Although research evidence (e.g. Durlak et al., 2011) and international institutions (e.g. OECD and EU) has recognized the benefits of social, emotional and intercultural (SEI) learning on an individual, classroom and school level, OECD (2015) recognized that these are so far not systematically included in national educational policies across Europe. In addition Cefai et al. (2018) recognised that research on effectiveness of SEI learning policy approaches has been rather limited. Several initiatives, including policy experimentation projects like HiH, has thus been initiated at the EU level in order to recognize, how SEI learning is implemented in EU member states and how existing and newly developed effective policy approaches could be mainstreamed across the EU in order to support achieving EU goals in the field. The paper will focus on the analysis of the existence, importance and understanding of SEI learning in European education area in the last almost two decades (2000-2019). It will demonstrate how SEI learning has been defined at the EU level and how these (and other) understandings are reflected in SEI learning policies in selected EU member states participating in the HiH project. As such it will address the following research question: Which policy environment seems to best promote and support the development of SEI competences of students and school staff and therefore achieve common EU goals in the field? The paper is based on 1) Analysis of documents of EU institutions in the field (e.g. European Commission Communications, Council Conclusions); 2) Preliminary analyses of the results of the HiH policy experimentation; 3) Policy questionnaire developed and administered in five member states involved in the HiH policy experimentation (Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Slovenia, Sweden) analysing: a) national and regional policies regarding SEI learning; b) policy-research literature on policy initiatives regarding SEI learning and its impact; c) evidence-based evaluations and their implementations in the field of school education. Answers to policy questionnaire are based on national reviews of formal national / regional policy documents, basic legislative documents and operational documents, statistical information, formal national reports to international networks and organisations and policy-oriented research studies.

Cefai, C.; Bartolo P. A.; Cavioni. V; Downes, P. (2018). Strengthening Social and Emotional Education as a core curricular area across the EU. A review of the international evidence, NESET II report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta‐analysis of school‐based universal interventions. Child development, 82(1), 405–432. HAND in HAND policy questionnaire. Unpublished material. OECD (2015). Skills for Social Progress: The Power of Social and Emotional Skills. Paris: OECD Publishing.