Four Lessons Learned from Implementing a Social and Emotional Learning Program to Enhance School Safety. Research Brief. RB-10101-NIJ

• Published in: RAND Corporation
• Main Authors: Gonzalez, Gabriella C, Cerully, Jennifer L, Wang, Elaine Win, Schweig, Jonathan, Todd, Ivy, Johnston, William R, Schnittka, Jessica
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: RAND Corporation 2020
• Subjects: Administrator Attitudes; Costs; Educational Environment; Elementary School Students; Elementary School Teachers; Elementary Schools; Emotional Development; Interpersonal Competence; Middle School Students; Middle School Teachers; Middle Schools; Principals; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Program Implementation; Public Schools; Resilience (Psychology); School Districts; School Safety; Self Control; Skill Development; Social Development; Student Behavior; Teacher Attitudes; Mississippi
• DOI: 10.7249/RB10101

In any K-12 classroom in America, chances are that at least one student is dealing directly with bullying, harassment, or another type of emotional or physical violence. What can teachers, principals, and school district leaders do to improve safety at their schools? There is some evidence that improving the social and emotional skills of both students and educators can improve school climate and, ultimately, school safety. There are many available programs and tool sets that schools can use to help improve interpersonal relationships, create a positive school climate, and build safe conditions. One such program is Tools for Life: Relationship-Building Solutions, a classroom- and home-based program for children ages 3 through 5 and in grades 1 through 8. The program is designed to improve school climate and safety through the proactive development of students' interpersonal skills, such as relationship-building and communication, and intrapersonal skills, such as self-regulation and resiliency. With funding from a grant from the National Institute of Justice, as part of its Comprehensive School Safety Initiative, in 2016, Jackson Public School District (JPSD) in Mississippi adopted Tools for Life as one effort to address serious school safety challenges that the district was grappling with. RAND Corporation researchers evaluated the short-term and longer-term effects of Tools for Life in randomly selected JPSD elementary and middle schools in the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 school years. The team conducted the first districtwide randomized controlled trial of the Tools for Life program, assessing the program's implementation, costs, and impact on school climate and safety. The findings of this study suggest ways in which schools and school districts can support adoption and implementation of tools and programs to enhance students' interpersonal skills and intrapersonal skills and, ultimately, school safety. [This brief describes research documented in "Social and Emotional Learning, School Climate, and School Safety: A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of Tools for Life® in Elementary and Middle Schools. Research Report. RR-4285-NIJ" (ED605321).]