Would you like to know how maximizing school and community support can help you sustain program activities?
Would you like to learn more about the relationship between education reform and program institutionalization?
Are you looking for funding to support ongoing program efforts?
If you answered YES to these questions, then this online workshop is for you!
This five-day, facilitated event is designed to provide drug prevention and school safety coordinators with the knowledge and skills to develop a comprehensive plan for institutionalizing their program activities. By the end of this event, you will be able to:
Define sustainability and the benefits of sustaining program activities over time
Identify and review key factors and strategies for sustaining prevention programs
Build the school and community support needed to sustain program activities
Use data to create a "snapshot" of current activities, evaluate program success, determine future directions, and secure future funding
Integrate prevention activities into school reform efforts to ensure program sustainability
Locate funding sources
The Center's online continuing education training program offers a menu of skill-based, interactive learning activities designed to facilitate the transfer of knowledge into practice, enhance the exchange of effective practices among drug prevention and school safety coordinators, and strengthen their capacity to implement effective prevention efforts.
Click here to begin the online event |
You are ready to begin this workshop if you have (1) received confirmation of your participation, (2) visited the Orientation to Online Events website (this will ensure that you and your computer are prepared for this event), and (3) completed the Pre-Event Assessment Form. Then, please take a moment to read through this page. It will help you understand how the site is organized, how much time you should expect to spend participating in the event, and where to go for technical support.
Sustaining Your Prevention Initiative is a five-part workshop designed to be completed over the course of five days. The workshop is divided into these sections:
Day 1: Building a Foundation
On Day 1, you will be introduced to Luis Cabrera, drug prevention and school safety coordinator at Taft Middle School, as he explores the meaning of "sustainability" and identifies the steps his Prevention Planning Team has taken to garner support for his school's prevention activities.
Day 2: Using Data to Set Your Direction
On Day 2, you will find out how Taft's current prevention activities are progressing and see how Luis and his Prevention Planning Team use evaluation data to develop sustainability strategies.
Day 3: Sustaining Prevention Efforts Through Policy and Education Reform
On Day 3, Alex, a Prevention Planning Team member, describes to the School Improvement Committee how consistent policy enforcement and stronger linkages among prevention, learning standards, and education reform are related to
Day 4: Seeking External Funds to Support Prevention
On Day 4, you will follow team member Jane to the Prevention Center library as she looks for funding resources and grantwriting tips.
Day 5: Sharing Key Learnings with Other MSCs
On Day 5, you will receive a summary of the week's discussion and be asked to complete an online evaluation. You are also invited to continue your online discussion.
Participants should log on at least once a day, although past participants have found that they could better monitor and contribute to the online discussion if they logged on several times throughout the day. Please allow enough time each day to read through the daily materials, complete any associated activities, and visit the Discussion Area. On average, past participants have spent approximately one hour per day reviewing materials, completing activities, and contributing to the discussion. The training facilitator will check in two to three times a day to answer anyquestions and to facilitate online discussion.
Each online event website contains these sections:
Daily Materials (Days 1, 2, 3, etc.)
This is where participants can acquire a basic understanding of the event topic. Materials will appear in a variety of formats and can be printed for future reference. Each day, participants will also be asked to answer two or three discussion questions, which are intended to help you reflect on and apply the information contained in the materials.
Discussion Summary
This section will contain a summary of the previous day's onlinediscusion. On the final day of an event, it will contain a summary of the entire week's discussion. Please read through the summary before begining your day's work.
Resources & Links
The information contained in this section is designed to complement the event materials, facilitate your participation in the event, and enhance your overall learning.
Event Support
Participants with technical questions can go to this section and submit an online request for assistance.
Discussion
After reading each day's materials, participants will be asked to share their experiences and lessons learned in this section of the website.
Take some time to tour the site and familiarize yourself with its layout and content. Some particularly helpful tools that you may want to review include the following:
Tips for Navigating this Site
Tips for Participating in Online Events
Tips for Using the Discussion Area
All of the materials and tools on this site can be printed and used for future reference. However, we strongly suggest that your review the materials online before you print them so that you can see how the different sections fit together.
To print a specific page, go to the page of interest, place your cursor on File (at the top of the page), go to Print, and then press OK. This will print everything on the screen in front of you. To print only the text (minus the navigation bars at the top and side of the screen), you must first open the site using the Web browser Explorer. Then place your cursor on the page you want to print, "right click" with your mouse, select Print, and choose OK.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to print the entire site with a single click of the mouse.
