Social-Emotional Learning in Middle Schools: a Descriptive Case Study of Program Implementation

This research examined the implementation of a specific social-emotional skills monitoring system (Sown to Grow) in a public middle school in suburban Massachusetts in the school years 2022-25, compared to a district-designed School Connectedness Survey. The study looked at the longitudinal effects of social-emotional monitoring in relation to the year over year improvement of students' perception and reporting of social-emotional status; what trends were found looking at weekly monitoring of social-emotional status as compared to an annual survey of student well-being; and whether Sown to Grow, as a universal Tier 1 strategy for social-emotional awareness, measured real improvement in social-emotional outcomes. This study analyzed the quantitative data from Sown to Grow participation, and the School Connectedness survey, and whether social-emotional outcomes at the school level improved year over year. Findings from this study indicated that student self-reported social-emotional functioning demonstrated modest improvement and overall stability across multiple years and measurement tools. Descriptive trends suggested practical improvement over time, as well as a consistent, ongoing view into student well-being, supporting the validity of Sown to Grow as a universal Tier 1 monitoring instrument. Future research could center around student learning and skills outcomes, individual measurement of student well-being and sense of belonging over time, sustainability of the program, and how teacher mindset affects how the program is followed and perceptions of usefulness and value.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Alabama Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Rau Rogers, Courtney

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Barnard-Brak, Lucy

Contributors dc:contributor

• Filderman, Marissa J
• Jolivette, Kristine
• Lee, Joonhoo

• middle school
• MTSS
• progress monitoring
• social-emotional learning
• Tier 1 instruction

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US, English

Dc Identifier Other

1232968

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ir.ua.edu:123456789/18037