A Research-backed Approach
Since the 1990s, the Responsive Classroom approach has been the focus of considerable research interest. Findings have associated the approach with higher student test scores, better social skills, and fewer problem behaviors. For teachers, findings show an increased sense of efficacy and more high-quality instruction.
In progress: The Responsive Classroom Efficacy Study (RCES)
Dr. Sara Rimm-Kaufman and colleagues at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education, Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, have begun the “Responsive Classroom Efficacy Study” (RCES). This multi-year, $2.9 million study will look at Responsive Classroom practices, with a special emphasis on math teaching and learning. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the new study builds on the “Social and Academic Learning Study” (SALS), which Dr. Rimm-Kaufman’s team completed in 2004. For more about RCES, read the Curry’s press release or visit Dr. Rimm-Kaufman’s website.
Completed Studies
Social and Academic Learning Study (SALS)
Location: An urban school district in the Northeast
Years: 2001-2004
Principal Investigator: Dr. Sara Rimm-Kaufman, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Funder: DuBarry Foundation
Summary: This three-year longitudinal, quasi-experimental study compared three schools implementing the Responsive Classroom approach at a school-wide level with three non-implementing schools and found that the Responsive Classroom approach is associated with better academic and social outcomes for elementary school children.
There were six key findings. In schools using the Responsive Classroom approach:
- Children showed greater increases in reading and math test scores.
- Teachers felt more effective and more positive about teaching.
- Children had better social skills.
- Teachers offered more high-quality instruction.
- Children felt more positive about school.
- Teachers collaborated with each other more.
More information:
Summary of key findings, October 2006 (PDF, 2 pages)
Full report - Background and key findings in detail, October 2006 (PDF, 18 pages)
A Multi-year Evaluation of the Responsive Classroom Approach: Its effectiveness and acceptability in promoting social and academic competence
Location: Springfield, MA
Years: 1996-98
Principal Investigator: Dr. Stephen N. Elliott, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Funder: Shinnyo-En Foundation
Summary: There is a correlation over time, determined by regression analysis, between social skills improvement and improved Illinois Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) scores. Therefore, a classroom that promotes the development of social skills will have higher scores on tests such as ITBS than classrooms that do not promote the development of social skills, all other confounding factors held constant.
Final report - PDF (306 KB)
The Responsive Classroom Approach: Its Effectiveness and Acceptability
Location: Washington, DC
Year: 1995
Principal Investigator: Dr. Stephen N. Elliott, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Funder: The Center for Systemic Education Change, Washington, DC
Summary: Results of the West Haven study (1993) were duplicated. Once again it was found that students exposed to Responsive Classroom practices over the course of a school year generally were perceived to exhibit higher levels of social skills and fewer problem behaviors than those with limited or no exposure. These findings held up across racially diverse sub-samples.
Final Evaluation Report - PDF (301 KB)
Caring to Learn: A Report on the Positive Impact of a Social Curriculum
Location: West Haven, CT
Year: 1993
Principal Investigator: Dr. Stephen N. Elliott, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Funder: The Xerox Foundation
Summary: Students exposed to Responsive Classroom practices over the course of a school year generally were perceived to exhibit higher levels of social skills and fewer problem behaviors than those with limited or no exposure. These findings held up across racially diverse sub-samples.
Report - PDF (217 KB)
|
