Responsive Classroom Selected as One of Nation's Most Effective Ways to Teach Social, Emotional, and Academic Skills

TURNERS FALLS, Mass., Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Responsive Classroom® approach to elementary education is among a prestigious list of 23 effective social-emotional learning programs released at a September 20 ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The list, developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), identifies programs that successfully promote students' self-control, relationship-building, and problem-solving, among other competencies, and is the first review of its kind in nearly a decade.

The group released the 2013 CASEL Guide: Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs with Rep. Judy Biggert  (R-Ill.), a champion of social and emotional learning and author of the Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Act of 2011. Joining Biggert was Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), a co-sponsor of the legislation. To be selected, programs had to meet three criteria: 1) Be well-designed, 2) Deliver high-quality training and implementation supports, and 3) Be evidence-based. The Responsive Classroom approach received high marks on all three criteria.

CASEL's list comes on the heels of preliminary results of a 3-year study on the Responsive Classroom approach, as reported in the September 19^th issue of Education Week, showing both improved quality of instruction and student gains when the approach is used with fidelity. More frequent use of Responsive Classroom teaching practices was associated with an average 23-point gain on state standardized tests in mathematics. That association was equally strong for children eligible for free/reduced price lunch and those not eligible.

Lora Hodges, executive director of Northeast Foundation for Children (NEFC), developer of the Responsive Classroom approach, noted, "This approach empowers teachers and principals to create safe, challenging, and joyful classroom and school communities where learning thrives. We're grateful that CASEL has recognized the effectiveness of our approach, and we expect that recognition to help us expand our work with teachers, schools, and districts everywhere."

The association between social-emotional learning and academic gains is well documented. According to a recent review of more than 200 studies that was published in the journal Child Development, explicit instruction in social and emotional skills helps students make significant gains in academic achievement – 11 percentile points on average. "Evidence also shows," says article co-author Roger P. Weissberg and CASEL's president and CEO, "that students exposed to social and emotional learning improved in motivation and commitment to school. It makes sense. When students learn how to control their impulses and manage their frustrations, they are more likely to stay focused and engaged."

Weissberg said that programs in the 2013 CASEL Guide have shown evidence that, with supportive principals, regular professional development for teachers, and holistic rather than piecemeal implementation, SEL instruction can positively shift school climate and children's wellbeing, as well as their ability to learn academic concepts and skills.

About Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc. and the Responsive Classroom® approach
Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc. (NEFC), a not-for-profit organization, was established in 1981 by elementary school educators who envisioned a way of teaching that would bring together academic and social learning throughout the school day. That way of teaching, called the Responsive Classroom approach, is now being used in schools across the country.

Northeast Foundation for Children offers Responsive Classroom on-site consulting services to schools and districts, workshops and institutes for educators in locations around the country, and numerous books, videos, and other resources for teachers and administrators.

For more information, visit www.responsiveclassroom.org.

SOURCE Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc.