This document discusses how character and social skills building programs can benefit children in schools. It analyzes two such programs, Second Step and Skillstreaming, and finds they both teach important skills like empathy, problem-solving, and emotion regulation in evidence-based ways. The author concludes these programs provide structured lessons to help students develop social and emotional intelligence, which supports positive behavior and learning. Implementing one of these programs starting in kindergarten could help students gain skills for respectful interactions and academic success.

1. Running head: HOW CHARACTER AND SOCIAL BUILDING PROGRAMS
CAN BENEFIT OUR CHILDREN?
How Character and Social Building Programs Can Benefit our Children?
Jose Antonio Rios Jr.
American College of Education
July 2015
C15513- Developing Students Self Management Skills

2. HOW CHARACTER AND SOCIAL BUILDING PROGRAMS
CAN BENEFIT OUR CHILDREN? 1
How Character and Social Building Programs Benefit Can Our Children?
In today’s school environment we hear stories about how students are disrespecting
teachers and how they socialize with others through peer pressure and bullish temperament. In
our generation we have seen great advances in technology and medicine and yet no one seems to
have a solution for our children’s declining education. How can we as educators help these
students though their academic journey? In this paper I will go through a possible solution that
should be started as early as Kindergarten in order to infuse them with the proper character and
social skills needed to perform well in their classes.
When choosing a program its recommend that if one wants a higher rate of success it
should be evidence based. What this means is that the program has been implemented in real
classes and over time assessed and evaluated to be effective. Some educators might be tempted
in getting a more affordable program but why risk it? When it comes to students and their
behavior skills the earlier a preventive measure can be established the better. Two such
programs that I have selected are “Second Step” for character building, and “Skillstreaming” for
social skills development. In table 1 “Characteristics”, I briefly compared these two programs
with the “10 evidence-based characteristics of an effective social skills program” list.
As one can summarize they both meet the requirements for being an effective social
developmental program. Here are some of the similarities of these programs. They provide a
respectful learning environment through social emotional competence and self-regulations.
Through the use of these skills students have more positive relationships with their peers and
teachers. This positivity helps students setup a better learning environment in which they can
gather and assimilate more information then before. Eisenberg, Eggum, & Di (2010) stated that
building attention refers to students’ ability to direct, focus, and shift attention while screening

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out or ignoring distractions (as cited in “Second Step: Skills for Social and Academic Success”,
2011)
Both programs teach empathy, in which students are taught how to be more caring and
concerned about others feelings. This is a very important skill to teach when a child is young.
They will learn many social skills such as giving, sharing, and helping. Imagine if the school
described earlier in the introduction had students who practiced empathy. Teachers will be more
respected and students will understand that teachers only want what’s best for them.
Another commonality is that both programs teach proactive strategies in order to prevent
strong emotions from becoming a disturbance in class. Such an example would be if someone
does not get their way. Instead of setting off a temper tantrum students will realize that there are
other ways in handling a situation such as deep breathing and positive self talk. Knowing that
they will get another opportunity will help them relax and wait for another chance.
The last point in comparison I would like to make is how both programs help students in
solving problems. Naglieri & Rojahn (2004) described a technique called “STEP”. Which stands
for Say the problem, Think of solutions, Explore consequences, and Pick the best solution (as
cited in “Second Step: Skills for Social and Academic Success”, 2011). In “Skillstreaming” they
teach students how to solve common problems and accept consequences. These problem solving
skills are needed in order to find a better way than just lash out and try to harm another be it
physically or emotionally.
Both of these programs are well developed though research and implementation. They
however approach some situations differently. The “Second Step” program is believed to be
well-rounded and concentrates on the mental development of students and its outcomes. They
provide a lot of documentation to support their course and provided teachers with materials that

4. HOW CHARACTER AND SOCIAL BUILDING PROGRAMS
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fit their targeted audience. For example, I’m interested in their Kindergarten program which
provides song cd’s, games, posters, stories, flash cards, and even puppets. This variety of
materials will help a teacher keep their students entertained yet allowed to implement an
important skill lesson. For “Skillstreaming” they only provide students with a workbook and
flash cards. For their other targeted ages they provide similar materials. As one can see “Second
Step” provides more content but the program is more expensive. This is when a teacher has to
make a hard choice and factor in the schools budget for said materials.
What I like about “Skillstreaming” is that they involve the parents in their curriculum.
Unlike “Second Step”, they lay out the parent’s role in their children’s education. For example
more homework is given out with notes to the parents on how they can help their child better
understand the activity. They also provide teachers with assessment worksheets to show parents
how students are progressing. This parent and teacher involvement will give a student a better
chance of doing well both academically and emotionally.
In my kindergarten class I would use the “Second Step” program because of its easy to
use materials and targeted character building lessons. I would like to try “Skillstreaming” with
the older kids about five or six. They love worksheets and would like to show off to their parents
how well they are doing in their class through teacher assessments (notes home).
Once in a while a child will behave a certain way. Depending on the situation it can go
north or south. When the ladder happens it’s up to us teachers to explain, demonstrate, and
enforce the needed response. Most of us do not have the experience to determine why a child
feels the way they do just by a look. It’s up to us to give them the right “tools” they need to self
check and evaluate themselves. Through programs like “Second Step” and “Skillstreaming” we
have the opportunity to teach them how to manage their social and emotional lives.

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References
Eisenberg, N., Eggum, N. D., & Di Giunta, L. (2010). Empathy-related Responding:
Associations with prosocial behavior, aggression, and intergroup relations. Social Issues
and Policy Review, 4(1), 143–180. doi:10.1111/j.1751-2409.2010.01020.x
Naglieri, J. A., & Rojahn, J. (2004). Construct validity of the PASS theory and CAS:
Correlations with achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(1), 174−181.
doi:10.1037/0022-0663.96.1.174
Second Step: Skills for Social and Academic Success. Committee for children (2011). Retrieved
from: http://www.cfchildren.org/Portals/0/SS_K5/K-5_DOC/k-5-research-summary.pdf

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Appendix
Table 1: Characteristics (Source: School-wide discipline, behavior management, and student
self-management: Focusing on social skills instruction and selecting an evidence-based
social skills program. Little Rock, AR: Project ACHIEVE Incorporated)
Characteristics Character Education and Social
Skills Programs
Second Step Skillstreaming
Evidenced Based YES YES
Connects with PBSS YES NO
Evaluation Components
(assessments)
YES YES
Classroom and School
Relevant Interpersonal &
Intrapersonal Skills
YES YES
Instructionally/Pragmatically
Sensitive to the
Developmental Stages
YES YES
Can be taught by Classroom
Teachers
YES YES
Progressively Challenging YES YES
Solution Skills (teach, apply,
infuse)
YES YES
Skill Instruction and Behavior YES YES
Proactively/Reactively
Respond to Behaviors
YES YES