Needs
Assessment and School Reform
Over the past decade, more and more teachers and school
administrators have come to appreciate the inextricable link between
students' health and their ability to learn. Yet, as schools face
mounting pressure to raise test scores, many lose sight of the range
of variables that contribute to improved academic achievement, including
the importance of providing a safe and drug-free environment in
which students can concentrate on learning. One way to draw attention to the multiple ways substance
abuse and violence prevention initiatives can enhance overall school
reform efforts is through data. Assessment data—particularly
as it relates to the health status and risk behaviors of local youth—can
be an important starting point for this discussion. It can be used
to identify gaps in your school's or district's ability to meet
existing national or state standards. For example, many states have
standards related to the development of pro-social skills, such
as self-esteem, self-efficacy, and decision-making. Yet, local data
may reveal that many students lack these skills. Most schools have planning or change management teams
in place, and many routinely collect data to shape and support their
reform initiatives. It is up to you to make sure that prevention
data is included in the mix. Doing so will ultimately help you to
"consolidate [your school's] social and academic agendas into
a more coherent and integrated continuum of experiences for students—experiences
that will prepare them to be successful in life, as well as on tests"
(Hixson, 1994). Assessment data can also provide a useful baseline
for your evaluation efforts. A thorough needs assessment is likely
to identify student problems that are specific to substance use
and violence (e.g., high rates of alcohol use and bullying) as well
as school-related problems that have been identified in the research
literature as correlates of these risk behaviors (e.g., poor attendance,
low attachment to school, school failure, and school dropout). Prevention
activities should be considered part of a school's overall response
to these and related student problems; your evaluation can gauge
changes in the rates of these problems when and if changes occur. How Vermont Uses Data
to Link Prevention and Academics
The state of Vermont has used the Youth Risk Behavior
Survey (YRBS), with added questions about grades, to examine
the
relationship between risk behaviors and grades. Since 1999, state
teams have used these data to encourage low-performing schools
to
consider improving their school health curriculum and prevention
programs as a means of improving student achievement.
- Click
here to compare results and trends between the 2003 and
2005 Vermont YRBS. As you review the data, consider how you
might
collect
similar data for your school.
As you can see from these data, there is
generally a negative relationship between substance use and
grades. As substance
use increases, grades decrease. Or, conversely, as grades increase,
substance use decreases.
For example, we see in the graphs Alcohol
Use (Grades 8-12) by Self-Reported Academic Performance 2005 that
a smaller proportion of students who get A's use alcohol
(27%) than students who get D's and below (60%). The data for physical
fighting shows a similar relationship, as does the data for
making
a suicide plan, though not as clearly. Note, however, that
you cannot tell from these data whether there is a causal relationship
between these variables: Which came first—was it poor academic
performance or substance use? Nor can you tell whether both substance
use and poor academic performance occurred as a result of some
other variable, such as poor parenting or depression.
How an Urban School
District Uses Data To see how an urban school district has used data
to link substance use and academics, review the data below. (Note:
The data is real, but the name of the district has been changed
to "Central City.")
- Click
here for graphs showing the need for substance use and violence
prevention.
- Click
here for a graph showing the need for improved academic achievement
and related school behaviors.
- Click
here for graphs showing links between substance use behaviors,
academic achievement, and "lost days of learning" problem
school behaviors.
- Click
here to see the questions related to academic achievement
that this district used in a teen survey (in addition to its usual
substance use and violence questions, similar to questions in
the YRBS).
As you can see, there are many approaches to making
the prevention-achievement case. Tomorrow, we will explore ways
to develop the most appropriate and convincing case for your setting.
Please proceed to Activity 2: Using
Data to Make Your Case.
References Hixson, J. (1994). Making the case for integrating
prevention and restructuring initiatives. In Student assistance
for the 21st century (pp. 41-44). Oak Brook, IL: Midwest Regional
Center for Drug-Free Schools and Communities. Housman, N. G. (2001). A CSR agenda: Emerging
themes for research, policy, and practice. Washington, DC:
The National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform. Marx, E., and Northrop, D. (1995). Educating for
health: A guide to implementing a comprehensive approach to school
health education. Newton, MA: Education Development Center,
Inc. The National Commission on the Role of the School
and the Community in Improving Adolescent Health (1990). Code
blue. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Boards
of Education.
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