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Which prevention programs
have improved students' academic achievement and produced other positive
school-related outcomes?
The following is a selected list of CSAP-endorsed (Model) programs that
have positively impacted students' academic achievement or other school-related
behaviors.
Across Ages
Across Ages is a school-based mentoring project that aims to increase
resiliency among sixth-graders, and reduce the likelihood that they will
drop out of school, become adolescent parents, or use alcohol, tobacco,
or other drugs. Evaluation results from program evaluation demonstrated,
among others, the following effects:
- Youth in the full intervention group were absent for fewer days during
the year (15.4) than youth in the limited treatment group (19.9 days)
and youth in the control group (21.8).
- Youth with "exceptional" mentors also missed fewer days
(7.4) than youth with mentors rated as "average" (12.0) or
"minimal" (25.4).
- When compared to students who received no-intervention or limited-intervention,
youth in the full intervention group demonstrated greater improvement
in the following areas: attitudes toward school, future, and elders;
knowledge about older people; well-being; reactions to situations involving
drug use; and community service.
Contact Information: Temple University, Center for Intergenerational
Learning; phone: (215) 204-6708; Web site: http://www.temple.edu/CIL/Acrossageshome.htm.
All Stars
All Stars is a universal prevention program for sixth or seventh grade
students with a one year booster. The program focuses on five risk and
protective factors: establishing conventional norms and correcting exaggerated
normative beliefs; building idealism and a belief that high-risk behaviors
do not fit with desired lifestyles; strengthening personal commitments
to avoid drug use and other high-risk behaviors; strengthening bonding
with prosocial institutions; and increasing positive parental attention.
The All Stars evaluation demonstrated positive results on four risk and
protective factors: intentions, lifestyle incongruence, school attachment,
and normative beliefs.
Contact Information: Tanglewood Research, Incorporated; phone:
(800) 826-4539; Web site: http://www.tanglewood.net.
CASASTART
CASASTART (Striving Together to Achieve Rewarding Tomorrows) is a substance
abuse and violence prevention program serving especially high-risk 8-13
year olds and their families living in socially distressed neighborhoods.
The evaluation data yielded statistically significant treatment/control
group differences across sites between the CAR youth and the control group
on measures of gateway and stronger drug use, drug sales activity, violent
crimes, and involvement with delinquent peers. According to evaluation
results, compared to a control group, participants of CASASTART were more
likely to be promoted to the next grade in school.
Contact Information: National Center on Addiction and Substance
Abuse at Columbia University, phone: 212-841-5208; fax: 212-956-8020;
Web site: http://www.casacolumbia.org.
Child Development Project (CDP)
The Child Development Project (CDP) is a multi-year, comprehensive school-change
program that includes staff training in instruction and classroom management
practices, cross-grade "buddy" activities, community-building,
and parent involvement. An evaluation that compared CDP participants to
a control group demonstrated that CDP students' positive behavior in class
(helpfulness, etc.) increased, as did altruistic behavior, conflict resolution
skills, and related attitudes (e.g., concern for others, commitment to
democratic values) among other results.
Contact Information: Developmental Studies Center; phone: (800)
666-7270, ext. 239; Web site: http://www.devstu.org/cdp.
Dare to Be You
Dare to Be You is a multi-level, skills-building prevention program in
resiliency and social competence for preschool and school-aged youth;
their parents; and professionals and volunteers who work with youth. The
Dare to Be You program evaluation demonstrated that teachers participating
in the K-12 curriculum showed significant decreases in "burnout,"
and significant increases in personal teaching efficacy, satisfaction
with their role as teacher, and their sense of competence.
Contact Information: DARE To Be You, Cooperative Extension Program;
Phone: (970) 565-3606; E-mail: darecort@coop.ext.colostate.edu;
Web site: http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/DTBY/
Early Risers Skills for Success
Early Risers is a multi-component, high intensity, competency enhancement
program that targets elementary school children (6 to 10 years old) who
are at high risk for early development of conduct problems and their families.