Participants with technical questions or problems can submit a request for assistance to Event Support. Your inquiries will be responded to immediately. You may also find answers to your questions in Tips for Navigating this Site, Tips for Participating in Online Events, and Tips for Using the Discussion Area.
You will be able to visit this website at this address for one week after the event ends, though the Discussion Area will be closed during this time. After that, this event will be archived and housed in the Online Events section of the MSC website, where you will be able to access it at any time.
You have completed this section.
Proceed to Day 1: Building a Foundation |
Though the sky was growing dark outside, Luis Cabrera had lost track of time. He had been working since noon to complete his U.S. Department of Education end-of-the-year grant report, but he was finding the task more difficult than expected. The problem was not a lack of material to write about -- to the contrary, his two years as a drug prevention and school safety coordinator at Taft Middle School had been busy ones.
Taft was an inner-city school with a diverse student population and many problems. Luis and his Prevention Planning Team had worked hard to identify these problems and find ways to address them. But writing his report had forced him to confront the inevitable: With only one year left on their grant, all that the school had accomplished might disappear.
"How can I make this last?" he asked his friend Alex, a Prevention Planning Team member, when Alex stopped by to see if Luis wanted to grab a bite to eat. Alex sensed Luis' frustration and sat down. "Are you worried about losing your job," he asked, "or about how to keep our prevention activities going past next year?"
"Well, both -- and more," Luis said, "because the activities we've put in place so far are really just the beginning." Seeing that Alex was confused, Luis continued: "My understanding of sustainability is that it refers to the continuation of more than just jobs or programs and services. It's about moving the different pieces of our prevention initiative from the realm of 'add on' to the realm of regular school and community 'practices.' It's about integrating what might now be a 'program' into the ongoing efforts of our school."
"However, " he stopped for a minute to collect his thoughts, "our programs, as we know them now, may very well need to be adapted in order to become an integral part of Taft's operations. So we probably need to make a distinction between sustaining our current program activities for the short term -- so that we can implement and evaluate them fully and see how they need to be adapted -- and the long-term sustainability of these activities in their ultimate forms. Does that make any sense?"
"I think I know what you mean," answered Alex, "but isn't that an awfully tall order to fill? It has been hard enough getting our prevention activities up and running . . . I can hardly imagine having to continue with their implementation and their evaluation and work on sustaining them at the same time!"
"Now you know why I'm feeling so stressed!" Luis said. "But the more I think about it, the more I realize that maybe we're not in such bad shape after all. Look at it this way: we've already taken a lot of important steps toward sustaining this initiative. Think about our prevention planning process, for example. The relationships we established and the support we built during that process will go far in helping us sustain our initiative. Maybe we should start by taking stock of everything that we've accomplished so far that might support our sustainability efforts. Then we can make some concrete plans for what still needs to be done."
"Fine," agreed Alex, "but after we go to dinner. I'm starving!"
The next morning, Luis and Alex met to continue their discussion. During the night, Luis had considered all that he had learned about sustainability from the prevention literature, his colleagues, and his 10 years of experience working in schools and community agencies.
"The more I think about it," Luis declared, "the more I realize how important strong institutional and community support are -- not only for getting programs up and running, but also for keeping them going. And we've done a great job of building support for Taft's prevention initiative. Just think of all we've done!"
The two friends brainstormed a list of the ways they had built support, which Luis jotted down. During the past two years, they had:
Involved key school and community stakeholders in all aspects of the planning and decision-making process
Designed a comprehensive prevention plan that responded to identified student needs
Coordinated prevention efforts with existing services and school improvement plans
Worked toward integrating selected prevention strategies and programs into normal school operations
Provided training and ongoing assistance to faculty and staff involved in the implementation of selected prevention strategies and programs
Communicated progress and lessons learned to school and community partners who were not directly involved in the initiative
As they reflected on their list, they laughed about all the times they had considered "just doing it themselves". They were very grateful now that they had made the extra effort to include school and community partners at every turn. "We've built a solid foundation," Alex commented.
"Now we can think about how to move forward," Luis agreed. "It would be a shame if we had to stop now. Good thing we have our next Prevention Planning Team meeting on Thursday!"
Please think about the question below, and post your answer, comments, or questions in the Discussion Area.
This completes today's work.
