The Responsive Classroom approach is one of 20 (out of 80) programs to receive recognition from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) as a Select Program in Safe and Sound: An Educational Leader’s Guide to SEL Programs (published 2003, revised 2005).

CASEL noted that "these programs were so designated because they provide outstanding coverage in five essential SEL skill areas; have at least one well-designed evaluation study demonstrating their effectiveness; and offer professional development supports beyond the initial training."

CASEL is a not-for-profit organization that works to advance the science and evidence-based practice of social and emotional learning (SEL). CASEL was founded in 1994 by Daniel Goleman, the author of Emotional Intelligence, and educator/philanthropist Eileen Rockefeller Growald. Its home base is Illinois, the first state to adopt social-emotional learning standards for its schools.

The Responsive Classroom approach is also recognized in the Model Program Guide of the U.S.Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) as a promising program for delinquency prevention.

The demonstrated effectiveness rating was based on two criteria: 1) quality of design and 2) scientific evidence suggesting a delinquency deterrence effect. According to OJJDP, programs rated as promising:

 . . . display a strong theoretical base and have been demonstrated to prevent delinquency or reduce/enhance risk/protective for delinquency in specific social contexts using limited research and/or non-experimental designs. The evidence associated with these programs appears promising but requires confirmation using scientific techniques.