The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), emphasizes evidence-based interventions while giving states and districts new flexibility on the use of federal funds, including resources that could be used to support social and emotional learning (SEL). Researchers at the RAND Corporation reviewed recent evidence on U.S.-based SEL interventions for K–12 students to better inform the use of SEL interventions under ESSA.
Their report discusses the opportunities for supporting SEL under ESSA, the standards of evidence under ESSA, and SEL interventions that meet the standards of evidence and might be eligible for federal funds through ESSA. Federal, state, and district education policymakers can use this report to identify relevant, evidence-based SEL interventions that meet their local needs. A companion volume catalogues these interventions in more detail and outlines the research that has examined them.