Examining the Effects Between Teacher Qualifications and Program Implementation on Improving Social Skills among Students in K-3rd Grade

School-based social-emotional learning (SEL) programs for children at risk for behavioral problems can be effective, affordable, and scalable. Despite evidence of efficaciousness, few SEL programs progress to later implementation stages due to challenges with delivery in real-world settings. Program implementation in schools and subsequent student outcomes can be impacted by the qualifications of teachers implementing the program and teachers’ experiences during program delivery and interactions with support staff. I conducted a sub-group analysis using longitudinal data from two treatment arms (N = 188 teacher-student dyads in K-3rd grade) of a large RCT (N = 379 teacher-parent-student triads), of First Step Next (FSN), a Tier-2 SEL program over 30 consecutive school days. I examined the teacher-student dyads in the treatment arms to understand the influence of teachers’ qualifications (i.e., education and years of experience at their school) on dosage (i.e., sessions delivered) and students’ social skills improvement. I tested the effects of teachers’ implementation experiences (i.e., program satisfaction, working alliance) and interaction effects with dosage on social skills improvement. Most students in my sample (N = 188; age range = 5-10 years) were eligible for reduced-price school meals (72%), male (72%), and Black (55%). Teachers(N = 188) were predominantly female (92%), White (87%), and averaged 11 years of teaching. Regression analyses revealed that teachers’ education was associated with dosage but not students’ social skills improvement. Though dosage was associated with students’ social skills improvement, there was no indirect effect of teachers’ education on students’ social skills through dosage. Teachers’ program satisfaction and working alliance had direct effects on students’ social skills improvement, with no interaction effects with dosage. The teacher’s years of experience at a school did not influence dosage or students’ social skills improvement. Higher dosage, better working alliance, and greater program satisfaction were positively associated with social skills improvement. Results underscore the impact of teacher education on delivering the FSN program and implementation experiences on improving social skills. Future FSN trials should monitor teachers’ knowledge and implementation experiences during training, support, and delivery, to examine the dynamic effects of process measures on program delivery and student outcomes