A School Connectedness Program for Student Social-emotional Knowledge and Skills

School connectedness, student perception of how much school staff care about their academic and social success, is a protective factor found to decrease risk for student behavioral problems that disrupt learning. A small group of elementary-aged students in an afterschool program participated in six weekly lessons of a school connectedness curriculum that focused on social-emotional learning knowledge and skills. Before and after the curriculum intervention, student participant social skill knowledge was assessed. In addition, afterschool staff members observed and reported student participant level of positive social behavior exhibited. Student knowledge scores significantly improved, however, observed pro-social behaviors did not significantly differ pre-post program. Many previous school connectedness studies have concentrated on secondary-level students, and more studies in the non-school setting were suggested. The current study contributes to the literature as it examined elementary-level students and occurred in the out-of-school time setting.