Successful social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have established methods with teacher and peer support that improve prosocial behavior. Research has shown intervention programs that incorporate these skills reduce antisocial behaviors, but implementation in schools may vary and therefore affect outcomes. The purpose of this non-experimental program evaluation study was to understand the perceptions of implementation, impact, acceptability, and effects of Second Step within a suburban elementary classroom in the northeastern United States. The participants were teachers in a suburban elementary school near a large northeastern US city. A questionnaire, observations, interviews, a focus group, and school collected data (e.g., Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) testing) were used to answer the research questions. Participants reported perceptions that Second Step had positive effects on academic performance. PSSA data showed that student academic performance appeared to be minimally affected or unaffected by Second Step. Results from the questionnaire, interviews, and focus group suggest teachers believed Second Step improved student behavior. However, the school did not collect behavioral data (e.g., suspensions, referrals, detentions, etc.) prior to or after Second Step adoption. Limited training and other factors may explain why reported fidelity to the curriculum appeared inconsistent with observational measures. Participant bias may have also influenced interview and focus group data. Despite limitations, schools that adopt Second Step should rely on evaluations to determine whether intended impacts are realized. Also, Second Step and other SEL curriculum researchers should consider providing guidance about implementation, assessment, and cost-benefit analysis. Researchers could investigate systematic changes to lesson content and delivery in ways that allow teachers to adapt or modify instruction without compromising curricular effects. / Special Education

This descriptive study provides insight on the prevalence of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) screening and school psychologists' roles in that screening process in Utah schools. EBD screening plays an important role in implementing Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). An electronic questionnaire was sent to 260 practicing Utah school psychologists. A total of 89 of those school psychologists completed the survey resulting in a 34% participation rate. Twelve percent (n=11) of participants reported that EBD screening was happening in their schools. Participants reported that the lack of resources to address student needs, the lack of administrative support, and the school having too many other concerns were barriers to EBD screening implementation. Survey results also reported that successful EBD screening consisted of a combined effort consisting of teams, administration, and school districts. Additionally, school psychologists reported that their role in EBD screening should mainly be focused on data interpretation and intervention implementation. The goal of this thesis project was to increase awareness of how universal EBD screening was occurring in Utah schools.

<p>This qualitative single case study examined the social and emotional needs of teachers and what they need from principals to nurture the use of effective social and emotional competencies. Individual interviews were conducted with secondary teachers from one school district in Indiana.  Three themes emerged.  Teachers need: (1) boundaries, (2) space and time, and (3) collaboration and connectedness.  In addition, this study explored what principals could do to nurture the social and emotional needs of teachers.  Six findings were reported: Principals should (1) have a clear understanding of SEL competencies (2) nurture unique opportunities for collaboration (3) nurture a variety of topics on which to collaborate with teachers (4) provide the space and time necessary for teachers to process (5) model work-life balance (6) nurture personal connections between adults within the school.  These findings will help principals develop their leadership skills in supporting teachers in their application of social and emotional learning competencies.</p>

Dropping out of high school is a nationally recognized problem which has significant implications for both the individual and society as a whole. Increasing the high school graduation rate will reduce the risk for multiple problem behaviors and poor mental and physical health among at-risk adolescents. GED preparation programs are continually regarded as a second chance mechanism for high school dropouts. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has a foundational basis in the rigorous research that has been conducted, which clearly indicates that our emotions and relationships affect how and what we learn. SEL attempts to enhance the development of what are perceived to be fundamental social and emotional skills and competencies. This study explores the incorporation of SEL in a GED preparation program for adolescent high school dropouts between the ages of 16 and 18. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, the Delphi Method was used to gather consensus through a panel of experts. / Master of Science

