The Character Effect: A Universal Social-Emotional Learning Program for Elementary School Students

The Character Effect is a universal, research-based character education and social-emotional development program for children in grades K-6. The program targets improvements in students’ social-emotional skills, enhanced teacher efficacy in managing classroom behavior, and parent engagement as pathways to improvements in student behavior and academic success. The Character Effect uses the science of positive psychology as the primary focus for interventions, developing students’ character strengths and mindfulness practices to support them in building the social-emotional skills that translate into long-term measures of success. The program focuses on building the foundational social-emotional skills outlined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), including self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, positive social relationships, and good decision-making.

Key elements of The Character Effect include:

1. Teacher Professional Development and Self-Care. Professional development within the program focuses on the personal and the pedagogical needs of teachers to effectively implement social-emotional learning (SEL) practices in their classrooms. Teachers receive training in self-care practices and practical tips and tools for program implementation.

2. Teacher Classroom Visits and Coaching. Education provided during professional development trainings is personalized and enhanced via classroom visits, as well as onsite individual and group coaching sessions. Group coaching enhances teacher understanding and practice of program concepts and activities, while 1:1 coaching – in combination with classroom visits – addresses teachers’ individualized self-care and/or program implementation needs.

3. Developmental & Flexible SEL Curriculum. The program’s curriculum, centered on the CASEL competencies outlined above, is designed and staged for students of all developmental levels. It can be used flexibly by teachers to meet the unique needs of their classrooms, rather than providing instruction in a prescribed format.

4. Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports (PBIS) Integration. The program can be incorporated into schoolwide systems of support that include proactive strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviors to create positive school environments.

5. Family Engagement Strategy. The program incorporates parental involvement as a key component to building students’ social-emotional skills, acknowledging the fundamental role parents and families play in the development of a children’s social-emotional competencies.

6. Virtual Engagement and Support. Onsite support is complemented by the program’s virtual offerings. In addition to the program’s website which allows teachers access to program curriculum and supporting materials (e.g., videos, music audio recordings), teachers receive weekly self-care texts and monthly newsletters supporting program implementation. Families receive regular communications from the program supporting student social-emotional development via virtual channels already utilized by the school (e.g., apps, newsletters, principal robocalls).

The goal of The Character Effect is to foster the development of students’ social-emotional skills, improving their behavior and readiness to learn in the classroom.

The Character Effect was evaluated in school year 2018-2019 using pre-test and post-test measures of student social-emotional learning and teacher post-program self-report from seven elementary schools (grades K-6) in southwestern Ohio and northern Kentucky.

The Devereux Student Strengths Assessment Mini (versions 1 and 2), a standardized SEL student assessment aligned with CASEL standards, was administered to K-6 grade students in the fall of 2018 and spring of 2019 (n = 1303). Comparison of average student composite T-scores (derived by averaging scores from versions 1 and 2), found that 55% of students showed improvements in SEL skills. Additionally, significant differences of composite T-scores were found between pre-testing (mean=48.84) and post-testing (mean=50.99) via statistical testing of paired samples (t=7.87 (SE=0.27), p<.0001).

Teacher perceptions at post-test were also captured (n=88, 30% response rate). As a result of the program, 83% of teachers experienced less stress at school and 90% felt better equipped to manage student behavior, with 81% indicating students were better able to moderate their behavior and perform academically.

Investigation of relationships among variables of interest demonstrated that improvements in SEL skills (as measured by the DESSA composite score) were positively associated with teacher’s perceptions of increases in student engagement (r=0.19, p=0.01) and their ability to manage behavior in their classrooms (r=0.09, p=0.05).