Last week, I wrote about the return on investment of socio-emotional development in early learning and the need for better measurements. Only a few days later we had a new report that these programs can improve test scores.
Researchers found social and emotional programs not only helped students with behavioral and emotional issues, these students also scored higher on achievement tests, according to a report in the latest issue of Child Development.
The students’ academic improvement was “tantamount to an 11-percentile-point gain in achievement,” the article said. (One caveat: While the study examined 213 programs, only a small group focused on academics.)
In the review of all 213 programs, students showed better behavior, including declines in disruptive behavior and emotional distress, the article said. (Check out the study’s abstract here.) The analysis covered 270,000 students ranging from kindergarteners to high school seniors in universal programs, which means the programs were open to all students.
So, what are socio-emotional programs? In these classes students work on a range of skills – how to manage their emotions, make responsible decisions and handle interpersonal relationships in more constructive ways, according to the report.
“Such programs do not detract from but can enhance academic achievement, while providing students with stronger skills in areas that are important to their daily lives and future functioning,” Joseph Durlak, lead author of the study and an emeritus professor of psychology at Loyola University Chicago.
Let’s hope this is only the latest in a growing wave of research on the measurable importance of social and emotional skill development.
Further Reading:
That (improvement on achievement tests) difference, the authors say, was significant—equivalent to moving a student in the middle of the class academically to the top 40 percent of students during the course of the intervention. – Education Week.