Enhancing academic performance and social and emotional competence with the RULER feeling words curriculum

a r t i c l e i n f o A pre-and post-test quasi-experimental design was used to test the impact of a 30-week, theoretically-based social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, The RULER Feeling Words Curriculum (" RULER "), on the academic performance and social and emotional competence of 5th and 6th grade students (N = 273) in fifteen classrooms in three schools. Academic performance was assessed by report card grades. Social and emotional competence was assessed with teacher reports of student behavior. Students in classrooms integrating RULER had higher year-end grades and higher teacher ratings of social and emotional competence (e.g., leadership, social skills, and study skills) compared to students in the comparison group. This study provides preliminary empirical evidence that SEL programs like RULER improve important student outcomes. Over the last two decades, numerous programs have been developed to promote social and emotional learning (SEL) among youth (Elias et al., 1997; Greenberg et al., 2003). SEL programs are designed to complement existing school curricula by teaching the social and emotional skills that contribute to better social and emotional adjustment and higher academic achievement A recent meta-analysis of 207 studies examining the effects of SEL programs revealed that students enrolled in such programs perform significantly better in school and on standardized tests compared to non-participating students (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, in press). The average effect size obtained for SEL programming on academic performance , Hedges' g =0.22, is comparable to those obtained for other educational interventions. In an era of academic accountability, receptivity toward integrating SEL programming into the curriculum is dependent upon empirical evidence demonstrating improvements in academic performance and social and emotional competence. The study presented here tests the effectiveness of a theoretically-based SEL program in enhancing student outcomes. The RULER Feeling Words Curriculum (" RULER " ; Maurer & Brackett, 2004) is one component of a comprehensive approach to SEL, called The RULER Approach, that includes professional development for school leaders and educators, as well as workshops for families (Brackett et al. RULER was designed to be integrated into existing school curricula and to aid schools in achieving national educational goals such as those articulated by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001). RULER uses a skill-based approach to foster social, emotional, and academic competence. The program teaches children how to recognize emotions in oneself and in other people, understand the causes …