Overview

This project is a long-term follow-up study of INSIGHTS into Children’s Temperament (INSIGHTS), a school-based, preventive intervention designed to support children’s social-emotional development and improve their behavior, well-being, and academic skills during the transition to elementary school.

A cluster randomized trial of INSIGHTS was conducted in kindergarten and first grade across 22 New York City schools serving students from low-income families (2008-2012). The trial found positive short-term effects on children's literacy, math, and behavioral skills, along with their ability to sustain attention. Follow-up data also showed impacts on these outcomes through sixth grade. Although these medium-term findings are promising, important questions remain: Does INSIGHTS continue to benefit children as they move through adolescence? Through what mechanisms does the program generate long-term outcomes? And which students benefit the most?

This follow-up study estimates the long-term effects of INSIGHTS on students’ academic, social-emotional, and behavioral outcomes from seventh through twelfth grade and during the transition to college. It explores whether INSIGHTS promoted better long-term outcomes, and if so, for whom and under what circumstances. Findings will shed light on whether early investments in social-emotional learning yield lasting benefits for students through high school and beyond.