Research associates the Responsive Classroom approach with higher academic achievement, fewer behavior problems, and more high-quality instruction. 

Building on the promising results of the Social and Academic Learning Study (SALS), Dr. Sara Rimm-Kaufman and a team of researchers from the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education are currently conducting the Responsive Classroom Efficacy Study (RCES), a randomized control trial looking at the effect of Responsive Classroom practices on math teaching and learning. This $2.9 million study is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. The Social and Academic Learning Study, completed in 2004, yielded important findings from schools using the Responsive Classroom approach:

Children . . .

• Scored higher on math and reading tests
• Felt more positive about schools, teachers, and peers
• Had better social skills and fewer behavior problems

Teachers . . .

• Felt more effective and more positive about teaching
• Offered more high-quality instruction
• Collaborated more frequently with other teachers

This and other studies confirm what good teachers have always known: When children are explicitly taught social and emotional skills in a positive classroom climate, behavioral problems decrease and academic engagement and achievement increase.