High-risk children whose parents received 50 percent or more of recommended
parent/family-focused home visiting contact time showed higher rates of
improvement on academic achievement. Compared to high-risk control participants,
high-risk program participants made significant improvements in a number
of areas, including academic achievement. This effect primarily accounted
for by gains in basic reading skills.
Contact Information: University of Minnesota; Phone: (612) 273-9711;
E-mail: augus001@tc.umn.edu
Families And Schools Together (FAST)
Families and Schools Together (FAST) is a training, coaching, and family/classroom
management program for parents and teachers designed to reduce causes
of three problems: (1) alcohol and drug abuse, (2) violence and delinquency,
and (3) school dropout. Evaluation results from the first phase (eight
weeks) of the FAST program demonstrated greater levels of comfort in families'
dealings with schools and other community resources. Follow-up data suggest
that children continue to improve, and some parents go back to school.
Contact Information: Alliance for Children and Families, FAST:
Families And Schools Together; Phone: (414) 359-1040, ext. 3686 (main
number), (800) 221-3726; E-mail: lwheeler@alliance1.org
, lbuck@alliance1.org, lpinsoneault@alliance1.org;
Web site: http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/fast.
Incredible Years
The Incredible Years series features three comprehensive, multi-faceted,
and developmentally based curricula for parents, teachers, and children.
The program is designed to promote emotional and social competence and
to prevent, reduce, and treat behavioral and emotional problems in young
children (2 to 8 years old). Randomized control group evaluations conducted
by the developer and independent investigators have revealed that, among
other outcomes, the parent training significantly:
- Increased parents bonding and involvement with teachers and classrooms,
- Increased children's positive affect and cooperation with teachers
- Increased children's positive interactions with peers, school readiness,
and engagement in school activities
- Reduced child and peer aggression in the classroom
- Increased use of praise and encouragement and proactive classroom
management strategies by teachers
- Decreased teacher use of criticism and harsh discipline
- Increased teachers' bonding with parents
- Reduced conduct problems at home and school
Contact Information: Phone: 206-285-7565 (main number), Toll Free
Phone: 888-506-3562; E-mail: incredibleyears@seanet.com;
Web site: http://www.incredibleyears.com.
Leadership and Resiliency Program
(LRP)
The Leadership and Resiliency Program (LRP) is a school- and community-based
program for high school students (14 to 17 years of age) that works to
enhance youths' internal strengths and resiliency, while preventing involvement
in substance use and violence. According to evaluation results, program
participants realized:
- An increase of 0.8 in GPA (based on a 4.0 scale)
- A 60% to 70% increase in school attendance
- A 65% to 70% reduction in school behavioral incidents
- 100% graduation rates
Contact Information: Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board;
Phone: (703) 934-5476; E-mail: Laura.Yager@co.fairfax.va.us
Lion's-Quest Skills for Adolescence
Lion's-Quest Skills for Adolescence is a comprehensive youth development
program that brings together educators, parents, and members of the community
to support the development of life and citizenship skills in young adolescents
in Grades 6-8. A pre-post comparison study revealed an increase in grade-point
averages.
Contact Information: Quest International; Phone: (800) 446-2700;
Web site: http://www.lions-quest.org
Positive Action
The Positive Action (PA) program consists of integrated kindergarten
through eighth grade classroom curricula, school preparation and teacher
training, a school-wide climate-change program, a family program, and
a community involvement program. Data from various comparison group designs
showed among other results:
- Achievement is improved 12 to 75%;
- Absenteeism is reduced by 6 to 45%;
- General discipline is reduced by 23 to 90%;
Contact Information: Positive Action, Inc.; Phone: (208) 733-1328
(main number), (800) 345-2974; E-mail:info@positiveaction.net;
Web Site: http://www.positiveaction.net
Project ACHIEVE
Project ACHIEVE is a school-wide prevention and early intervention program
that targets elementary-aged students who are academically and socially
at risk. Among the accomplishments cited in program evaluation studies
for Project ACHIEVE are included:
- Decrease by 28 percent in total disciplinary referrals to the principal's
office
- Decrease in out-of-school suspensions from 65 (9% of students) to
19 (3% of the student population)
- Improvement in teachers' perceptions of school climate
Decrease in student grade retention from 61 (6% of students) to 1 (0.006%
of the student population)
- Increase in the number of students scoring above the 50th percentile
on end-of-year achievement tests, especially for those involved at the
youngest ages
- Change in suspension rates in the first three years of implementing
Project ACHIEVE, from 11% in year one to only 3% in year three
- Change in Suspension Rates Before and After Implementation of Project
ACHIEV
Contact Information: Phone: (813) 974-9498; E-mail: knoff@tempest.coedu.usf.edu,
Batsche@tempest.coedu.usf.edu;
Web site: http://www.stopandthinksocialskills.com
PATHS
PATHS is a curriculum-based program for educators and counselors working
with elementary school-aged children to facilitate development of self
control, emotional awareness, and interpersonal problem-solving skills.
