Replication of Effects of the 'Positive Action' Program in Randomized Trials in Hawai'i and Chicago Schools

Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. 2040 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208. Tel: 202-495-0920; Fax: 202-640-4401; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.sree.org

Y

10

National Institute on Drug Abuse (DHHS/PHS)
Institute of Education Sciences (ED)

DA13474
DA018760
R305L030072
R305L030004
R305A080253

Randomized Controlled Trials; Emotional Development; Social Development; Values Education; Student Behavior; Academic Achievement; Suburban Schools; Rural Schools; Elementary Schools; Grade 2; Grade 3; Grade 4; Grade 5; Grade 6; Grade 7; Grade 8; Poverty; Urban Areas; Comparative Analysis; Intervention; Program Effectiveness

Hawaii; Illinois

Several social-emotional learning (SEL) or social-emotional and character development (SECD) programs have been shown to be effective at improving SEL/SECD skills, and some have also provided evidence of effectiveness in improving student behavior and academic achievement (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011). Very few SEL or SECD programs have replicated effects for all three of these domains of outcomes with students of different cultural/ethnic backgrounds in schools of different socioeconomic status and urbinicity. In education research, replication with different populations in different settings is important for understanding the generalizability of findings. In this paper, the author reports results from two cluster-randomized trials of the SEL/SECD program, "Positive Action" ("PA") across two very different groups of students and contexts: (1) 20 suburban and rural elementary schools (specifically grades 2/3 to grades 5/6) on three Hawai'i islands in 2002-2006; and (2) 14 high-poverty, inner-city Chicago elementary schools (specifically grade 3 to grade 8) in 2004-2010. One table is appended. [The initial phase of the Chicago trial (R305L030072), a component of the Social and Character Development (SACD) Research Consortium, was a collaboration among Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Violence Prevention, Mathematica Policy Research Inc. (MPR), and awardees of SACD cooperative agreements (Children's Institute, New York University, Oregon State University, University at Buffalo-SUNY, University of Maryland, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Vanderbilt University).]

ERIC

Does Not Meet Evidence Standards

Yes

2016

ED562840