What is the research project overview?
Harmony SEL is partnering with American Institutes for Research (AIR) to understand Harmony Third Edition implementation by LAUSD K-3 classroom teachers. The goal of the research project is to understand how teachers implement Harmony Third Edition and what effect these different approaches have on students’ social, emotional, and academic outcomes.
Who is the research project for?
The research project is designed to help you and LAUSD understand how educators in your building are implementing the Harmony SEL program and the impact implementation has on students’ social, emotional, and academic skills.
How many teachers should participate?
We are aiming for around 8 teachers from Grades K–3 from your school but will accept more if interested.
Are Harmony and AIR partnering with LAUSD?
The LAUSD Committee for External Research Review has examined the research project and is being conducted in collaboration with Susan Ward-Roncalli, PhD, LAUSD Division of Instruction, Social Emotional Learning Advisor.
What is the school administrator’s role?
- Share project information with teachers and help support teacher buy-in
- Identify a lead teacher who can serve as a point person throughout this study.
- Communicate with us if you have any questions or concerns.
- Receive research findings to share with your faculty and help with continuous improvement of SEL work.
What is the lead teacher’s role?
- Be the point person to connect with Harmony and AIR about the research project.
- Communicate with AIR about data collection efforts.
- Support teachers as they engage in data collection efforts.
- Help identify teachers interested in observations and focus groups.
What are the expectations for teachers to implement Harmony?
- K–3 teachers should implement Harmony in the ways they have always implemented Harmony. We are looking at how teachers regularly use Harmony to determine if that impacts student outcomes.
- Teachers should be using the refreshed Harmony Third Edition in the 2023–2024 school year.
What is the timeline for data collection efforts (teachers and students)?
| Spring 2023 | Complete 10–15-minute survey about implementation methods. |
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Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
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Administer SELweb assessment to students (20–30-minute direct assessment of student social and emotional skills done on the computer). |
| Complete 10–15-minute implementation survey. | |
| Approximately 60 teachers will be invited to be observed teaching Harmony Third Edition using the Harmony Student Observation Rubric. | |
| January and February 2024 | Approximately 48 teachers will be invited to participate in a focus group on their implementation practices. |
What are the incentives?
There are several incentives at various points throughout the research project.
| Signing Up | Plush Z doll and Quick Connection Cards for signing up! |
| Spring 2023 |
Teachers who complete the survey within four weeks will be entered into a raffle for $500. Teachers who complete the survey within eight weeks will be entered into 15 raffles of $100 each.
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Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
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Teachers who complete the survey will receive $20 each time (2 in total). Teachers who complete both surveys will also be entered into 20 raffles of $100 each.
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| $50 for two observations. | |
| January and February 2024 | $50 for a 1-hour focus group. |
Will data be shared?
Individual data will not be shared with school principals or district officials.
How can I express my interest in participating?
- Teachers: Please complete this brief interest form.
- School Leaders: Please complete this brief interest form.
I still have questions. Who can I contact?
You can reach out to our research team at harmonyresearch@air.org.