Second Step
A Violence Prevention Program
Scheri DuBon
LAUSD Local District 8 Health Education Programs/
Title IV Advisor
(310) 354-3524
Scheri.dubon@lausd.net
Second Step Training Goals
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To help staff understand what it means to use
a social skills approach to youth violence
prevention.
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To prepare staff to use Second Step
curriculum with students.
Why did LAUSD choose Second Step?
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Meets Federal and State Mandates
Only violence prevention curriculum rated as
exemplary by the United States Department
of Education
Most widely used.
Universal curriculum
In addition to being “Teacher Friendly”
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Safety and Learning Correlation
Closing the Achievement Gap
District Goals
Developmental Assets
Brain Research
Safety and Learning
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Correlation between level of perceived safety
and API scores
Teaches students how to mediate their
emotions so they can calm down and get
back to learning
Closing the Achievement Gap
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Ensure that “disagreements are handled with
discussion and with respect for alternative positions”
“promote respect for the uniqueness of each person
as well as for the ways we are similar”
AEMP/Closing the Achievement Gap Branch, 2004
District Goals
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Improved student achievement in English Language
Arts
Improved student achievement in Math
Successful and timely re-designation of EL students
Improved attendance rates
Improved graduation rates
Focused and coherent professional development
Developmental Assets
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See Handouts
Based on success not failure
Not a curriculum
Second Step promotes 31 of the 40 Assets
Brain Research
“Students must feel physically safe and
emotionally secure before they can focus on
the curriculum.”
David A. Sousa
How The Brain Learns, 2001
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What the Bleep Do We Know!?
Safety in our Schools
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“ Trying to create a safe school climate
without teaching students social-emotional
skills is like trying to educate our students
without teaching them to read.”
Kevin Dwyer
School Psychologist
National Expert on School Safety
Reasons Children Fail to Act Prosocially
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Lack of modeling
Lack of practice
Desired behavior inhibited by emotional
responses
Inappropriate beliefs about aggression
Skill Based Program: PreK-8
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Based on research showing that people who
engage in child abuse, domestic violence,
and other kinds of criminal behavior lack the
following skills:
Empathy
Impulse Control
Problem Solving
Anger Management
Empathy
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Students are taught to:
Understand the feelings of others
Understand points of view that are different
from theirs
Respect all people regardless of differences
Treat others with kindness
Impulse Control
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Students are taught to mediate their
emotions by:
Learning to identify their feelings
Learning how to interrupt their automatic
reactions through calming down techniques
Practice these skills in a variety of
challenging social-emotional situations
Problem-Solving
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Students are taught to solve problems in
ways that are:
Safe
Fair
Take into account everyone’s feelings
Will work
Anger-Management
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Students are taught to:
Identify where in their bodies they feel angry
Interrupt the anger cycle through calming
down methods
Use positive problem-solving methods
Assess how well they handled their anger
Implementation
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See Handouts
Scope and Sequence
Lesson Teaching Time Guidelines
Lesson Section Breakdown
Social Skills Teaching Strategies
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See handout
Modeling
Coaching and Cueing
Storytelling
Group Discussion
Role-Play Facilitation*
Transfer of Learning
Resources
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Committee for Children www.cfchildren.org
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Developmental Assets
www.search-institute.org
Unit Review Activity
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Unit Card
What is the goal of your unit?
What key elements are taught in your unit?
What language concepts are taught in your
unit?
What Transfer of Learning ideas or Extension
Activities Ideas would you use?