The Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program: Outcomes from a Group Randomized Trial

Area of Science:

• Education
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Classroom management is crucial for student social-emotional and academic success.
• Urban school settings present unique challenges for behavior management.
• Evidence-based interventions are needed to support teachers and students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program (IY TCM) in an urban school context.
• To examine the impact of IY TCM on student social behavior and academic outcomes.
• To explore moderation effects of demographic and baseline variables on treatment outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Group randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 105 teachers and 1817 students (K-3).
• Three-level hierarchical linear models (HLM) to analyze treatment effects.
• Multi-level moderation analyses to assess differential treatment effects.

Main Results:

• IY TCM significantly reduced student emotional dysregulation (d = -0.14).
• The program increased prosocial behavior (d = 0.13) and social competence (d = 0.13).
• Students with lower baseline social and academic competence showed significant improvements.

Conclusions:

• The IY TCM program is effective in improving social-emotional and behavioral outcomes for diverse urban students.
• The intervention shows particular benefit for students with initial lower social and academic skills.
• Findings support the implementation of IY TCM in schools to enhance student well-being and academic potential.