Improve Outcomes for Pacific NW Kids through Play

A new review conducted by RAND Corporation and commissioned by The Wallace Foundation found that Playworks stands out among social and emotional learning (SEL) programs for evidence of impact.

The RAND Corporation review found that the Playworks Coach service is one of only seven elementary school SEL interventions to meet the highest criteria for evidence of impact under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). It was one of only three elementary school SEL interventions reviewed to show “strong evidence” of impact on multiple (more than four) outcomes.

The Playworks Coach service, which includes class time, out-of-class time, and out-of-school time components, is available to elementary schools in 23 U.S. cities. In this service, Playworks staff members work onsite daily at partner schools who serve populations where 50 percent or more of students qualify for free and reduced lunch to ensure every kid can experience safe and healthy play at recess and throughout the day.

Examining a 2013 randomized control trial by Stanford University and Mathematica Policy Research, RAND found that the Playworks Coach program impacts the following SEL outcomes:

• class readiness
• on-task behavior
• transitioning from recess to learning
• anti-bullying
• inclusiveness
• student ownership of recess activities
• student safety
• student use of positive language

States and districts can potentially use three ESSA funding streams—Title I, Title II, and Title IV—to support SEL programming in schools. To qualify, SEL programs must address indicators identified in state ESSA plans, such as chronic absenteeism, school climate, school safety, and student engagement. They must also be evidence-based, meaning they demonstrate statistically significant evidence of impact or are working towards doing so.

RAND used the National Research Council SEL framework to identify SEL programs to review. This framework defines cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal skills that contribute to success in school, in the workplace, and beyond. RAND reviewed 24,000 research citations and found 150 studies on interventions that impacted these skills.

Of these, RAND identified 60 SEL interventions, including Playworks Coach, that showed statistically significant evidence of impact from a “well-conducted research study.” Within this group, RAND further categorized programs into “strong evidence”, “moderate evidence”, and “promising evidence” tiers based on the rigor of the evaluation. Playworks was one of only a handful of interventions in the “strong evidence” tier. 

The RAND review is the first to comprehensively examine how published evidence from U.S.-based K-12 SEL programs fit within the ESSA evidence requirements, and which SEL interventions may qualify for funding based on ESSA’s evidence criteria.

Read the Review 

We live in extraordinary times. We struggle to make sense of the catastrophes, threats, and conflicts we see at a distance and up close. Sometimes, we even forget that we have a real capacity to impact what happens in our own communities.

Do you notice, as we have at Playworks, how uncertainties and divisions take their toll on our youngest citizens? Do you wonder how much they absorb? We may not be able to stop natural disasters or political strife, but we can most certainly do something for the children.

Together, we can make sure all children know what it feels like to be part of a healthy, caring community—at school, every day.

You know a healthy community when you see it. It’s a place where children absorb the lessons that matter most: that we can achieve more together; that kindness makes hard times less scary; that everyone belongs. Those lessons help classroom lessons stick, because feeling safe and feeling needed make it easier to learn.

That’s the kind of community Playworks creates in elementary schools, starting with recess.

New research suggests that the relationships we build between students and adults on the playground are a “preventative factor,” buffering children against adverse experiences.

For 21 years, Playworks has used traditional recess games, simple conflict resolution tools, and the joy of physical activity to make the most of kids’ limited recess time at school. On our playgrounds, kids invite each other to join in. They resolve their own conflicts by playing rock, paper, scissors. When we play, everyone is welcome.

Perhaps the playground is not the first place you might look for solutions to our nation’s challenges.

Yet if you walk out to recess at any Playworks school right now, one solution would be obvious: we need each other. Even in a game of tag or foursquare, kids need each other to keep the game going; fighting just gets in the way. In the same way, we all need each other to address the challenges facing our nation.

Play brings people together to learn how to give and receive help. It teaches kids and adults the importance of listening to each other and being heard. These are lessons we all need to learn.

Moreover, moments of play at school are precisely how we must take care of children at this tumultuous time.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, together we are bringing healthy play to 150 schools and reaching more than 70,000 students this school year.

That’s 70,000 future adults strengthening their communities, and it starts with play. Your support makes this possible.

As you look toward the end of 2017, please consider making a gift to Playworks Pacific Northwest and joining our community of supporters.

Thank you for investing in play, in our kids, and in our country.

Links:

• Overcoming challenges in creating an inclusive school community