Program
Summary
The PATHS (Promoting Alternative
THinking Strategies) Curriculum is a comprehensive
program for promoting emotional and social competencies
and reducing aggression and behavior problems in elementary
school-aged children while simultaneously enhancing
the educational process in the classroom. This innovative
curriculum is designed to be used by educators and
counselors in a multi-year, universal prevention model.
Although primarily focused on the school and classroom
settings, information and activities are also included
for use with parents.
Program Targets:
The PATHS Curriculum was developed for use in the
classroom setting with all elementary school aged-children.
PATHS has been field-tested and researched with children
in regular education classroom settings, as well as
with a variety of special needs students (deaf, hearing-impaired,
learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, mildly mentally
delayed, and gifted). Ideally it should be initiated
at the entrance to schooling and continue through
Grade 5.
Program Content:
The PATHS Curriculum, taught three times per week
for a minimum of 20-30 minutes per day, provides teachers
with systematic, developmentally-based lessons, materials,
and instructions for teaching their students emotional
literacy, self-control, social competence, positive
peer relations, and interpersonal problem-solving
skills. A key objective of promoting these developmental
skills is to prevent or reduce behavioral and emotional
problems. PATHS lessons include instruction in identifying
and labeling feelings, expressing feelings, assessing
the intensity of feelings, managing feelings, understanding
the difference between feelings and behaviors, delaying
gratification, controlling impulses, reducing stress,
self-talk, reading and interpreting social cues, understanding
the perspectives of others, using steps for problem-solving
and decision-making, having a positive attitude toward
life, self-awareness, nonverbal communication skills,
and verbal communication skills. Teachers receive
training in a two- to three-day workshop and in bi-weekly
meetings with the curriculum consultant.
Program Outcomes:
The PATHS Curriculum has been shown to improve protective
factors and reduce behavioral risk factors. Evaluations
have demonstrated significant improvements for program
youth (regular education, special needs, and deaf)
compared to control youth in the following areas:
- Improved self-control,
- Improved understanding and recognition of emotions,
- Increased ability to tolerate frustration,
- Use of more effective conflict-resolution strategies,
- Improved thinking and planning skills,
- Decreased anxiety/depressive symptoms (teacher
report of special needs students),
- Decreased conduct problems (teacher report of
special needs students),
- Decreased symptoms of sadness and depression
(child report – special needs), and
- Decreased report of conduct problems, including
aggression (child report).
Program Costs:
Program costs over a three-year period would range
from $15/student/year to $45/student/year. The higher
cost would include hiring an on-site coordinator,
the lower cost would include redeploying current staff.
