Supporting early adolescent learning and social strengths: Promoting productive contexts for students at-risk for EBD during the transition to middle school

This study involved a pilot examination of the impact of the Supporting Early Adolescent Learning and Social Strengths (SEALS) model on the 6th grade academic and social context following the transition to middle school. Two middle schools from a high poverty Appalachian school district were randomly assigned to the intervention and control condition. Following the SEALS training, students in the intervention school had higher peer norms for academic effort. Also, teachers in the intervention school had sustained levels of positive efficacy for meeting the instructional, behavioral, and social needs of all students while control teachers had a declining trend in their efficacy to meet students' needs across the school year. Further, compared to students in the control school, students in the intervention school with elevated levels of aggression were more likely to associate with academically productive peers and less likely to associate with peers who were identified as bullies or as victims. Implications for future research and for the development of strength-based programs for students at risk of EBD are discussed.