As with most large school districts, the 87,000 students of Austin Independent School District (AISD) are culturally and economically diverse and, in some cases, working to succeed despite difficult circumstances.

As part of its efforts to help all students succeed, AISD implemented Second Step Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in every elementary and middle school throughout the district. The districtwide SEL plan was carried out over the course of five years and quickly paid off. In the first six weeks of implementation at O. Henry Middle School, discipline referrals dropped by 87 percent.

AISD educators and students alike love the program. Third-grader Arianna said, “Some schools probably don’t do Second Step or social-emotional learning, and their school’s probably not as fun as ours.”