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What does the research say about Roots of Empathy?
Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Roots of Empathy Program: Isle of Man, 2009 – 2010
Principal Investigators from UBC and King’s College in London collected data on empathy, peer acceptance, social skills, prosocial behaviour, aggression, and emotional difficulties for 301 pupils from 19 classrooms. Those who received the ROE Program, in contrast with those who did not, showed significant improvements with respect to:

  • Increased social and emotional competence
  • Increased prosocial behavior
  • Decreased aggressive behaviours
  • Increased empathy
  • Increased peer acceptance.
  • Increased social skills

Other Findings:

  • Improvements in prosocial behavior and reduced aggression are maintained and enhanced for years afterwards. (Santos, 2011)
  • “Roots of Empathy is an effective school-based curriculum for fostering the development of student character.” ( Berkowitz & Bier, 2005)
  • “By providing many opportunities to see skills modeled, to apply these same skills in real-life situations, and to reflect on their learning, the program increases the chances that students will develop competencies that will guide their future behaviours and shape their dispositions.” (Rolheiser & Wallace, 2005)
  • “ROE is a simple, brilliant and powerful example of how developing children’s empathy can be a priority, and can be accomplished with amazing results. The heart is the way to the mind, but they have to be explicitly linked Roots of Empathy is a model of social and academic inclusion.” (Dr. M. Fullan, University of Toronto)

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