Researchers from the nonprofit MDRC released the results of a new study intended to find out if the benefits of early social-emotional learning (SEL) programs administered in kindergarten and first grade persist into middle school.

A large body of research shows that SEL programs improve academic performance, self‑regulation, behavior and attitudes toward school. But most studies stop after a year or less, leaving a major gap in understanding whether these early gains persist as children grow.

In fact, 61 percent of SEL studies examine outcomes for less than one year, and many do not follow students through major developmental transitions. This matters because early benefits often fade out over time.

The researchers wanted to test whether INSIGHTS, an early‑grade SEL intervention built on temperament theory, could produce durable, long‑term effects after being applied in kindergarten and first grade….

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