Responsive Classroom (OJJDP Model Program Guide)

Office of Justice Programs, Innovation - Partnerships – Safer Neighborhoods

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Serving Children, Families and Communities

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Responsive Classroom

Intervention:

Responsive Classroom is a multicomponent approach to instruction and classroom management designed to promote prosocial behavior and academic functioning in elementary school students. The approach was developed with the goals of increasing student investment, responsibility, and learning and decreasing problem behaviors. Further, the approach is based on educational theories regarding the importance of learning as a social activity. That is, Responsive Classroom stresses the importance of how children learn with an emphasis on learning through interaction, of teachers getting to know the students and their families on a personal level, and of teaching social skills such as cooperation, responsibility, self-control.

The program’s six components, developed by educators, concentrate on classroom organization, morning meetings, rules and consequences, academic choice, guided discovery, and communication with parents.

Evaluation Methodology:

A pretest–posttest, quasi-experimental design was used to assess the program’s effectiveness on students’ social and academic functioning. A total of 301 ethnically diverse, urban students in grades 1–5 in two schools participated in the study. Participants came from a low-socioeconomic background in which 95.4 percent of the students qualified for reduced or free lunches. The treatment condition consisted of 253 students who were exposed to the Responsive Classroom approach (RC), and the control condition included 48 students (drawn from a third school) who were not (NRC). To test the program’s effectiveness, quantitative and qualitative teacher-, parent-, and student-rated indices were used. Dosage and fidelity to the program were attended to.

Evaluation Outcome:

Three unpublished studies have evaluated the Responsive Classroom approach with white, African-American, and Latino students from prekindergarten through sixth grade. In several studies of Responsive Classroom, the program was perceived to have a positive effect on increasing social skills and on limiting problem behaviors in students. The longest study, reported here, included 6 months of the intervention. In this study, results indicate that the Responsive Classroom approach had a positive impact on students’ social and academic behaviors. Teachers, parents, and students in the RC condition reported positive changes in the average frequency of social skills from fall to spring compared with NRC reports, which indicated virtually no change or a decrease in social skills during the same period. Notably, no control group parents were surveyed. Regarding academic improvement, scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills showed significantly greater growth for the RC students. Further, regression analyses suggested that social skills may function as academic enablers for students. Teachers reported that they liked the approach and perceived it to be effective but found it difficult to implement. It was suggested that this approach takes time to learn to implement. The small size of the control group, relative to the treatment group, is a limitation.

Other Information:

References:

Elliot, Stephen N. 1995. The Responsive Classroom Approach: Its Effectiveness and Acceptability. Final evaluation report prepared for the Center for Systemic Educational Change, District of Columbia Public Schools, Washington, DC.

———. 1999. A Multiyear Evaluation of the Responsive Classroom Approach: Its Effectiveness and Acceptability in Promoting Social and Academic Competence. Final report prepared for Northeast Foundation for Children and Kensington Avenue Elementary School Staff.

Program Specification:

Current Rating:

Promising

Expected Date of Re-Review:

Summer 2013

Program Type:

Academic Skills Enhancement

Classroom Curricula

Conflict Resolution / Interpersonal Skills

School/Classroom Environment

Ethnicity:

Asian

African American

Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

White

Gender:

Both

Age:

5 - 11

Target Settings:

Rural

Suburban

Urban

Problem Behaviors:

Academic Problems

Aggression/Violence

Risk & Protective Factors:

Risk

Individual

Early onset of aggression and/or violence

Life stressors

Victimization and exposure to violence

School

Inadequate school climate / Poorly organized and functioning schools / Negative labeling by teachers

Low academic achievement

Negative attitude toward school / Low bonding / Low school attachment / Commitment to school

Protective

Individual

Healthy / Conventional beliefs and clear standards

High individual expectations

Perception of social support from adults and peers

Positive expectations / Optimism for the future

Self-efficacy

Social competencies and problem solving skills

School

Above average academic achievment / Reading and math skills

High expectations of students

High quality schools / Clear standards and rules

Opportunities for prosocial school involvement

Presence and involvement of caring, supportive adults in school

Rewards for prosocial school involvement

Strong school motivation / Positive attitude toward school

Student bonding (attachment to teachers, belief, commitment)

Additional Information:

CASEL

Status:

Program is in operation at this time.

Performance Measures:

Suggested OJJDP Performance Measures for the Program Types(s):

Delinquency Prevention
Academic Skills Enhancement
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
School Programs
Academic Skills Enhancement
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
Delinquency Prevention
Classroom Curricula
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
School Programs
Classroom Curricula
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
School Programs
School/Classroom Environment
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF

Contact Information:

Program Developer:
Sadie Fischesser, Manager of Strategic Initiatives
Northeast Foundation for Children
85 Avenue A, Suite 204
Turners Falls, MA 01376–0718
Phone: 8003606332
Fax: 8772063952
Email: Click Here
Website: Click Here

Training & TA Provider:
Staff
Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc.
85 Avenue A, Suite 204
Turners Falls, MA 01376–0718
Phone: 8003606332
Fax: 8772063952
Email: Click Here
Website: Click Here