Please visit the Discussion Area to share your responses to the discussion question! |
| Sustainability Defined | Sustainability and the Prevention Planning Process | Taft Middle School Prevention Plan | Why Sustainability Is Important |
Sustainability is one of many terms used to refer to program continuation beyond the initial funding period. Other terms include: maintenance, incorporation, integration, durability, routinization, and institutionalization. The following definitions of sustainability and institutionalization may provide a context for thinking about this topic
The capacity to maintain service coverage at a level that will provide continuing control of a health problem (Claquin, 1989).
The capacity of a project to continue to deliver its intended benefits over a long period of time (World Bank's definition in Bamberger and Cheema, 1990).
The ability of a program to deliver an appropriate level of benefits for an extended period of time after major financial, managerial, and technical assistance from an external donor is terminated (U.S. Agency for International Development, 1988).
The active process of establishing your initiative -- not merely continuing your program, but [also] developing relationships, practices, and procedures that become a lasting part of the community (Kramer, no date).
The long-term viability and integration of a new program within an organization (Steckler and Goodman, 1989).
The process by which new practices become standard business in a local agency (Yin, 1979).
Note that the sustainability definitions emphasize the importance of lasting health benefits, while the definitions of institutionalization focus more narrowly on program continuity. For this online event, the term "sustainability" coincides most closely with drug prevention and school safety coordinators' goals: It does not restrict program continuation to survival within an organizational structure, nor does it imply that a program must remain static and fixed, as the terms "routinization" or "institutionalization" might.
Bamberger, M. & Cheema, S. (1990). Case studies of project sustainability: Implications for policy and operations from Asian experience. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Claquin, P. (1989). Sustainability of EPI: Utopia or sine qua non condition of child survival. Arlington, VA: REACH.
Kramer, R. (no date). Strategies for the long-term institutionalization of an initiative: An overview. Available online at http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/tools/EN/sub_section_main_1329.htm.
Shediac-Rizkallah, M. C. & Bone, L. R. (1998). Planning for sustainability of community-based health programs: Conceptual frameworks and future directions for research, practice and policy. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, 13(1), 87-108.
Steckler, A. & Goodman, R. M. (1889). How to institutionalize health promotion programs. American Journal of Health Promotion, 3, 34-44.
U.S. Agency for International Development (1988). Sustainability of development programs: A compendium of donor experience. Washington, DC: USAID.
Yin, R. K. (1979). Changing urban bureaucracies: How new practices become routinized. Lexington, MA: D.C. Health and Company.
| Sustainability Defined | Sustainability and the Prevention Planning Process | Taft Middle School Prevention Plan | Why Sustainability Is Important |
Planning for sustainability should begin early in your prevention planning process, and should be continued throughout. For example, you should consider sustainability when doing the following:
Making school and community connections. The support you need to sustain your program over time is the same support you will need to complete a successful school and community assessment, develop an effective prevention plan, select appropriate prevention strategies and programs, and implement them well. According to the Center for Mental Health in Schools (2001), the most important way to promote sustainability is to build ";a cadre of stakeholders who are motivationally ready and able to proceed."; (For more information on building school and community support, see Promoting Prevention Through School-Community Partnerships.)
Selecting programs. Make sure that the research-based strategies and programs you select for your prevention initiative meet identified needs (see Using Existing Data in Your Needs Assessment), are supported by school and community partners, and are well-suited to the resources at your disposal. Resources such as "personnel capacities, materials required, total costs, space needs, school or agency goals, the goodness of fit of a program, and time requirements for implementation . . . can become barriers to adoption and permanence if not adequately addressed in the early stages [of prevention planning]" (Swisher, 2000). (For more information, see Identifying Prevention Priorities and Strategies for Success and Selecting Research-Based Programs for Your School.)
Implementing programs. Factors related to successful program implementation (see Implementing Research-Based Prevention Programs) can influence sustainability in two ways. First, it is unlikely that a school that lacks the capacity to implement a prevention program fully will have the capacity to sustain it once the initial funding ends. Second, programs that are poorly implemented are unlikely to produce positive youth outcomes and should therefore not be sustained. Keep in mind, however, that many programs that are poorly implemented have the potential to produce positive outcomes. This is why it is important to maintain prevention activities long enough to refine them as needed, so that you can assess their true impact. Otherwise, you will never know which components of your prevention initiative to sustain.
