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Evaluation of the Effects of Combining the Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) and PATHS Programs on 1st-4th-Grade Teacher and Student Outcomes: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Title: Evaluation of the Effects of Combining the Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) and PATHS Programs on 1st-4th-Grade Teacher and Student Outcomes: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Language: English
Authors: Peter D. Rehder (ORCID 0000-0002-1085-9025), Yibing Li, Tara Hofkens, Karime Cameron, American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Source: American Institutes for Research. 2026.
Availability: American Institutes for Research. 1400 Crystal Drive 10th Floor, Arlington, VA 22202. Tel: 202-403-5000; Fax: 202-403-5001; e-mail: inquiry@air.org; Web site: https://www.air.org/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 80
Publication Date: 2026
Sponsoring Agency: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) (ED), Education Innovation and Research (EIR)
Contract Number: U411C190159
Document Type: Reports - Research
Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: Elementary Education
Descriptors: Program Evaluation, Social Development, Social Emotional Learning, Interpersonal Competence, Modeling (Psychology), Wellness, Resilience (Psychology), Elementary School Teachers, Well Being, Program Implementation, COVID-19, Pandemics, Metacognition, Depression (Psychology), Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Teacher Characteristics, Emotional Development, Outcomes of Education, Stress Management
Geographic Terms: Illinois (Chicago)
Abstract: Teachers' social-emotional skills are required not only to deliver social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula for students but also to model social competence and engage in classroom processes that support effective pedagogy and student learning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential impacts of supplementing an evidence-based SEL program, Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies (PATHS), with a teacher wellness program, Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) on grade 1-4 teachers' SEL and well-being, their implementation of the PATHS Curriculum, and students' outcomes. To do this, we randomly assigned 34 elementary schools in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to receive either (1) the CARE and PATHS programs together (CARE+PATHS group) or (2) the PATHS program without CARE (PATH Only group). We assessed CARE implementation and program impact by collecting surveys of teachers, observations of CARE trainings and classrooms, and district administrative data. Although the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a change to virtual program implementation and a change from a randomized controlled trial to a quasi-experimental design, results indicated high implementation fidelity. We found limited effects of CARE on teachers' social-emotional competence and well-being. We found that teachers in the CARE+PATHS group scored more poorly on some aspects of mindfulness and had more depressive symptoms than teachers in the PATHS Only group. However, teachers in the CARE+PATHS group showed greater regard for student perspectives than the PATHS Only group, as measured by independent classroom observations. Further, students in the CARE+PATHS group had better attendance and fewer disciplinary incidents than students in the PATHS Only group. Our findings must be interpreted with caution, but they provide encouraging preliminary evidence of CARE's positive effects on key student outcomes.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED678660
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Evaluation of the Effects of Combining the Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) and PATHS Programs on 1st-4th-Grade Teacher and Student Outcomes: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation during the COVID-19 Pandemic
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Peter+D%2E+Rehder%22">Peter D. Rehder</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1085-9025">0000-0002-1085-9025</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yibing+Li%22">Yibing Li</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tara+Hofkens%22">Tara Hofkens</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Karime+Cameron%22">Karime Cameron</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22American+Institutes+for+Research+%28AIR%29%22">American Institutes for Research (AIR)</searchLink>
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  Data: American Institutes for Research. 1400 Crystal Drive 10th Floor, Arlington, VA 22202. Tel: 202-403-5000; Fax: 202-403-5001; e-mail: inquiry@air.org; Web site: https://www.air.org/
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Illinois+%28Chicago%29%22">Illinois (Chicago)</searchLink>
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  Data: Teachers' social-emotional skills are required not only to deliver social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula for students but also to model social competence and engage in classroom processes that support effective pedagogy and student learning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential impacts of supplementing an evidence-based SEL program, Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies (PATHS), with a teacher wellness program, Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) on grade 1-4 teachers' SEL and well-being, their implementation of the PATHS Curriculum, and students' outcomes. To do this, we randomly assigned 34 elementary schools in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to receive either (1) the CARE and PATHS programs together (CARE+PATHS group) or (2) the PATHS program without CARE (PATH Only group). We assessed CARE implementation and program impact by collecting surveys of teachers, observations of CARE trainings and classrooms, and district administrative data. Although the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a change to virtual program implementation and a change from a randomized controlled trial to a quasi-experimental design, results indicated high implementation fidelity. We found limited effects of CARE on teachers' social-emotional competence and well-being. We found that teachers in the CARE+PATHS group scored more poorly on some aspects of mindfulness and had more depressive symptoms than teachers in the PATHS Only group. However, teachers in the CARE+PATHS group showed greater regard for student perspectives than the PATHS Only group, as measured by independent classroom observations. Further, students in the CARE+PATHS group had better attendance and fewer disciplinary incidents than students in the PATHS Only group. Our findings must be interpreted with caution, but they provide encouraging preliminary evidence of CARE's positive effects on key student outcomes.
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    Languages:
      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 80
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      – SubjectFull: Program Evaluation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social Development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social Emotional Learning
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      – SubjectFull: Interpersonal Competence
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      – SubjectFull: Modeling (Psychology)
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      – SubjectFull: Wellness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Resilience (Psychology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Elementary School Teachers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Well Being
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Program Implementation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: COVID-19
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pandemics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Metacognition
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      – SubjectFull: Depression (Psychology)
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      – SubjectFull: Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
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      – SubjectFull: Teacher Characteristics
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      – SubjectFull: Emotional Development
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      – SubjectFull: Outcomes of Education
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      – SubjectFull: Stress Management
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      – SubjectFull: Illinois (Chicago)
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    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Evaluation of the Effects of Combining the Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) and PATHS Programs on 1st-4th-Grade Teacher and Student Outcomes: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation during the COVID-19 Pandemic
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