In this latest report, the Center for American Progress highlights the importance of social and emotional skills in early development and discusses recent efforts to address these vital learning points through a standards framework. Practitioners and researchers alike are increasingly aware of the impact that non-academic areas of development can have on learning outcomes, particularly in early childhood learning settings. Illinois has created a cohesive framework that incorporates early learning guidelines in pre-school, aligned with the corresponding social-emotional development standards in its K-12 grade continuum. Washington state and Massachusetts have also adopted opportunities for alignment in social-emotional development across the K-12 spectrum, through supplemental guidelines and curricula. According to the paper, having access to these opportunities for personal and academic growth can profoundly affect a student’s success, both in and beyond the classroom.