Grant Proposal Talking Points
Below are some “talking points” and resources you can use as a starting point if you are developing a grant proposal to fund the purchase of the SECOND STEP or STEPS TO RESPECT programs. The information is divided into categories based on four common sections of a grant proposal: the needs statement, goals and objectives, a budget, and an evaluation plan.
Needs Statement
See our information on needs assessment. In addition, the SECOND STEP Review of Research for preschool/kindergarten and elementary or middle school and the research foundations for the STEPS TO RESPECT program contain sections supporting the need for social and emotional learning and bullying prevention, respectively.
The following sections are derived from a recent national study by the Collaborative of Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL):
- Research has demonstrated a positive link between academic achievement and the acquisition of social and emotional learning skills. In fact, a recent national study by the Collaborative of Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) found that “...students receiving school-based social and emotional learning scored 11 percentile points higher on academic achievement tests than their peers who did not receive social and emotional learning.”
- According to the summary of the CASEL study, “Research clearly demonstrates the significant role of social and emotional learning in promoting the healthy development and academic achievement of all students. It also shows that social and emotional learning reduces problem behaviors and emotional distress that interfere with the learning and development of some students. Research indicates that social and emotional learning programming significantly raises test scores while it lowers levels of emotional distress; disruptive behavior; and alcohol, tobacco, or other drug use.”
Goals and Objectives
“Talking points” for SECOND STEP program goals and objectives:
-
We plan to introduce SECOND STEP: A Violence Prevention Program, which has been recognized by the United States Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for its effectiveness.
-
We have selected the SECOND STEP program because its lessons align with our academic content standards, (or) character education principles, (or) Head Start performance standards.
-
The SECOND STEP program teaches children skills in empathy, problem solving, impulse control, and anger management. These lessons not only improve social skills in the classroom, they offer guidelines for effective, respectful behavior throughout a lifetime.
-
Children at our school will be joining classrooms around the world in learning how to interact more effectively. Used by more than 9 million children and 25,000 schools in 21 countries, the research-based SECOND STEP program was created by educators with significant classroom experience.
-
We expect to see less disruption, improved interactions, and fewer discipline referrals—just as countless other schools have reported over the years.
“Talking points” for STEPS TO RESPECT program goals and objectives:
-
We plan to implement the STEPS TO RESPECT bullying prevention program, which is designed to decrease bullying and help students build more supportive relationships with each other.
-
The program teaches children skills for coping with bullying, including recognizing bullying, using assertive behaviors to refuse bullying, and reporting bullying to adults. The program also trains school staff to identify bullying and intervene effectively
-
We selected the STEPS TO RESPECT program because it takes a “whole school” approach. It is designed to bring the whole school family, including parents, into the picture by giving them information and tools they can use to establish school policies that set clear expectations and consequences for bullying behavior.
We selected the STEPS TO RESPECT program because its lessons align with our academic content standards and/or character education principles.
We are seeking funds for training all school staff members, as it is an integral part of the program’s successful implementation. Trained staff members can incorporate bullying prevention into every part of the school day.
Budget
You can determine how much curricula will cost by visiting our product and price list or online store. If you are planning on including training in your implementation, visit the Training section.
Evaluation
Evaluation "talking points":
- For the SECOND STEP program: To measure changes in children's knowledge about empathy, problem solving, management of strong emotions, and ways to respond to problematic situations with peers, we will use a pre and-post test knowledge assessment tool.
See the SECOND STEP pre and post tests. - For the STEPS TO RESPECT program: To measure changes in students’ attitudes related to bullying, we will use a pre and-post test knowledge assessment tool.
Go to SecondStep.org to download evaluation tools for the new K–5 program and for Grades 6–8 materials too. And go to our online community to download evaluation tools for the SECOND STEP 2002 edition and for the STEPS TO RESPECT program (you have to be a member of the online community to access these materials, but it's free to join).