The present study investigated the processes and factors which led to increased student achievement at a rural, high poverty, elementary school in 2014-2019. Student academic achievement was measured through the pass rates of students in third, fourth, and fifth grades on the Virginia SOL assessments in English and mathematics. In English, student pass rates increased by 22 percentage points from 2015-2019, and in mathematics, they increased 16 points for the same time period. Due to this growth, the school was recognized as one of the National Distinguished Title I Schools in 2019. Utilizing a case study methodology, interviews were conducted with building level and division level school personnel for a total of 11 participants. Other data were also analyzed such as school improvement plans, student progress monitoring data, and personnel changes at the school. Participants indicated high quality leadership, the creation and cultivation of positive relationships among faculty, staff, and students, and the implementation of the Responsive Classroom program as factors contributing to increased student academic achievement. Furthermore, 50% teacher turnover and subsequent hiring of new teachers or the transferring in of teachers new to the school was identified as a change within the school during the five years being studied. / Doctor of Education / Students in third, fourth, and fifth grades in Virginia public schools take assessments in English, mathematics, science and history, depending on grade level, at the end of each school year to determine their academic success based on common grade level standards. This study focused on a school that improved student pass rates on the English assessment by 22 percentage points and 16 percentage points on the mathematics assessment from 2014-2019. This study examined the processes and factors that went into the increased student achievement through interviews of 11 school level and division level personnel. These interviews provided administrator, teacher, and school staff perceptions of why student achievement increased, and led to the examination of other data such as school improvement plans from 2014-2016, student progress monitoring data, and school staffing changes from 2014-2019. The study found the analysis of student progress monitoring data and subsequent meetings between the teachers and literacy coaches to address student academic needs as having an impact on student achievement. Additionally, the creation and cultivation of positive relationships between faculty, staff, and students, purposeful and high-quality leadership, and the implementation of the Responsive Classroom program were identified as factors increasing student achievement. The school also experienced 50% teacher turnover from 2014-2019. In 2014, the school had 14 teachers and by the end of the study in 2019, seven of those teachers had left for various reason, allowing the building principal to hire or transfer teachers in from other schools who better fit the needs of the school and its students.

No description available.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have become increasingly popular during last 20 years, and have shown to reduce risky behaviors (i.e., substance use), improve communication skills, academic performance, and relationships among students of all ages when implemented in schools (Weissberg, Durlak, Domitrovich, & Gullotta, 2015; Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011). Although the benefits of SEL programs are significant, the issue of implementation fidelity often arises. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of implementation fidelity in the Life Skills Training program (LST) implemented with middle school students of a large South Florida school district. A not-for-profit-organization (NFPO) facilitated the training of teachers who implemented LST within the school district and provided the materials necessary to carry out the program’s lessons. Fidelity was assessed by eight observers from the NFPO by utilizing the Botvin Life Skills Training Fidelity Checklist-Middle School Level 1. Three core elements of implementation fidelity, adherence, quality of delivery, and participant responsiveness, were assessed. The school district was tasked with modifying and conducting the LST Pretest/Posttest Measure to assess student behavior gains. Multilevel modeling was used to assess the effect of individual-level (gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status [SES]) and classroom-level characteristics (adherence, participant responsiveness, and quality of delivery) on student behavior outcomes measured at posttest. Results from this study indicated that on the individual level, students’ race/ethnicity and SES were significantly associated with predicting student behavior gains at posttest. On the classroom level, participant responsiveness was significantly associated with predicting student behavior gains at posttest. The findings from this study make a unique contribution to the literature as it examined frequently overlooked core elements of fidelity such as participant responsiveness and quality of delivery.

