Senate Officially Designates National Social and Emotional Learning Week to Support Student Mental Health

40% of U.S. high schoolers reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2023 — and only 48% of public schools say they can effectively provide mental health services to all students who need them

83% of U.S. school principals reported using an SEL curriculum in 2023–24 — up from 46% in 2017–18 — and 49 states plus D.C. have at least one policy actively promoting SEL

A meta-analysis of 270,000 students found SEL participants scored 11 percentile points higher academically than non-participants — but a 2025 meta-analysis of 24,510 students found smaller effects and a thin evidence base for middle schoolers

Proponents cite an 11-to-1 return on investment for SEL programs — $11 in societal benefits for every $1 spent — while U.S. schools already spend an estimated $21–47 billion per year on SEL when including teacher time

Bills in at least 8 states have sought to ban or restrict SEL, and 16% of educators say their school rebranded SEL under a different name in the past year to reduce controversy — while continuing to teach the same content