Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0002-3866-6209
Document Type
Research Report
Publication Date
Fall 12-2025
Abstract
A School Climate Needs Assessment completed by 57 administrators evaluated both overall school climate and the key components that contribute to it. Administrators revealed low satisfaction with overall school climate (25%) and with students’ SEL skills (19%), and most considered these areas important to improve (77% and 79%) and expressed a desire for support (60% and 53%). Similar patterns emerged for academic performance (28% satisfied; 86% considered improvement important; 44% desired support), disciplinary actions (19%; 54%; 49%), and conflict levels—student-student (21%; 79%; 60%) and student-teacher (26%; 49%; 47%). Across these domains, a substantial proportion of respondents—often 40–50%—selected “undecided,” suggesting that many administrators may lack sufficient information or clarity about current school climate conditions to form a definitive judgment. Program visibility was high, with 72% of administrators aware of or referring students to the Youth Program. Satisfaction with the Program’s influence on school climate was modest across all domains: overall school climate (27%), SEL (29%), academics (15%), discipline (22%), and conflict reduction (24% for student-student; 17% for student-teacher). Even so, the few administrators who were satisfied praised the mediators’ contributions, noting that they were “the best,” had improved school climate, and had eased demands on admin and counselors. Others pointed to cultural benefits, explaining that the Program reinforces positive and prosocial behavior and has had “a huge impact” on the school environment. Administrators noted that the Program aligns with other school initiatives and provides students with additional avenues to resolve conflicts. Among administrators familiar with the Program (41), key areas for improvement included teacher time (41%), training support (39%), data collection (39%), and awareness of Program benefits (51%).
The Youth Program demonstrated strong SEL outcomes. The School Administration Evaluation, completed by 19 administrators, reported improvements for both trained students delivering services and parties receiving services across all five SEL domains: social awareness (84% for trained students; 79% for parties), self-awareness (89%; 84%), self-management (89%; 84%), responsible decision-making (84%; 79%), and relationship skills (84%; 79%). Similarly, of the 117 students completing the Training/Workshop Evaluation, the majority reported growth in social awareness (94%), self-awareness (79%), self-management (85%), responsible decision-making (94%), and relationship skills (86%). Among 90 students completing follow-up questions, 91% reported improved active listening, 89% learned to identify positions and interests in conflict, and 97% learned to speak kindly. Administrators strongly supported Program participation, with 89% (17 of 19) recommending it, highlighting its effectiveness in helping students navigate conflict, develop social skills, and strengthen their sense of belonging and community.
Peer mediation training also produced substantial gains. Among 218 students completing pre-training and 78 completing post-training evaluations, foundational skills improved, including conflict understanding (93% → 95%) and active listening (89% → 94%). Students also showed marked growth in mediation-specific skills: understanding the peer mediator role (72% → 96%), understanding mediation values (73% → 96%), introducing mediation to parties (49% → 91%), and managing conflict effectively (80% → 92%). Pre-training goals focused on improving communication, emotional regulation, and understanding the mediation process, and post-training feedback indicated these goals were largely met. Engagement was high, with 82% of post-training respondents rating the sessions 8 or higher on a 10-point scale.
Community Engaged/Serving
Part of the UMass Boston Community-Engaged Teaching, Research, and Service Series. //scholarworks.umb.edu/engage
Recommended Citation
Palihapitiya, madhawa and Zeferino, Karina, "Youth Program FY2025 Evaluation Report" (2025). Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration Publications. 44.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/mopc_pubs/44
Included in
Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Peace and Conflict Studies Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Policy Commons, Social Work Commons
Comments
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