Benefits of After-School Social and Emotional Learning Programs in Broward County, Dade County, Pembroke Pines and Hollywood, FL
A meta-analysis on the findings of three large-scale scientific reviews on the benefits of social and emotional learning programs has been conducted by Roger Weissberg, president of the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and Joseph Durlak, professor of clinical psychology at Loyola University Chicago, showing multiple and extensive benefits for students aged five to 18.
The study, funded by the W.T. Grant Foundation and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Mental Health, compared the results of the three 2008 reviews, each of which focused on social and emotional learning programs for the general student body, social and emotional learning programs for children with special needs, and social and emotional learning programs held after-school. They analyzed the effect of social and emotional learning programs on the students' social and emotional learning skills, academic performance, conduct, positive social behavior, attitudes toward self and others, and emotional distress.
The three large-scale scientific reviews analyzed were a Universal Review, an Indicated Review and an After-School Review. The Universal Review was composed of 180 school-based studies which covered 277,977 students from the general student body who had no behavioral or emotional problems or difficulties. The Indicated Review was composed of 80 studies which covered 11,337 students who had been observed to show early signs of social, emotional, or behavioral problems but with no diagnosed mental disorder nor need for special education. The After-School Review was composed of 57 studies which covered 34,989 students with no identified problems.
According to the study, social and emotional learning programs are effective in-school and after-school in urban, rural, and suburban locations for racially and ethnically diverse students from elementary school to middle school levels, whether or not they have behavioral and emotional problems. Such programs were found to improve the student's achievement test scores by as much as 11 to 17 percent. Students were also found to have improved attitudes about self and others, social-emotional skills, positive social behavior, cooperation with others and connection to school. They had reduced emotional distress, anxiety and depression. Their behavioral problems such as aggression, disruptiveness and substance use were also reduced. All the benefits of the social and emotional learning programs were found to continue through time.
The most effective social and emotional learning programs were found to be those that follow the S.A.F.E. formula which stands for Sequenced, Active, Focused and Explicit. This means using a sequenced series of activities with specified skill objectives; using active learning methods; having a program component that is focused on the development of personal or social skills; and explicitly targeting specific personal or social skills to develop.
Social and emotional learning programs were also found to be most effective when they were conducted by teachers instead of researchers.
Given the success of social and emotional learning programs in youth development, the study recommends that federal, state, and local policies encourage their widespread implementation during and after school.
K-5 after-school enrichment programs in social and emotional learning and character education are held in Broward County, Dade County, Pembroke Pines and Hollywood, FL by an education company called Brilliant Minds. The sessions are held in school premises by trained teachers after class hours. Students are grouped by age and academic level for the sessions. Parents may request their schools to coordinate with the company if they wish to avail of such programs for their children.
The same company also provides tutoring referral services in Broward County, Dade County, Pembroke Pines and Hollywood, FL, connecting families with tutors who have the necessary teaching credentials. Furthermore, the company enriches the students' summer breaks with summer camp activities mirroring the same social and emotional learning and character education programs.
