Summary
INSIGHTS Intervention provides lesson-based and teaching practices approaches to SEL. It includes programming for grades K-2 and demonstrates evidence of effectiveness at grades K-1. Translated materials are available in Spanish.
INSIGHTS is an evidence-based intervention that helps families, educators and young children identify how young children’s personalities and temperaments affect their behavior. The program has three components that promote student social-emotional development and academic learning.
For Educators: NEW INSIGHTS for Elementary School Educators is a professional development program featuring six self-paced lessons, each followed by a remote facilitated session. Designed for teachers, counselors, psychologists and administrators, this program helps educators recognize children’s temperaments/personalities and implement strategies to reduce behavior problems and enhance social skills.
For Classrooms: Children participate in 10 weekly 30-minute sessions in their own classrooms led by their teachers to help the class gain empathy and resolve dilemmas through mitten puppets, videos and activities.
For Parents: NEW INSIGHTS for Parents offers six self-paced, one-hour lessons, each followed by a remote facilitated session for groups of eight. These sessions help parents recognize their children’s temperaments/personalities and learn strategies to reduce behavior problems and enhance social skills.
Strategies supporting educational equity (CASEL)
Not available at this time.
Implementation
Below are key implementation details for this program. These specifications help determine if the program is a good fit for your school or organization.
Grade(s)
Elementary (K-5)
Setting
Classroom, Schoolwide, Home, Community
Language
English, Spanish
Cost
$2,000 for up to 10 educators to receive the self-paced and facilitated lessons. $2,000 for up to eight parents to receive both the self-paced and facilitated lessons. $1,000 for teacher-led classrooms to receive the self-paced instruction and classroom materials.
# Lessons
10
Program Design
Tier 1 (Universal)
Technology Requirements
Educators and parents will need a remote device to access lesson modules, videos, interactive activities and downloadable content.
Staffing Requirements
No additional staffing required
Professional Development
Onsite in-person, Virtual, Offsite, Train the Trainer, Educators and parents receive six one-hour asynchronized and six one-hour synchronized lessons.
Outcomes
Improved SEL skills and attitudes
Reduced Emotional Distress
Improved Identity Development/ Agency
Improved Academic Performance
Reduced Problem Behavior
Improved School Climate
Improved School Connectedness
Improved Prosocial Behavior
Improved Teaching Practices
Improved SEL Skills and Attitude
Evidence of Effectiveness
Results from a randomized controlled trial published in 2015 support the effectiveness of INSIGHTS for elementary students. The evaluation included 120 classrooms from 22 urban elementary schools serving kindergarten and grade 1 students (79% Black/African American, 44% Hispanic; 80% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL)). The evaluation found that the teachers who participated in the program exhibited higher levels of teacher emotional support compared to teachers in the comparison group (outcomes reported 10 weeks after baseline while controlling for outcome pretest).
A cluster randomized controlled trial evaluated the impact of INSIGHTS into Children’s Temperament, a social-emotional learning (SEL) program, in 22 urban elementary schools during the 2010–11 academic year. The study included 435 kindergarten and first-grade students, along with their teachers and families, from schools serving primarily low-income Black and Hispanic populations. Schools were randomly assigned to either the INSIGHTS intervention or an attention-control condition that delivered a supplemental reading program.
The INSIGHTS program consisted of ten weekly sessions delivered to students, teachers, and parents, focusing on improving self-regulation, classroom engagement, and teacher–student relationships through a temperament-based lens. Outcomes were measured across the school year using standardized assessments: Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III) for reading and math, the Leiter-R for sustained attention, and teacher reports of behavior using the SESBI.
Students who received INSIGHTS grew significantly faster than those in the control group in reading achievement (effect size = +0.55), math achievement (effect size = +0.31), sustained attention (effect size = +0.39), and reductions in behavior problems (effect size = +0.54). These findings qualify INSIGHTS for an ESSA Tier 1 (“Strong”) evidence rating in the Academic and Social-Emotional Learning domains.
Academic
Strong
Problem Behaviors
Strong
Published Studies
Cappella, E., O’Connor, E. E., McCormick, M. P., Turbeville, A. R., Collins, A. J., & McClowry, S. G. (2015). Classwide Efficacy of INSIGHTS: Observed Teacher Practices and Student Behaviors in Kindergarten and First Grade. The Elementary School Journal, 116(2), 217-241.
O’Connor, E.E., Cappella, E., McCormick, M.P & McClowry, S.G. (2014). An examination of the efficacy of INSIGHTS in enhancing the academic and behavioral development of children in early grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(4), 1156-1169. doi: 10.1037/a0036615