Evaluation of the Second Step Violence Prevention Program at a Rural Elementary School

The Second Step Violence Prevention Program was implemented in a rural elementary school with a population of mostly poor, white students. A yearlong longitudinal evaluation with students in the third through sixth grades was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. For comparison, data were also gathered from students in a nearby school without such an intervention. Results on teacher ratings on the School Social Behavior Scales (Merrell, 1993) indicated that there were significant improvements in ratings of social competence (p<.01) and antisocial behaviors (p<.05) at the intervention school when compared with students at the nonintervention school. Independent behavioral observations also showed improvements in some prosocial behaviors, such as engaging appropriately with peers. Observations did not find the same improvement in antisocial behaviors at the intervention school. Results and implications are discussed.