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Proven to Work: The Second Step® Impact on School Climate Improvement Districtwide

Discover the independent evidence and large-scale studies that demonstrate measurable school climate improvement across districts that use Second Step programs.

April 7, 2026

School climate has become one of the most important indicators of school success, yet it’s also one of the hardest to improve at scale.

Not only do district leaders know the stakes, but they live them. School climate influences attendance, behavior, academic performance, and teacher retention. It’s tied to accountability measures and long-term student outcomes.

But knowing it matters isn’t the same as knowing which solution is worth investing in.

As Second Step® programs enter a new chapter—marked by a refreshed brand, a more dynamic digital presence, and an enhanced end-to-end client experience—we’re sharpening our focus on what has always set us apart: proven, large-scale impact on school climate. This evolution isn’t about changing our foundation. It’s about elevating how districts experience and activate it.

For district leaders evaluating new solutions, the question isn’t whether school climate matters. The question is which partner can deliver results reliably, across schools, and under real-world conditions. That’s where evidence becomes essential—not small pilots, not isolated case studies, but rigorous, independent research that reflects the realities of entire school systems.

This is where Second Step programs clearly stand apart.

Evidence at a scale the field hasn’t seen before

Second Step programs are used in more than 45,000 schools nationwide and reach over 20 million students worldwide.

That reach is key. It means results don’t come from a handful of classrooms or a single district. Rather, the results reflect what happens when programs are implemented across diverse schools, communities, and student populations.

But scale alone has never been enough.

What distinguishes Second Step programs from other providers is the depth and rigor of their evidence base. For example, the K–8 digital programs have been evaluated in the largest multi-state, independent study of its kind—conducted by WestEd, an organization known for objective, high-quality research in education.

The WestEd study followed more than 25,000 students across multiple districts and states, examining how Second Step programs influenced school climate and student outcomes in the first year of implementation.

No other provider in this space comes close to this level of independent validation across states on such a significant scale.

This evidence isn’t simply a record of past success. It’s the blueprint behind the enhanced Second Step experience, shaping how districts implement, scale, and sustain climate improvement more effectively today.

What evidence-based school climate improvement looks like in practice

The findings of the WestEd study reflect measurable, meaningful improvements in the areas schools care about most.

Elementary school outcomes

In California schools:

Academic motivation increased by 6 percentile points
Prosocial behavior increased by 5 percentile points
Parent involvement increased by 4 percentile points

In North Carolina schools:

Self-management improved by 5 percentile points
Out-of-school suspensions decreased by 14 percentile points

Middle school outcomes

In California schools:

Caring relationships increased by 13 percentile points
Overall school environment improved by 11 percentile points

In South Carolina schools:

Teacher-student relationships increased by 16 percentile points
School belonging increased by 14 percentile points
Overall school climate improved by 11 percentile points
ELA grades increased by 7 percentile points
Disciplinary referrals and suspensions decreased by 36%
Students in the treatment group had 2.5 more days of attendance

These aren’t marginal or incremental gains.

They represent meaningful shifts in how students experience school and how schools function day to day.

And importantly, many of these improvements were visible within the first year of sufficient implementation.

Why school climate is the differentiator

School climate isn’t a secondary outcome. It’s a foundational one. It’s the condition that makes everything else possible.

When students feel safe, connected, and supported:

They show up more consistently
They engage more fully in learning
They build stronger relationships with peers and teachers

And when those conditions are in place, academic outcomes follow.

That’s why school climate is now prioritized across districts and embedded in frameworks tied to accountability, including ESSA-aligned goals, MTSS, and PBIS.

But improving climate at a meaningful level requires more than intention. It requires consistency across classrooms, alignment across schools, and sustained implementation over time.

That’s where many solutions fall short.

Built for districts, not just classrooms

Many programs in this space are designed for individual classrooms or specific interventions.

Second Step programs take a different approach.

They’re designed as a comprehensive, PreK–12 human skills solution that supports consistent implementation across entire districts. That means:

Shared language and practices across grade levels
Alignment with existing frameworks and priorities
The ability to scale without losing fidelity

The redesigned Second Step experience strengthens this model: making it easier for district leaders to navigate resources, align stakeholders, and implement with clarity across schools. This is how evidence gets translated into consistent practice districtwide.

This is what makes systemic climate improvement possible—not just pockets of progress but measurable change across schools with the support to implement and follow through seamlessly.

Evidence-driven, mission-led

Second Step programs were developed by a nonprofit organization that has 40 years of experience supporting educators. This means the focus isn’t on trends or short-term adoption. The focus is on long-term outcomes, backed by research and grounded in real-world classroom use.

Second Step programs are designed, tested, and refined based on what educators need and what data shows actually works in real classrooms with real students. The result is a solution that is both research-driven and practical to implement.

Why leaders trust Second Step® programs

When districts invest in improving school climate, they need confidence that the approach will deliver tangible results.

Second Step programs provide that confidence through:

The largest evidence base in the category
Proven improvements in climate and academic indicators
A comprehensive approach that supports districtwide implementation
A long-standing track record of trust among educators

This is what defines leadership in this category, not just offering programs but delivering results that hold up across schools, districts, and student populations.

What this means for districts

School climate is one of the most powerful levers for improving student outcomes.

But it’s also one of the most complex to get right.

It requires intention, but it also requires evidence that holds up across diverse districts and a model that’s built to scale without losing effectiveness.

Second Step programs uniquely bring all three together.

With an unmatched evidence base, proven outcomes, and implementation designed for real-world school systems, Second Step programs set the standard for what effective, districtwide climate improvement looks like.