The purpose of this evaluation is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Cool Kids social skills program. Fister, Conrad, and Kemp (1998) created this program as a way to teach students basic and specific social skills that would enable them to be successful both academically and socially. Entering a school social environment is an important and fundamental experience for children. Elementary school students must successfully transition from well-established and comfortable social interactions with caregivers to explicit and implicit social rules and interactions in a school environment. Being able to successfully make this transition with teachers and classmates is often the key to a successful school experience (Dereli 2009). Early behavioral problems in children put them at risk for increasing academic problems such as grade retention and dropping out. Not only is a student's behavior closely linked to grades, but it has also been found that inadequate social skills can increase vulnerability to depression as well as social anxiety. Furthermore, one of the most crucial findings was the correlation between poor social skills, aggression and violent behavior. Studies show that 10% of school-aged children entering the education system each year have a prevalence of aggressive behavior problems; for socio-economically disadvantaged children, this figure can be as high as 25% (Janvier and Casey, 2011). Studies highlight the fact that an effective and cost-effective way to interrupt the progression of behavioral problems in children is to intervene in social skills education. when they are younger and more impressionable (Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2004). While educators would like to focus solely on academics, social-emotional growth appears to have...... middle of paper ......l .Second, few studies have tracked teaching staff and their loyalty to specific social skills programs. Using triangulation to observe the classroom would be a great improvement, as it would not only verify teachers' fidelity to the program, but also confirm reports of change in classroom behavior. The question is, to what extent is Cool Kids associated with higher ratings of teachers' social skills and lower ratings of antisocial behavior among elementary school students? Multiple observers would be the best way to answer this question. Works Cited Dereli, E. (2009). To examine the permanence of the effect of a social skills training program for the acquisition of social problem-solving skills. Social Behavior and Personality, 37(10), 1419-1428. Fister, S., Conrad, D., Kemp, K. (1998). Nice kids; A proactive approach to social responsibility. Longmont: Sopris West.