        the study carried out under subsection (a), the Director shall 
        submit to the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
        House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, 
        Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report 
        including--
                    (A) the results of the study carried out under 
                subsection (a); and
                    (B) recommendations for--
                            (i) decreasing teacher stress and 
                        increasing teacher retention and well-being; 
                        and
                            (ii) lowering stress-related health care 
                        costs for teachers.
            (2) Availability.--The Director shall make publicly 
        available the report submitted under paragraph (1).
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Complementary health approach.--The term 
        ``complementary health approach'' includes integrative health 
        care, adjunctive health care, and functional medicine.
            (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the National Institutes of Health.
            (3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001(a)).
            (4) State educational agency.--The term ``State educational 
        agency'' has the meaning given that term in section 8101 of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
    (d) No Additional Funds Authorized.--No additional funds are 
authorized to carry out the requirements of this Act. Such requirements 
shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized.
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