These are just a few suggestions to consider as you prepare to share your needs assessment findings with school and community members.

• Begin by presenting the information you have collected to your school superintendent and administrators. Then request permission to be put on the agenda of an upcoming school committee meeting so that you can share your findings with committee members.

• Present your information in a public forum at which school personnel, health providers, police, clergy, politicians, businesspeople, and others are present to discuss the data and the community's past and future response to youth substance abuse and violence.

• Emphasize that the problems you describe are community-wide rather than exclusive to schools.

• Keep your presentation short! There are limitations to the amount of data people can handle in a single sitting, or how long they can discuss sensitive issues.

• Prepare to justify (to the extent that it is appropriate) the accuracy/ validity of your needs assessment information, and acknowledge its shortcomings up front.

• Finally, prepare a written press release about the information you have collected and presented to help ensure that the news media is able to portray the issues in a complete, balanced, and accurate way. Make sure that the release is approved by your principal and/or superintendent before it goes to press.