The program evaluation examined the eighth-grade unit of the Second Step Program as implemented to special education students attending an approved private special education program (APSEP) in Connecticut. At the APSEP, special education students struggle to develop peer relationships, lack feelings of self-efficacy, and require a high level of 1:1 staff support to maintain growth academically and socially. Stakeholders at the school have communicated to the administration that students need academic programming to develop a positive mindset, develop peer relationships, and find strategies to manage their emotions and social conflict. The program evaluation explored the instructional impact for students, teacher implementation, and thoughts and feedback from multiple stakeholders at the school to fill a gap in educational research which addresses social emotional learning involving at risk, neuro-typical students or explores opinions about social emotional learning from a single point of view. By following a systems framework for program evaluation, four research questions were developed and examined through the philosophies of social emotional learning theory of Albert Bandura (1977) and include teaching strategies of applied behavior analysis proposed by Ole Ivar Lovaas (1980). Through the examination of multiple instruments, the researcher found over the course of one school year that teachers at the APSEP maintained instructional integrity at 80% or higher; the implementation of lessons were organized and fluid, and stakeholders support a continuum of the "Second Step" program at the APSEP. Student impact results showed high engagement levels (0.90) during lesson implementation, qualitative data that suggested students were interested and connected to the program content, and a minimal loss of instructional time due to student behavioral issues. The results of this study provide context for inclusion of social emotional learning programming at the APSEP and guide decision making for leaders who assess teaching and learning. [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.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]