In December 2022, Rock Island-Milan School District #41 (RIMSD), in partnership with the Connect with Kids Network (CWK) and Empirical Education Inc., received an Early-Phase Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate How Are the Children (HATC), a social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum. “And how are the children?” is the traditional greeting of Maasai tribe warriors. The expression suggests that the true strength of a community is determined by the well-being of its children. Inspired by this idea, CWK developed the HATC curriculum. HATC is an SEL curriculum that uses project-based learning modules to engage students in learning through the lens of documentary filmmaking. The HATC curriculum includes lessons built around the five SE competencies identified by The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills.
Empirical Education will lead a one-year teacher-level randomized control trial (RCT) and subsequent 4-year implementation study aimed at producing evidence of the effectiveness of HATC for 9–12 grade students on social-emotional (SE) competencies, as well as behavioral and academic outcomes. Our findings will inform the improvement of the program, as well as to foster the expansion of the curriculum into other schools and districts.
Check back for updates as our work continues!
