CharacterStrong’s Secondary Curriculum, offered by CharacterStrong, provides a lesson-based approach to SEL for grades 6-12. A CASEL-approved evaluation demonstrates evidence of effectiveness in grades 6-8. The program uses an online platform with an extensive teacher-facing activity library and focuses on building SEL competencies through lessons, projects, generalization, and educator modeling. Student- and family-facing content is available in Spanish.
Strategies supporting educational equity
CharacterStrong’s Secondary Curriculum features strategies for youth action projects and customizing for context. This includes group projects designed to empower students to address topics they deem relevant and guidance for tailoring strategies to the lived experiences of students being served.
-
-
- SEL lessons
- Instructional practices
- Relationship building
- Positive classroom management
- SEL generalization
- Shared agreements
- Student voice
-
- Systemic support for SEL
- Adult SEL
- Group structures
- Student Voice
-
- Activities and Resources for Home
-
-
- Onsite in-person training
- Virtual training
- Offsite training
- Train the trainer model
-
- Administrator support
- Coaching
- Technical assistance
- Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
- Online resource library
- Self-report tools for monitoring implementation
- Observational tools
- Tools for measuring student success
Evidence of effectiveness
Results from a randomized controlled trial conducted in the 2022-23 school year (unpublished report written in 2023) supported the effectiveness of CharacterStrong’s Secondary Curriculum for public school students. This evaluation included 726 students in grades 6-8 attending rural, suburban and urban public middle schools in the U.S. Midwest, Northeast and West Coast regions (54% white, 23% Hispanic/Latinx, 20% Asian/Asian American; 38.49% free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL)). The study found that students who participated in the program had significantly lower levels of teacher-reported disruptive behavior compared to students in the control group (outcomes reported 20 weeks after baseline) while controlling for outcome pretest, student grade, student race, and student sex as well as teacher race, teacher sex, and teacher tenure.
-
Evidence shown in grades 6, 7, 8School characteristics -
- Rural
- Urban
- Suburban
-
- Northeast
- Midwest
- West
Student characteristics - Asian / Asian American
- Hispanic / Latinx
- White
Percentage Low Income - Eligible for FRPL: 38.49%
Study design type - RCT
Greater than 350 students included in study design type - Yes
Multiple school districts included at study design type - Yes
-
- Improved academic performance
- Reduced emotional distress
- Improved identity development and agency
- Reduced problem behaviors
- Improved school climate
- Improved school connectedness
- Improved social behaviors
- Improved teaching practices
- Improved other SEL skills and attitudes
How does CharacterStrong’s Secondary Curriculum support SEL implementation across multiple settings?
“CharacterStrong provides schools with an evidence-based, multi-tiered solution for whole child success. At Tier 1, it combines Pre-K-12 curricula and educator practices to improve behavior, safety, and mental health, along with professional development and an implementation roadmap for sustained success. CharacterStrong’s Tier 2 and 3 solutions complement Tier 1, promoting success for all students. ”
Related Programs
Back to top- Program approach: Free Standing Lessons
- Significant evaluation outcomes: Reduced problem behaviors
- Student characteristics: Asian / Asian American, Hispanic / Latinx, White
- School characteristics: Urban, Suburban, Northeast, Midwest, and 2 more
- Program approach: Free Standing Lessons
- Significant evaluation outcomes: Reduced problem behaviors
- Student characteristics: Asian / Asian American, Hispanic / Latinx, White
- School characteristics: Urban, Suburban, Northeast, Midwest, and 2 more
Sign up for our newslettersAccess the latest, most trusted information on SEL -