Session: Examining the Impact of School-Based Prevention Programs on Teachers: Findings from Three Randomized Trials (Society for Prevention Research 23rd Annual Meeting)

A number of social-emotional learning curricula and other classroom-based prevention programs have been tested and shown to have positive impacts on a range of child outcomes, including aggressive behavior problems, substance use, and academic performance (e.g., Durlak et al., 2011; Wilson & Lipsey, 2007). Yet the focus of these studies has largely been on the impacts for students, with little consideration of the potential impacts on the teachers who are implementing these programs. However, research by Han and Weiss (2005) suggests that teachers may also benefit from the implementation of evidence-based programs, such as having improved views of the school and increased efficacy, as well as reduced burnout. The current panel presents a set of three studies from randomized controlled trials testing the impact of classroom-based prevention programs, both on children and the teachers who implement the programs. We were particularly interested in the impacts of these social-emotional learning programs on teachers, as this line of work may enhance our understanding of potential secondary benefits of prevention programs which may have previously been overlooked.  The first paper draws upon data from a randomized controlled trial testing the integration of a social-emotional learning and classroom management program on teachers and students. The program effects on teachers appeared to be stronger when the social-emotional learning program was combined with the classroom management, rather than when only the classroom management program was implemented. Similarly, the second study focused on the implementation of a social-emotional learning program and demonstrated significant impacts on teachers’ perceptions of school climate, emotional exhaustion, and personal accomplishment. The third randomized controlled trial focused on a mindfulness program, which was aimed primarily at teachers, but has also demonstrated indirect impacts for students. This study demonstrated positive effects on mindfulness, urgency, and classroom management practices.  This line of research has important implications for understanding the broader range of impacts of school-based prevention programs, originally developed to improve outcomes for students, but which may also enhance conditions for teaching, such as teachers’ own beliefs and perceptions regarding the school environment and their role within the school. These impacts on teachers may be both a direct outcome of the training in the program, and an indirect effect further enhanced by improvements in student outcomes.  Further consideration of the broader logic model linking teacher and student outcomes will be considered by an expert discussant.