SRES-624-119
Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text: CR S734-735)
Sponsored by Richard Durbin (D-IL)
What it does
This resolution would express the Senate's support for designating the week of March 2–6, 2026, as "National Social and Emotional Learning Week." It is a symbolic measure only — it would not create any new programs, allocate any funding, or impose any requirements on schools, states, or individuals.
Who benefits
Advocates and nonprofit organizations that promote social and emotional learning (SEL) programs, who gain a platform and national visibility. School districts and educators already implementing SEL curricula, whose work receives symbolic federal recognition. Publishers and vendors of SEL instructional materials, who may benefit from increased public awareness. Students in schools with SEL programs, to the extent that recognition encourages broader adoption.
Who is hurt
No group faces a direct material harm from a symbolic resolution. Parents and advocacy groups who oppose SEL curricula in schools — viewing them as overstepping academic boundaries or reflecting particular values — may object to the federal government lending its endorsement to the practice. Competing educational priorities or awareness designations receive no corresponding recognition.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that social and emotional learning has a well-documented evidence base, with a 2017 meta-analysis published in Child Development finding that students in SEL programs showed an 11-percentile-point gain in academic achievement compared to peers without such programs. They contend that formal Senate recognition raises public awareness of a proven approach to student well-being and academic success, at no cost to taxpayers and with no mandates on schools or states.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that even symbolic federal recognition of SEL signals a federal preference for a contested pedagogical approach, one that some parents and researchers contend prioritizes social values instruction over core academic content. They contend that education is constitutionally a state and local function under the Tenth Amendment, and that Congress lending its imprimatur — even without funding or mandates — nudges schools toward federally favored curricula in ways that may not reflect community values.