Social and Character Development Study (SACD)

The SACD multiprogram evaluation was a 3-year longitudinal study following one cohort of students from third through fifth grades. At each of seven sites, one research team recruited and randomized 10 to 18 schools to either continue their current practice or implement a coherent program targeting social and behavioral outcomes. Schools were the unit of assignment, in part because the programs were applied at the school level (or at least in multiple grades in a school). Each research team set the eligibility criteria for schools within its site and recruited 10 to 14 schools for the study.6 In general, schools were purposively selected based on (1) their lack of schoolwide institutionalized programs addressing social and character development, (2) their willingness to participate in random assignment and engage in data collection activities, and (3) their ability to implement the program schoolwide (all elementary grades) if assigned to the treatment condition. Additional eligibility criteria employed by individual teams included relatively low performance on standardized tests, a relatively high percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, low student mobility rates, and a sufficient number of students per school to meet sample size requirements. The research teams recruited a total of 84 schools into the study beginning with the initial data collection in fall 2004. Eighty-three schools completed the evaluation, with one (a control school) dropping out before the start of the second year after converting to a magnet school.

• Experiment (incl. clinical trials and RCTs)
• Other - 4 Observation

Initial data were collected on consenting students in the third grade during fall 2004. Follow-up data were collected at subsequent time points: (1) in spring 2005 from third-grade students, (2) in fall 2005 when the original third-grade cohort began fourth grade, (3) in spring 2006 when the original third-grade cohort completed fourth grade, and (4) in spring 2007 when the original third-grade cohort completed fifth grade. Data for the study included survey data from students, students’ primary caregivers, teachers, and interview responses from principals.