TLC Evaluation Report: Thriving Learning Communities program in 54 middle schools in the United States

This week Mayerson Academy published evaluation findings for the Thriving Learning Communities (TLC) program from 54 middle schools in the United States. Through our partnerships with research and evaluation experts at Fairleigh Dickenson University and Miami University, we have been better able to understand how the work is being received and what impact it is creating in the field. A meta-analysis of program evaluation data suggests positive findings in all areas including, participant assessment of professional learning, tools and resources, and student impact. The following is a brief synopsis of findings contained in this report:

• Professional Learning
  Participants consistently rate TLC professional learning as well-organized and the facilitators as knowledgeable and well-prepared, with participants rating these areas 9 or above on a scale of 1 to 10.
• Tools and Resources
  Since 2015, all participants have rated the resources provided through the Thriving Educator^TM and Thriving Classroom^TM sessions very highly. On average, participants rate the Thriving Learning Communities materials 9.5 on a 10 point scale.
• Participant Outcomes and Expectations
  When surveyed upon completion of the professional learning experiences, 100% of participants in the Thriving Educator and Thriving Classroom sessions have reported that they feel positively or very positively about using a strengths-based approach to social emotional learning with their students
• Student Impact
  Overall, students attending schools at which educators engage in professional learning with TLC experts, make use of the TLC coaching model, and implement the program with fidelity increase their SEL competencies. Students who use Happify with greater frequency in these schools have lower absentee and disciplinary rates, higher GPAs and improvement across all SEL and character strengths development categories. Impact at the teacher level in Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) was closely examined in classrooms implementing the TLC program with high fidelity. Eighty percent of classrooms in which teachers implemented the program with high fidelity scored in the top 50% of all SEL scores. Students in these classrooms had 18% fewer absences and 50% fewer instances of inappropriate behavior.

Visit Our Impact page to view or download the analysis.