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2017-07-10T14:20:55Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Tese_versão_depósito_definitivo_BDTD_AnaPaulaMota.pdf: 2871612 bytes, checksum: a85a607370e6fb57a8988d25d6e3e909 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T14:20:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Tese_versão_depósito_definitivo_BDTD_AnaPaulaMota.pdf: 2871612 bytes, checksum: a85a607370e6fb57a8988d25d6e3e909 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-06-10 / FACEPE / O desenvolvimento integral do ser humano em suas múltiplas dimensões é fundamental para a consolidação de uma formação humana. Como parte dos vários aspectos que integram a formação do homem, evidenciamos as diversas relações entremeadas à dinâmica das emoções. Para vivenciar as emoções de forma construtiva, é necessário um percurso que propicie uma intimidade do ser humano sobre o próprio significado do que são as emoções em si, qual o sentido do surgimento das emoções na própria constituição humana, o que provoca determinadas reações, comportamentos e padrões emocionais, e, como estes refletem em seu agir no mundo. Diante de tal perspectiva, configura-se um verdadeiro exercício e autoconhecimento que deve levar o ser humano a conhecer o que são as emoções, suas várias formas e, sobretudo, entender como elas funcionam, movimento este constituinte do processo de formação humana. Acreditamos que o papel das emoções e das relações são basilares no aspecto formativo-educativo, posto que estar atento ao que fazer quando as emoções surgem é um cuidado essencial ao desenvolvimento humano. Uma vez que a prática pedagógica é um meio para ajudar o educando a aprender a entrar em contato consigo mesmo, as instituições educacionais podem ser passíveis de oportunizar contribuições para a formação humana. Como possibilidade prática, a aprendizagem emocional e relacional em escolas é um tipo de caminho que conduz à formação humana, como propõe o currículo Pensamento, Afetividade e Trabalho com Habilidades Sociais (PATHS). Desenvolvido por Kusché e Greenberg (1994), o PATHS é cientificamente corroborado em diversos países e foi publicado no Brasil em 2012. Tendo tal material de educação emocional disponível em língua portuguesa, nos foi incitado o desejo de pesquisar sua implementação no contexto brasileiro, e, desse modo, realizamos uma investigação na Associação Beneficente dos funcionários do grupo Allianz, localizada na região leste de São Paulo capital. Na ocasião, acompanhamos e analisamos o processo de introdução da implementação baseada no currículo PATHS, bem como o desenvolvimento da aprendizagem emocional e relacional voltada para crianças do Ensino Fundamental I e as repercussões do ensino na prática docente dos educadores participantes da pesquisa durante dois anos letivos. Para isso, como instrumento de pesquisa, utilizamos, no início e no final do período proposto, entrevistas em profundidade e questionário contendo escala de atitudes. A despeito dos testes quantitativos não terem elucidado resultados que comprovem estatisticamente a contribuição que o currículo PATHS propicia ao desenvolvimento do Autocontrole, da Compreensão Emocional, da Autoestima, dos Relacionamentos e da Resolução de Problemas – categorias que compõem, dentre outras, o desenvolvimento das emoções e relações humanas –, foi verificado que houve mudanças positivas na prática docente. Conforme as indicações dos educadores, o currículo PATHS inspirou um tipo de ensino-aprendizagem que forneceu a construção de uma base para um profícuo desenvolvimento emocional e relacional a ser consolidado na formação das crianças. / Integral human development in its multiple dimensions is fundamental for consolidating human formation. As part of various aspects that constitute the formation of the human being, we highlight the diversity of relations interspersed with emotions dynamics. In order to experience emotions in a constructive way, it is necessary a path that provides human beings with some intimacy about the meaning of emotions themselves as well as the meaning of the rising of emotions in the constitution of human nature, besides what provokes certain reactions, behaviors, and emotional patterns, and, how those patterns reflect in the way someone acts in the world. Considering this perspective, such path can be configured as a genuine self-knowledge exercise which may lead the human being to discover what emotions are, their various forms and, above all, understand how they function. This movement contributes to a process of human formation. We believe that the role of emotions and relations is the basis for this formative-educational path given the fact that being attentive to the rising of emotions and think of what to do is an essential care for human development. Therefore, educational institutions may be able to foster opportunities to human formation initiatives as the one proposed by the curriculum named “Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies” (PATHS), developed by Kusché and Greenberg (1994), which turns social and emotional learning into a practical possibility that leads to human formation. PATHS is scientifically corroborated by several countries and it was published in Brazil since 2012. Having this emotional education material available in Portuguese, we were incited by the desire to research its implementation in a Brazilian context. We did our investigation in the Beneficent Association of Allianz Group Employees located in eastern São Paulo capital. In that occasion, during two academic years, we accompanied and analyzed the implementation process of an intervention inspired by on the curriculum PATHS, as well as tested the development of relational and emotional learning focused on Elementary School Children by comparing research and control groups. For this research, we also considered the impact of teaching emotions/relations in the pedagogical practices of researched educators. In order to test this intervention process, we used the following research instruments: in-depth interviews and a questionnaire including an attitude scale. Despite the fact that quantitative test results did not statistically elucidate the contribution of the PATHS curriculum to the development of Self-control, Emotional Awareness, Self-esteem, Relationships and Problem Solving – categories which constitute, among others, the development of emotions and human relations, research findings showed that there were positive changes in subjects’ pedagogical practices. According to them, the PATHS curriculum inspired a kind of experience which provided the underpinning for a proficuous emotional and relational development process that can be consolidated throughout children’s human formation

