Research, Assessment, and Training

How do you measure inner resiliency, self-awareness, and personal responsibility? Why is the ENACT program so effective? What components contribute to this success?

With continued commitment to honing the ENACT method and making a dramatic difference in NYC public school students, ENACT consults with an interdisciplinary advisory board in order to identify key indicators of a program's success. The ENACT Research Advisory Board includes Terry Baker, Ph.D, from the Center for Children and Technology of the Education Development Center, Robert Landy, Ph.D, from the New York University (NYU) Drama Therapy Program, Linda Lantieri from the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program, and ENACT Board Chair Mark Weiss from Operation Respect.

The Training and Research team works with the Research Advisory Board to:

  • Test and implement of a series of evaluation instruments
  • Assess best practices
  • Develop teaching strategies for the ENACT teaching artists

Through a grant from the Ford Foundation, ENACT has been working with Dr. Rob Horowitz from Teachers College of Columbia University and a team of independent researchers to create evaluation tools in order to translate these results into a transferable teaching strategy. After a year-long evaluation of ENACT programs that consisted of interviews, observations, and surveys, they found that:**

  • Through ENACT students became more aware of their feelings and behavior. They were often able to express or dramatize their feelings in an atmosphere of trust that helped them find solutions to challenging personal situations.

  • ENACT teaching artists engaged students who were initially resistant. Students began to better understand their emotions, express themselves, and take ownership of their behavior.

  • ENACT teaching artists helped foster a sense of belonging for students.

  • ENACT teaching artists acknowledged and validated students' feelings to build relationships.

  • Students learned how to respect each other's differences and work together effectively. Teachers noted improvement in students' behavior and respect for one another.

  • ENACT provided classroom teachers with ideas for lessons, activities, and classroom management. Participating teachers learned new strategies for working with challenging students.

**From Program Evaluation: ENACT School Partnerships by Dr. Rob Horowitz, Elizabeth Beaubrun, Rekha Rajan, and Amy Kleiman (November 2008).