Center for Mental Health in Schools. (2001). Sustaining school-community partnerships to enhance outcomes for children and youth: A guidebook and tool kit. Los Angeles, CA: Author at UCLA. Available online at http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/SustainingGuide/sustainguide.pdf.
Swisher, J. D. (2000). Sustainability of prevention. Addictive Behaviors, 25 (6), 965-973.
| Sustainability Defined | Sustainability and the Prevention Planning Process | Taft Middle School Prevention Plan | Why Sustainability Is Important |
During the fall and winter of Year 1, the Taft Middle School Prevention Planning Team conducted an assessment of the drug- and violence-related problems facing students. This assessment revealed the following main problems:
Alcohol and tobacco use
Exposure to violence
Peer harassment/bullying
During the spring of Year 1, the team developed a comprehensive prevention plan for Taft Middle School to address the priority areas listed above. This plan included the following strategies and programs:
A research-based program for students to promote social skills, including conflict resolution, and to reduce substance use
A research-based program for parents/guardians that parallels the content of the student program
An information and referral system for at-risk students and families that involves educating school personnel and creating linkages with community-based programs and services
A Walk Safely program, in which parent volunteers walk students to and from school
School and community policy development/enforcement re: student harassment, alcohol use, and tobacco use
Classroom restructuring to improve student behavior and time on task as well as to reduce peer harassment
Shediac-Rizkallah, M. C. & Bone, L. R. (1998). Planning for sustainability of community-based health programs: Conceptual frameworks and future directions for research, practice and policy. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, 13(1), 87-108.
| Sustainability Defined | Sustainability and the Prevention Planning Process | Taft Middle School Prevention Plan | Why Sustainability Is Important |
There are at least three important and practical reasons to sustain your school's prevention initiative:
To maximize resources. Launching a program entails significant start-up costs in terms of human, fiscal, and technical resources. Unfortunately, these resources may be wasted if program activities are stopped before they can be fully evaluated. Prevention activities that are sustained over time are more likely to achieve a high level of implementation, providing evaluators with the opportunity to measure their true impact.
To produce long-term effects. It can be counterproductive to end a program that has produced positive outcomes if the problem the program was meant to address still exists or recurs. While many school-based prevention programs are effective in the short term, studies often report decaying effects in the long term. According to Gager and Elias (1997), "Programs that are of short duration -- whether due to financial constraints or districts' preferences or faddish, "revolving door" aproaches to bringing programs into schools -- are unlikely to have the breadth and depth of impact to [effect substantive change]."
To establish a track record. If a prevention program is successful but not sustained, people will want to know why. Failing to sustain a program that is well-supported and effective may compromise your ability to garner support and/or funding for future initiatives.
Gager, P. J. and Elias, M. J. (1997). Implementing prevention programs in high-risk environments: Application of the resiliency paradigm. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 67(3), 363-373.
Luis paced the front of the room as members of the Prevention Planning Team filtered in. He and Alex had continued their conversation throughout the week, and Luis was eager to share their ideas with the team. After distributing the meeting's agenda, he launched right in: "As you can see, the topic of the day is sustainability. Over the past two years, we've all worked hard to create a prevention initiative that is well-supported, responsive to school and community needs, and based on science. With only a year left on our grant, we need to make sure that substance abuse and violence prevention remains an integral part of Taft's culture and curriculum. My hope for today is that, by working together, we can develop a concrete plan for sustaining Taft's prevention initiative over time."
Walking to the easel in the corner of the room, he unfolded a piece of newsprint, which read:
| Meeting Objective: To ensure that students and families continue to benefit from Taft's prevention initiative beyond the initial funding period. |
Jane, the school's reading specialist, voiced an immediate concern. "How can we focus on sustaining the initiative's benefits when we don't know which prevention activities are actually producing benefits?" she wondered aloud. "We're all very proud of what we've accomplished, but before moving forward, don't we need to know what's working? I think that we should only continue those prevention efforts that prove to be effective."
"You're exactly right," Luis agreed. "Identifying the programs that are working and those that are not meeting our expectations will help us know where to concentrate our efforts. It also helps us make a strong case for sustainability, since few would argue against maintaining a program that has proven to be effective. Which is why," he gestured toward a man and woman sitting in the front row, "I've invited Rob and Marisha to share some evaluation data with us."