The goal of this study was to explore whether Strong Kids could result in improved social and emotional competence when implemented as a school-wide universal intervention. No prior studies have examined this question. This study also evaluated whether teachers could implement Strong Kids as it was designed and whether they viewed it as socially valid. It used a non-equivalent control group design. The treatment school in the study involved 348 students and 17 teachers from a Title I school. School demographics indicated that 61% of students were Hispanic, 37% White, and 2% of other ethnicities. Approximately 82% of the students qualified for free or reduced lunch. Teachers at the treatment school taught Strong Kids for 12 weeks, permitted treatment fidelity observations, and completed a social validity questionnaire (with a subgroup also participating in a social validity focus group). The control school participants consisted of 266 students and 11 teachers. The control school was selected because it was demographically similar to the treatment school. Teachers at both treatment and control schools completed pretest and posttest ratings of each of their students' internalizing behaviors and peer-related prosocial behaviors using nationally normed scales. Analyses comparing teacher ratings of the treatment school with ratings at the control school were performed using a split-plot ANOVA. Scores for students identified as at-risk through school-wide screening were compared to students not identified as at-risk. Average scores on the social validity questionnaire were calculated, and a qualitative analysis of the focus group was performed. Results revealed that 82% of lesson components were fully implemented. Teacher ratings at the treatment school reflected a significant decrease in students' internalizing behaviors, while ratings at the control school increased. At-risk students showed significantly greater improvements on both internalizing and peer-relations subscales compared to non-at-risk students. Social validity results revealed that Strong Kids provided a common language for teachers and students to talk about feelings and an avenue for students to seek help. It also helped teachers set school-wide expectations for handling social and emotional concerns.

Social and emotional learning is an important element in educating the whole child. When social skills are taught and reinforced in a school-wide model, which incorporates positive behavior support, both students and faculty experience a better learning environment. The Book in a Bag intervention invites parent volunteers to teach social skills in the classroom. Supplementing this school-wide intervention, parents also receive a monthly newsletter informing them of the identified social skill and recommending associated children's picture books, which further reinforce the skill. The purpose of this study was to determine parent perceptions on the effectiveness of the Book in a Bag program, which was implemented in the target school. Questionnaires (N=327, 47.74% participation rate) were completed by parents who responded to questions about their perceptions of the program's influence on their children's behavior, the importance of parent involvement in the program, and the importance of the school-wide social skills program. Parents expressed an overall positive response to the school-wide social skills program. In addition to reporting and describing data, observations of the questionnaire's weaknesses and strengths are discussed. Future research possibilities and recommendations to further strengthen parent involvement in school-wide social skills programs are offered.