It seeks to reduce aggression and behavior problems while simultaneously
enhancing emotional development and the educational process in the classroom.
In various studies, PATHS has shown a:
- 32% reduction in teachers' reports of students exhibiting aggressive
behavior
- 36% increase in teachers' reports of students exhibiting self-control
- 68% increase in students' vocabulary for emotions
- 20% increase in students' scores on cognitive skills tests
- Improved thinking and planning skills
- Decreased conduct problems (teacher report of special-needs students)
Contact Information: Prevention Research Center, Development and
Family Studies; Phone: (814) 863-0112 (main number), 1-877-896-8532 (For
program info. and materials) Fax: (814) 865-2530, (206) 286-1462; E-mail:
prevention@psu.edu , ckusche@attglobal.net;
Web site: http://www.prevention.psu.edu/projects/
Reconnecting Youth
Reconnecting Youth (RY) is a school-based, peer-group program that builds
life skills by reducing risk factors and enhancing protective factors
that are linked with adolescent problem behaviors in general, and with
adolescent drug involvement specifically. Five months after the intervention,
program participants, in contrast to controls, showed an increases in
grade point average, but not attendance.
Contact Information: Psychosocial and Community Health Department,
University of Washington School of Nursing; Phone: (206) 543-9455 (main
number), (800) 733-6786 (To order materials); E-mail: eggert@u.washington.edu,
nes@nes.org (To order materials); Web
site: http://www.nesonline.com
Responding in Peaceful and Positive
Ways (RIPP)
RIPP is a school-based violence prevention program designed to provide
students in middle and junior high schools with conflict resolution strategies
and skills. In comparison to control students, students who participated
in RIPP have shown fewer in-school suspensions, among other positive results.
Contact Information: Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth
University; Phone: (804) 828-0015; E-mail: ameyer@saturn.vcu.edu
Schools and Families Educating Children
(SAFE Children)
SAFE Children is a community- and school-based program that helps families
manage educational and child development in communities where children
are at high risk for substance abuse and other problem behaviors. Compared
to control groups, children in the program showed steeper growth in academic
achievement over a 24-month period. By follow-up at the beginning of second
grade, the reading scores of children in the intervention group were at
a level approximate to the national average and "4 months ahead"
of those in the control group.
Contact Information: Institute for Juvenile Research, Department
of Psychiatry; Phone: (312) 413-1893; E-mail: Tolan@uic.edu
Strengthening Families Program (SFP)
The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) is a family-based and school-linked
prevention program that focuses on improving parent-child relationships
by changing family dynamics and helping families work together as a unit.
Results of the Safe Haven Program evaluation show that the program had
effects on the parents, the children, and the families combined. One specific
positive outcome was increased school bonding
Contact Information: Department of Health Promotion and Education,
University of Utah; Phone: (801) 581-8498 (main number), (801) 581-8498
(To order materials); E-mail: rose.alvarado@health.utah.edu;
Web site: http://www.strengtheningfamilies.org
For more information on these and other effective programs, visit the
Northeast CAPT's Database of Prevention Programs (http://www.hhd.org/capt/default.asp).
Please contact CSAP's Northeast CAPT at capt@edc.org
for further information.
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