With this, he turned the floor over to the pair of university researchers who had worked closely with the Prevention Planning Team since the beginning of the project. Rob distributed a handout describing the current status of Taft's prevention activities, which included classroom-based and schoolwide efforts, family and community involvement efforts, and policy development and enforcement.
After giving team members a few minutes to review the document, Marisha began: "Overall, the news is good. We have a lot going on, but our efforts are well-coordinated. Here are some highlights from what we've learned:
The social skills programs for students and parents have been well-received, but some of the teachers could use additional training and support to improve the quality of implementation. Also, the parent program could benefit from higher attendance levels.
The Walk Safely program, which seems to be helping students feel safer on their way to and from school, could also benefit from greater parental involvement.
The information and referral service has resulted in teachers referring more students for outside services. However, many students and families are failing to follow through with their referrals. We're not clear on why this is the case.
Nothing has happened to date with classroom restructuring. We think that this might be too much for the school to take on at this time, since administrators are already immersed in other schoolwide reform efforts.
Tobacco abuse and harassment policies have been written, but work still needs to be done around communicating this information. Also, policy enforcement is inconsistent. There could be many reasons for this, but lack of awareness of policy content might be one of them."
"In short, we've made a lot of progress, but not all of our activities are proceeding equally well."
As Marisha sat down, Rob reminded the group that these were only preliminary findings, and that he and Marisha were in the process of preparing a more complete evaluation report. "The report will provide you with detailed information related to the initiative's progress and current status, which you can use to make presentations, develop different types of reports, and share information about program activities with a variety of audiences. You will also need a lot of the data contained in the report to support applications for future funding."
"But in the meantime," said Luis, "we can use the summary to help us determine our next steps. Let's take a look at the 'Next Steps' column of the table. There are six prevention activities listed: social skills for students, social skills for parents, the Walk Safely program, the information and referral service, classroom restructuring, and harassment and tobacco policy development and enforcement. We need to decide -- based on what we just heard -- which activities we should try to sustain and the best ways to do so." "And we don't have a lot of time left, so why don't we spend about 10 minutes brainstorming possible ways to sustain these activities." As the group talked, Luis wrote their ideas on the board:
Strengthen impact of existing policies by improving enforcement.
Tie prevention activities to district/state standards by identifying ways to connect classroom-based activities to current education requirements.
Tie prevention activities to school reform efforts by working more closely with the school improvement team to promote parent involvement.
Seek additional funding to support student and parent programs.
Putting down his marker, Luis broke into a grin. "These suggestions are great! We took the information we had and used it to figure out how to proceed." Looking at his watch, he continued, "Since we're out of time, how do you feel about dividing into two working groups to investigate these options before our next meeting? One group can focus on the first three options: ways to sustain prevention efforts through policy and education reform. The second group can focus on funding. The groups can report back when we meet again in two weeks. I feel confident that we can sustain the best of our initiative if we develop a plan that incorporates these strategies. Thanks," he concluded, "for your energy, ideas, and commitment!"
Please think about the questions below and post your answers, comments, or questions in the Discussion Area.
Have you monitored the implementation of your school's prevention activities (i.e., process evaluation)? If so, how have you used your process evaluation data to inform your sustainability plans?
In planning for sustainability, have any of you decided not to sustain a particular program or activity? What was your basis for making that decision?
This completes today's work. Please visit the Discussion Area to share your responses to the discussion questions! |
Preliminary Assessment of Taft Middle School Prevention Activities | Evaluation Report Outline | Developing a Presentation | Options for Sharing Information | Selecting Your Audience |
Note: To print this document, please choose either the Word or PDF file below. A Word file will open in Microsoft Word. If you choose this option, you will be able to type information directly into the tables as you revise or fill in the tools that are provided. A PDF file will open in Adobe Acrobat Reader; it can be printed but not manipulated.
