Caring School Community (CSC)
Caring School Community™ (CSC) is a modified version of a program formerly known as the Child Development Project. CSC is a multiyear school improvement program that involves all students in grades K–6. The program aims to promote core values, prosocial behavior, and a schoolwide feeling of community. The program consists of four elements originally developed for the Child Development Project: class meeting lessons, cross-age “buddies” programs, “homeside” activities, and schoolwide community. Class lessons provide teachers and students with a forum to get to know one another, discuss issues, identify and solve problems collaboratively, and make a range of decisions that affect classroom life. Cross-age buddies activities pair whole classes of older and younger students for academic and recreational activities that build caring cross-age relationships and create a schoolwide climate of trust. Homeside activities include short conversational activities that are sent home with students for them to do with parents or caregivers and then to discuss back in their classroom. The activities incorporate the families’ perspectives, cultures, and traditions, thereby promoting interpersonal understanding. Schoolwide community-building activities bring students, parents, and school staff together to create new school traditions.
Reviewed Research
Character Education
|
Outcome domain |
Effectiveness rating |
Studies meeting standards |
Grades examined |
Students |
Improvement index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic achievement |
|
2 studies meet standards | K-6 | 3,014 | -- |
| Battistich, V., Schaps, E., Watson, M., Solomon, D., & Lewis, C. (2000) | 3-6 | 2,675 |
|
||
| Battistich, V., Solomon, D., Watson, M., Solomon, J., & Schaps, E. (1989) | K-4 | 339 |
|
||
| Behavior |
|
2 studies meet standards | K-6 | 2,336 |
|
| Battistich, V., Schaps, E., Watson, M., Solomon, D., & Lewis, C. (2000) | 3-6 | 1,986 |
|
||
| Battistich, V., Solomon, D., Watson, M., Solomon, J., & Schaps, E. (1989) | K-4 | 350 |
|
||
| Knowledge, attitudes, & values |
|
2 studies meet standards | K-6 | 2,304 | -- |
| Battistich, V., Schaps, E., Watson, M., Solomon, D., & Lewis, C. (2000) | 3-6 | 1,986 |
|
||
| Battistich, V., Solomon, D., Watson, M., Solomon, J., & Schaps, E. (1989) | K-4 | 318 |
|
A group of closely related outcomes.
A summary of the effectiveness of an intervention in an outcome domain, based on the quality of research, the statistical significance of findings, the magnitude of findings, and the consistency of findings across studies.
 Positive: strong evidence that intervention had a positive effect on outcomes. |
 Potentially Positive: evidence that intervention had a positive effect on outcomes with no overriding contrary evidence. |
 Mixed: evidence that intervention’s effect on outcomes is inconsistent. |
 No Discernible: no evidence that intervention had an effect on outcomes. |
 Potentially Negative: evidence that intervention had a negative effect on outcomes with no overriding contrary evidence. |
 Negative: strong evidence that intervention had a negative effect on outcomes. |
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for rating of effectiveness.
The number of studies that met WWC design standards and provide evidence of effectiveness. Selecting an item below will display all studies that met WWC design studies in the domain. Selecting a study citation will take you to more information on that study and its findings.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for study rating.
Grades of the students examined in the studies that met WWC design standards, which may not reflect the full range of grades for which the intervention may be used.
The number of students included in the studies that met WWC design standards.
The sample size for the studies that met WWC design standards.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
The indicator represents the highest level of similarity found between your students and each of the high-quality studies of the intervention. Three filled in ovals indicates that at least one study that met standards was conducted on students very similar to yours. Clicking on the indicator for a study will provide information on the similarity for each of the characteristics you selected.