The present study will assess the effectiveness of a social emotional learning curriculum implemented in a Midwestern high school with special education students. The specific social emotional curriculum utilized at this particular school was organized and delivered by the school psychologists at the high school, based on the Strong Teens curriculum developed by Kenneth Merrell, director of the Oregon Resiliency Project (Merrell, 2010). The sample in this study consists of forty-five students in grades nine through twelve, all who qualify for special education services under the category of an "Emotional Disability" and thus participate in the group as part of their Individualized Education Plan. This study utilized archival data and reviewed the results of the assessment tool gathered by the school to assess student progress in this new program. This tool, the Social Emotional Resilience and Assets Scales (SEARS) was originally developed by Merrell for use in conjunction with the Strong Teens curriculum to measure changes in social emotional development as students are involved in the curriculum (Merrell, 2010). The SEARS Adolescent Self-Report was administered to students participating in the social emotional curriculum at three set data collection points throughout the year: fall, winter, and spring. Data analysis assessed for growth in social emotional development across groups and within-subjects to demonstrate overall effectiveness of the curriculum. Results from this study indicated that there were some positive improvements to overall social emotional competence as measured by the SEARS-A over time; however, they were not found to be statistically significant. There were two subscales that demonstrated significant improvements, the Self Regulation and Responsibility scales. Furthermore, there were differences in scores on the SEARS-A across administrations, indicating that students who participated in more than one year of the program may have benefitted more than students who participated in only one administration. A growing body of literature reviewed on various social emotional curricula has demonstrated improvements in social emotional functioning in a variety of settings and with a multitude of populations, including those with emotional or behavioral difficulties, such as those involved in this study (Zins & Elias, 2006; Kam, Greenberg & Kusche, 2004; Harrell, Mercer & DeRosier, 2009). This study will add to the existing literature, in addressing effectiveness of social emotional curricula overall, especially with an adolescent, special education population. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]