REL Central Ask A REL Response

“In 2014–15, over 50% of kindergarten children in Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) did not meet benchmarks for social-behavior readiness. These include the readiness skills children need to follow directions, comply with rules, manage emotions, solve problems, organize and complete tasks, and get along with others. Social-behavioral readiness skills develop early, before children enter school, and they are essential for learning in a classroom setting. What is the impact of not being socially and behaviorally ready on children’s academic outcomes? This report examines the relationships between social-behavioral readiness in kindergarten as measured by the Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR) and three costly school outcomes for City Schools’ students through third grade: being retained in grade, receiving additional services and supports through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan, and being suspended or expelled from school. The findings of this study underscore the critical importance of young children entering school with essential social-behavioral skills and the costly consequences of not being socially and behaviorally ready for students and their families, school systems, and society.”

“This article presents findings from a meta-analysis of 213 school-based, universal social and emotional learning (SEL) programs involving 270,034 kindergarten through high school students. Compared to controls, SEL participants demonstrated significantly improved social and emotional skills, attitudes, behavior, and academic performance that reflected an 11-percentile-point gain in achievement. School teaching staff successfully conducted SEL programs. The use of four recommended practices for developing skills and the presence of implementation problems moderated program outcomes. The findings add to the growing empirical evidence regarding the positive impact of SEL programs. Policymakers, educators, and the public can contribute to healthy development of children by supporting the incorporation of evidence-based SEL programming into standard educational practice.”

“Social-emotional learning (SEL) programs have demonstrated positive effects on children’s social-emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes, as well as classroom climate. Some programs also theorize that program impacts on children’s outcomes will be partially explained by improvements in classroom social processes, namely classroom emotional support and organization. Yet there is little empirical evidence for this hypothesis. Using data from the evaluation of the SEL program INSIGHTS, this article tests whether assignment to INSIGHTS improved low-income kindergarten and first grade students’ math and reading achievement by first enhancing classroom emotional support and organization. Multilevel regression analyses, instrumental variables estimation, and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were used to conduct quantitative analyses. Across methods, the impact of INSIGHTS on math and reading achievement in first grade was partially explained by gains in both classroom emotional support and organization. The IPTW method revealed that the program impact on reading achievement in first grade was partially explained through an improvement in classroom organization. Implications for research and practice are discussed.”

“Investments in early childhood programs are widely viewed as a promising strategy to improve the future educational achievement of disadvantaged young children. However, it can be difficult for teachers to maintain program quality if children in the classroom display challenging behaviors. For example, when some children act out aggressively or become sad and withdrawn, teachers may be diverted from instructional time to manage these behaviors. Not surprisingly, these diversions have a ripple effect on the entire classroom of children. This report presents the final implementation, impact, and cost findings from the Foundations of Learning (FOL) demonstration. The FOL demonstration was designed to increase productive classroom time by using intensive professional development, including in-classroom consultation with trained practitioners, to improve teachers’ classroom management skills and the social and emotional competence of children who exhibit challenging behavior. The demonstration was conducted in two cities–Newark, New Jersey, and Chicago, Illinois–with very different preschool systems. The Newark preschool system was particularly well resourced, while the level of resources in the Chicago preschool system was much lower and more typical of urban districts around the country. The report concludes that the FOL intervention was delivered with relatively high levels of dosage (amount of services) and quality (as rated by teachers) in both cities, with some differences in the focus of in-classroom consultation between Newark and Chicago. The program had a positive impact on teachers’ classroom management, increased instructional time, and improved children’s social and emotional competence during the year of the intervention’s implementation. However, there was no clear evidence of improvements in children’s short-term academic achievement, despite the expectation that the benefits to the classrooms and to children’s social and emotional outcomes would translate into better academic skills. Moreover, the limited data that were collected showed no evidence of sustained benefits when the children made the transition to kindergarten and first grade.”

“Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process by which children and adults learn to understand and manage emotions, maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. This is the first in a series of four related reports about what is known about SEL programs for students ages 3-8. The report series addresses four issues raised by the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Mid-Atlantic’s Early Childhood Education Research Alliance: characteristics of effective SEL programs (part 1), implementation strategies and state and district policies that support SEL programming (part 2), teacher and classroom strategies that contribute to social and emotional learning (part 3), and outcomes of social and emotional learning among different student populations and settings (part 4). This report identifies key components of effective SEL programs and offers guidance on selecting programs. The following are appended: (1) Literature search methodology and coding results; (2) Publications included in the review; and (3) Additional resources for selecting a social and emotional learning program. [For part 2, “A Review of the Literature on Social and Emotional Learning for Students Ages 3-8: Implementation Strategies and State and District Support Policies (Part 2 of 4). REL 2017-246,” see ED572722. For part 3, “A Review of the Literature on Social and Emotional Learning for Students Ages 3-8: Teacher and Classroom Strategies that Contribute to Social and Emotional Learning (Part 3 of 4). REL 2017-247,” see ED572723. For part 4, “A Review of the Literature on Social and Emotional Learning for Students Ages 3-8: Outcomes for Different Student Populations and Settings (Part 4 of 4). REL 2017-248,” see ED572724.]”

“Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process by which children and adults learn to understand and manage emotions, maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. This is the fourth in a series of four related reports about what is known about SEL programs for students ages 3-8. The report series addresses four issues raised by the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Mid-Atlantic’s Early Childhood Education Research Alliance: characteristics of effective SEL programs (part 1), implementation strategies and state and district policies that support SEL programming (part 2), teacher and classroom strategies that contribute to social and emotional learning (part 3), and outcomes of social and emotional learning among different student populations and settings (part 4). This report presents the outcomes of social and emotional learning in different student populations and settings. [For part 1, “A Review of the Literature on Social and Emotional Learning for Students Ages 3-8: Characteristics of Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs (Part 1 of 4). REL 2017-245,” see ED572721. For part 2, “A Review of the Literature on Social and Emotional Learning for Students Ages 3-8: Implementation Strategies and State and District Support Policies (Part 2 of 4). REL 2017-246,” see ED572722. For part 3, “A Review of the Literature on Social and Emotional Learning for Students Ages 3-8: Teacher and Classroom Strategies that Contribute to Social and Emotional Learning (Part 3 of 4). REL 2017-247,” see ED572723.]”