4 Improvements to Your Second Step® Program Based on Classroom Visits

Classrooms are where Second Step® programs were born and where they will always be designed to live. They’re where our research is grounded, where our best practices are based, and where our focus will always remain. Classrooms are also at the heart of our commitment to continuous improvement, as the insights we use for program updates come directly from the educators and students who use them daily in classrooms across the country.

Members of the Second Step product team regularly visit classrooms to talk with students and educators about their experience using Second Step programs. They observe the programs in action. They take both personal anecdotes and high-level data into account. These visits are an opportunity to discover powerful insights that the team can immediately turn into action in the form of continuous program improvements.

Based on recent, informative in-person classroom visits, we’ve made several program improvements that will make it even easier to help students strengthen the human skills they need to thrive in and out of the classroom.

4 powerful program updates based on classroom visits

1. Leader feature fixes

In a meeting with product engineers, building leaders pointed out that smaller screens were causing some difficulty with editing and adjusting their school’s lesson completion goal. We know that goals need to be easily adjustable. Within two weeks, we resolved this issue by making it as easy as possible to update goals while ensuring best practice of setting an “achieve by” date.

2. Goal-setting improvements

We heard about scenarios where lesson completion goals were different between the grade bands, leading to some school sites experiencing misaligned program completion goals across levels. With this issue identified, we’ll offer a solution as part of our spring program release in April 2026.

This update will help schools set meaningful, community-wide goals.

3. Leader Dashboard experience

Watching leaders navigate the Leader Dashboard made us reconsider the overall navigation and design of this essential feature. Ease-of-use is one of our highest program priorities, so we’re always seeking ways to make Second Step programs as straightforward and intuitive as possible for leaders, educators, and students.

As part of our June release, we’ll simplify the layout of the Leader Dashboard and also elevate key data “above the fold,” making it easier for leaders to know where to focus their support without having to drill down into the data.

4. Awareness-building

Interestingly, we’ve also heard from building leaders that it can be difficult to keep track of all the program updates due to the inherent busyness of their roles. Articles like this are intended to keep busy educators informed but not inundated with updates.

One feature in particular that we heard was missed was the ability to explore the lessons without creating a class. Leaders were thrilled to hear about this one because it solves a major pain point for lesson progress data. Leaders have an Explore Lessons option on the K–8 Leader Dashboard, and educators can also preview all the grades from the Lessons page.

Small improvements, major outcomes

While small, these updates improve upon our evidence-based, award-winning programs, all with the goal of empowering educators to do what they do best. The more time we spend in classrooms, the more we learn that with the right tools in their hands, students and educators are capable of incredible things. Our goal is always to support your work in helping children thrive, one small step at a time. These new improvements do just that.

We also welcome feedback from our education partners at any time. Even if we aren’t able to visit your classroom now, we encourage you to submit feedback from the Help & Support button on your Second Step dashboard. We read and respond to every piece of feedback that we receive.

To learn more about how Second Step programs can impact your entire school community, our expert team is always standing by for a free consultation.