Second Step

Grades: PreK-9
Contact: Committee for Children
568 First Avenue South, Suite 600
Seattle, WA 98104-2804
Phone: 800/634-4449 or 206/343-1223, FAX: 206/438-6765
E-mail: info@cfchildren.org

Second Step is designed to insert skills-based training into existing school curricula and encourage the transfer of skills to behavior at school and at home. The PK-5 version of Second Step also has a 6-week parent education component. The elementary program teaches empathy, impulse control, and anger management. The middle school program covers understanding the violence problem, empathy, anger management, problem solving, and applying skills to everyday situations. A study showed that physical aggression decreased from autumn to spring among students who were in the program but increased among students who were in a comparison group.

CASEL, Strength
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Model Program, (PDF)
Drug Strategies, 1998
US DOE Expert Panel, Exemplary Program