The Second Step® Human Skills Programs Win Tech & Learning’s Best of 2025 Award

A powerful validation of impact, evidence, and innovation

Teachers tell us that what they need most are supports that help students walk into class ready to participate—tools that help them focus, connect, and feel safe being themselves. When students feel more grounded and ready to learn, the whole classroom shifts for both them and their teachers. That’s the kind of impact Tech & Learning recognizes through its Awards of Excellence.

Second Step® programs have been named a winner of the Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Best of 2025 in the Primary Education category. This recognition is proof that our curriculum is making a difference for students—helping classrooms feel calmer, more connected, and ready for learning. A positive school climate isn’t abstract; it’s something that students feel the moment they walk through the door and that teachers feel in the way the day unfolds. Being included among this year’s honorees reflects what so many educators tell us: when students feel supported and grounded, learning comes more naturally and classrooms become better places for everyone.

Innovation that supports educators at every level

Our human skills curriculum combines evidence-based practices with digital tools that are engaging, accessible, and designed for modern classrooms. From interactive student experiences to a Leader Dashboard and tiered supports, districts can deliver the right learning at the right time—schoolwide and at scale.

Whether supporting MTSS, strengthening PBIS, improving belonging, or reducing behavior challenges, the Second Step programs provide a clear, research-backed path forward.

The climate students need to learn

Winning the Best of 2025 award—right on the heels of last year’s Back to School honor—reinforces something educators have been saying for years: Second Step programs are helping shape the kind of school climate students need to thrive. This recognition from industry experts doesn’t just acknowledge a strong program; it highlights the real impact that educators see every day in their classrooms. It’s a quiet affirmation that the shifts teachers notice—calmer rooms, smoother mornings, more connected students—are being seen and valued at a national level. These programs have become one of the most trusted and widely adopted human skills programs because they help create environments where students can learn and feel supported.

Better climate. Better learning.

Imagine a classroom where students arrive ready to learn—calmer, more focused, more connected to their teachers and peers. Imagine a place where disruptions ease, engagement rises, and teachers can spend more time doing what they came to do: teach. This is the kind of climate shift educators describe when Second Step programs are implemented with consistency. It’s not flashy, and it doesn’t happen overnight. But gradually, students settle more quickly, conflicts decrease, and the day feels more manageable for everyone in the room. It’s these everyday changes, small but meaningful, that the Best of 2025 award acknowledges, and they reflect exactly the kind of environment the programs help create. And when school climate improves, everything else gets easier—including teaching and learning.

Unmatched evidence. Unmatched impact.

Plenty of programs claim to make a difference. But only Second Step K–8 digital programs can back that claim with the largest independent study of its kind. Conducted by WestEd and involving more than 25,000 students across multiple states, this research represents the most comprehensive, methodologically rigorous evaluation in the field—and it shows that the programs work consistently, at scale, and in real‑world conditions. No other provider comes close to this level of evidence:

Elementary school outcomes
- +6 percentile points in academic motivation- +5 percentile points in prosocial behavior- +5 percentile points in self-management- -14 percentile points in out-of-school suspensions

Middle school outcomes
- +16 percentile points in teacher-student relationships- +14 percentile points in school belonging- +11 percentile points in overall school climate- 36% fewer office referrals- 33–36% fewer suspensions- +2.5 days of additional student attendance

When young people learn to care, connect, and collaborate, everything changes—at school and beyond. Better climate. Better learning. Proven at a scale no other provider can match.

Schedule a free consultation to discover how Second Step programs can align with the unique goals and needs of your district.