Exploring the Effects of the Second Step-Resilient Kids Program on the Academic Achievement of Traumatized Students

Exploring the Effects of the Second Step – Resilient Kids Program on the Academic Achievement of Traumatized Students Program Evaluation In a school setting the effects of trauma can negatively impact learning, academically as well as behaviorally, and make it difficult for children and youth to succeed in school (National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2000; and Cole et al, 2005). In this study the Second Step Resilient Kids Program was implemented in a school with a populous of students that encounter on-going trauma and stress. An analysis of this program was conducted to determine the affects it had on the academic achievement of children who were exposed to traumatic experiences. Data collection included students standardized test scores: Measures of Academic Performance (MAP), and teachers, parents, and school therapist interviews. The difference in means scores of the MAP test results and the results of the data from the interviews suggest that the Second Step-Resilient Kids Program assisted in improving the math and reading scores of the students in this study. These findings support the belief that when the teachers infused the Second Step Resilient Kids curriculum, their teaching fostered an increase in the students’ social-emotional stability and academic achievement