Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District; Results of a Two-Year Evaluation of Districtwide Social and Emotional Learning

This study examined one component of a districtwide effort in CMSD to improve the safety and wellness for all students: the implementation of an evidence-based social-emotional learning  program, Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS), for students in pre-kindergarten through grade five. The evaluation documented districtwide implementation, examined change in student behavior in PATHS classrooms, and examined the relationship between implementation and student outcomes.

We surveyed teachers and principals on PATHS training, coaching, dosage, and satisfaction with the program. Teachers provided ratings of students’ social competence, attention, and aggression. Response rates were 24% in fall 2010 (297 teachers, 1,622 students), 42% in spring 2011 (511 teachers, 3,067 students), 75% in fall 2011 (808 teachers, 5,088 students), and 75% in spring 2012 (789 teachers, 4,480 students).

The majority of teachers in both Years 1 and 2 were satisfied with the training they received to implement PATHS in their classrooms (72% and 66%, respectively). Two challenges of implementation were low satisfaction with PATHS coaching (29% not at all satisfied) and low dosage (51% and 55% of PATHS lessons taught in Years 1 and 2, respectively).

PATHS implementation was related to better outcomes for students in Years 1 and 2. Student outcomes improved over time in classrooms implementing PATHS in both years of implementation. In Year 1, students’ social competence (M diff = 4.13, t = 4.77, p < 0.001) and attention increased (M diff = 1.18, t = 3.916, p< 0.001). However, there was no decrease in students’ aggression.

In Year 2, using multi-level growth modeling, students’ social competence (β _SocCompSlope = 0.09, p < 0.01) and attention (β _{AttentionSlope} = 0.17, p < 0.01) improved significantly from fall to spring.PATHS implementation predicted larger gains in social competence (y₁₀₁ = 0.12, p < 0.001) and attention (y₁₀₂= 0.10, p< 0.05).

In Year 2, student aggression increased from fall to spring (β _{AggressionSlope} = 0.23, p < 0.01). However, in classrooms that reported higher teacher engagement and PATHS dosage, the rate of growth in aggression was attenuated (y_{103Engagement}  = - 0.10, p < 0.001, y_104Dosage = - 0.18, p< 0.10). These negative coefficients suggest that students in classrooms with higher PATHS implementation had smaller increases in aggression from fall to spring than students in classrooms with lower PATHS implementation.

Findings will be discussed in the context of districtwide implementation of an evidence-based social-emotional learning program in a large urban district.