Proven to Make a Difference: Second Step® K–8 Digital Programs Are Now Evidence-Based

For years, educators have relied on Second Step® programs to help students build essential skills for managing emotions, resolving conflicts, and connecting meaningfully with peers and adults. These skills shape not just how students learn but how they live. When schools invest in our human skills programs, they’re not just giving students the tools they need to navigate academic and emotional well-being. They’re also setting them up to succeed both in and out of the classroom.

And now, we can confidently confirm what we’ve known all along: it works.

Thanks to a recent series of rigorous, independent studies, Second Step® Elementary and Second Step® Middle School digital programs are now considered evidence-based.

This validation matters because it gives school leaders something powerful: proof that investing in Second Step programs leads to real results academically, emotionally, and schoolwide. With this evidence behind you, making a difference just got easier.

What “evidence-based” really means

To be considered “evidence-based,” a program must undergo multiple, carefully designed studies—conducted by researchers with no affiliation or bias—and produce clear, positive results when implemented with intention. It’s not just a label. It’s a standard that few programs meet.

Four studies were conducted by WestEd, an independent, nonpartisan research organization. The studies included over 25,000 students in kindergarten through grade 8 across 242 schools in California, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

And the results speak for themselves.

The outcomes aren’t just encouraging. They’re the victories educators live for:

• Academic motivation? Skyrocketed.
• Attendance? Boosted.
• Suspensions? Slashed.
• Relationships? Deepened.

Across the board, Second Step schools aren’t just seeing results. They’re setting the new standard for success.

What the studies showed

When schools implemented Second Step programs with moderate to high fidelity (meaning most or all lessons were taught), students consistently outperformed peers in schools that didn’t use the program.

Here’s a snapshot of what researchers found.

In elementary schools:

• Improved academic motivation and self-management
• Improved perceptions of school climate, including schoolwide prosocial behavior and family involvement
• Fewer out-of-school suspensions in schools with high implementation fidelity

In middle schools:

• Improved perceptions of school climate, including teacher-student relationships, school belonging, and overall school environment
• Improved English language arts grades (in one study)
• 36% fewer office disciplinary referrals
• 33–36% fewer suspensions
• 2.5 more days of school attendance

Across all studies, schools that implemented the programs with fidelity (teaching at least 60–80% of lessons) saw the strongest gains, and those effects even increased in the second year of implementation.

Why it matters for schools

With time, funding, and focus more limited than ever, schools need programs that work not just in theory but in practice—programs that educators can implement with confidence.

The mission of Second Step programs has always been rooted in supporting the whole child—academically, socially, and emotionally. Now, independent research backs that mission. When schools invest in these programs, they’re not just teaching life skills. They’re helping students thrive, today and in the future.

In classrooms, this could look like:

• Fewer disruptions
• Better student-teacher relationships
• A stronger sense of community
• Students who feel more equipped to learn and lead

It also means a more consistent, scalable foundation for creating a positive school climate, something that benefits every student, teacher, and family.

Implementation is key

One thing the data made crystal clear is that how the program is implemented is critical. The more consistently schools used Second Step programs, the more powerful the results—across every outcome measured.

Schools that saw the most impact were those that delivered the program with moderate to high fidelity. That means:

• Teaching most or all of the lessons over the course of the year
• Embedding the skills regularly in classroom routines, conversations, and culture, not just in the curriculum

Second Step digital programs are designed to make that adoption and consistent follow-through simple. Lessons are flexible, age-appropriate, and built to fit into the rhythms of the school day—whether they’re taught during morning meetings, advisory blocks, or a dedicated time for human skills instruction.

Our programs were built for real students, in real classrooms, led by real teachers.

A shared commitment to what works

These results aren’t for us. They’re here to support the work you do. They’re your confirmation that what you’re bringing into your schools really works.

This is the payoff for your dedication—the impact that truly counts in your classrooms. And it’s all part of a shared effort to build a better future for every child.

These outcomes are proof that Second Step lessons and skills support the powerful mission educators signed up for: helping students grow, not just academically but as whole, capable people.

Want to learn more?

Whether you’re already using Second Step programs or you’re exploring what’s next, now is the time to invest in programs proven to support stronger schools.

You can learn more about the independent studies that prove Second Step outcomes on our research page.

You can also schedule a free consultation to see how investing in human skills instruction can positively impact your school community.