Back to school and ready to learn social and emotional skills

Sara Rimm-Kaufmann, UVa Curry School of Education researcher

Creating a classroom environment where learning goes beyond the three "r's" to include social and emotional development has a reciprocal affect on student academic achievement. In the study, "Efficacy of the Responsive Classroom Approach: Results from a Three Year, Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial," researchers Sara Rimm-Kaufman (University of Virginia), Ross A. Larsen (University of Virginia), Alison A. Baroody (University of Virginia), Timothy Curby (George Mason University), Michelle Ko (University of Virginia), Julia B. Thomas (University of Virginia), Eileen G.Merritt (University of Virginia), Tashia Abry (Arizona State University), and Jamie DeCoster (University of Virginia), looked specifically at Responsive Classroom (RC), a widely-used social and emotional learning intervention. Rimm-Kaufmann reported in this article posted to the Science Daily website that academic gains were found among all socio-economic groups. "The success of many curricula, including those that map onto the Common Core expectations, require that teachers use effective classroom management and develop student confidence and autonomy," said Rimm-Kaufman. "Our trial of the Responsive Classroom approach suggests that teachers who take the time to foster relationships in the classroom and support children's self-control actually enhance student achievement."
"In a time of intense academic demands, many critics question the value of spending time on teaching social skills, building classroom relationships and supporting student autonomy," said Rimm-Kaufman. "Our research shows that time spent supporting children's social and emotional abilities can be a very wise investment." 

Research at Curry Makes an Impact

Robert Pianta, dean of U.Va.'s Curry School of Education, recently reported to the Board of Visitors' Educational Policy Committee that Curry is making an impact in the education reform movement. Considered one of the top three institutions influencing education policy, behind Stanford and Harvard universities, (as reported in the annual rankings of education scholars reported by Rick Hess of Education Week and the American Enterprise Institute), Curry also continues to demonstrate excellence in both undergraduate and graduate programs. Research is playing a major role in providing Curry with the tools that it needs to enact change in education policy and in the classroom. Pianta cited teaching assessment tools developed by Curry faculty and researchers that are now used in more than 50,000 classrooms nationwide, including every Head Start classroom in the U.S., and early reading assessments being used in Virginia and other states. For more information about this report, please see UVA Today's article.