Preliminary Assessment of Taft M.S. Prevention Activities
[MS Word](34K) | [PDF](11K)
| Prevention Activities | Current Status | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom-based efforts: | ||
| 1. Social skills program for students in grades 6-8 | 1. Implementers are trained and supportive of the program, the program has been easily integrated into the school day, and students are engaged. However, implementation varies across teachers. | 1. |
| 2. Classroom restructuring | 2. Classroom restructuring on hold until training is completed. | 2. |
| Schoolwide efforts: | ||
| 1. Information and referral service | 1. Teachers are well-educated about warning signs and available services, yet many students and families are choosing not to follow through with their referrals. | 1 |
| 2. Walk Safely program | 2. Students feel safer, there are fewer incidents of peer harassment to and from school, and parents feel good about their involvement. However, this effort could benefit from increased parent involvement. | 2. |
| Family involvement efforts: | ||
| 1. Walk Safely program | 1. See above. | 1. |
| 2. Social skills program for parents | 2. The few parents in attendance are engaged. However, implementation varies across teachers, and the program could benefit from increased parent involvement. | 2. |
| Community involvement efforts: | ||
| Information and referral service | See above. | |
| Policy development and enforcement: | ||
| 1. Harassment policy | 1. A clear policy statement has been written and adopted by the school, but it still needs to be communicated to the entire school community. Enforcement efforts need to be increased and better documented. | 1. |
| 2. Tobacco policy | 2. The tobacco policy statement has been revised. Communication efforts need to be continued. Enforcement efforts need to be increased and better documented. | 2. |
| Links to education reform: | ||
| Connect prevention activities to whole-school reform efforts | Prevention Planning Team members are collaborating with the School Improvement Team to identify ways to link prevention activities to ongoing reform efforts. | |
| Professional development: | ||
| 1. Training for student social skills program | 1. All implementers received high-quality training, but some teachers may require additional mentoring to improve implementation fidelity. | 1. |
| 2. Training for parent social skills program | 2. Same as above. | 2. |
| 3. Coaching/program implementation meetings | 3. A coaching initiative has been started to provide ongoing support to program implementers and to increase implementation quality. Follow-up meetings are also being held every other week to further these goals. | 3. |
Blank Version of this Tool:
Overview of Prevention Activities-Blank
[MS Word](30K) | [PDF](6K)
Return to Day 2: Using Data to Set Your Direction |
Preliminary Assessment of Taft Middle School Prevention Activities | Evaluation Report Outline | Developing a Presentation | Options for Sharing Information | Selecting Your Audience |
From Hampton, C. (2002). Communicating information to funders for support and accountability. University of Kansas: Community Toolbox. Available online at http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/tools/EN/sub_section_tools_1376.htm
The following is a suggested outline for organizing and presenting your evaluation findings. You will need a report that clearly describes the effectiveness of your program in order to maintain current support, garner new support, and apply for additional funding.
Make sure that your front cover looks neat and professional -- this is the first thing readers will see, so you want to make a good first impression. The front cover should include the following:
Title and location of your program or initiative
Name(s) of evaluator(s)
Period covered by the report
Date of the report
This brief (two-to three-page) overview of the evaluation should outline major findings and recommendations. Since many people only read the executive summary (and ignore the rest of the report), make sure that it is as clear and complete as possible. The executive summary should answer these questions:
What was evaluated?
Why was the evaluation conducted?
What are the major findings and recommendations?
If space permits, it should also describe:
the report's intended audience
others who might find the report to be of interest or importance
decisions that have been, or need to be made, based on the evaluation results
Write this section assuming that readers know nothing about your program. Typically, this section should include and/or identify the following:
Origins of your program or initiative
Program goals
Target audience
Administrative/organizational structure
Program activities and services
Materials used and produced by the program
Program staff
This section explains why you conducted the evaluation and what you hoped to learn from it. It should also explain anything the evaluation was not intended to do (e.g., if it was a process evaluation, it was not meant to assess program effectiveness). This section should include the following information:
Name of organization requesting the evaluation
Any evaluation restrictions (e.g., money, time)
Evaluation design and why it was selected
Timetable for collecting data
Type of data collected (for each separate measure)
Methods used to gather data and why they were chosen
Steps taken to ensure accuracy
This section is where you present your findings. To be complete, this section should include the following:
All of the data collected during the evaluation, analyzed, recorded, and organized so that it is easily understood (make sure to use charts, tables, and graphs, as appropriate)
Excerpts from interviews
Testimonials from participants and clients
Questionnaire results
Test scores
Anecdotal evidence
Here is your chance to assign meaning to your results and place them in the context of your overall initiative. These are some questions that this section might answer:
How sure are you that your program or initiative caused these results?
Were there any other factors that could have contributed to the results?
How are the results different from what they would have been if your program didn't exist?
Based on these results, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your program?
This section is optional, though it can provide you with an opportunity to justify your program's budget and financial choices. It may include:
costs associated with the initiative (e.g., resources, staff/volunteer hours)
methods used to develop the budget
program benefits (both financial and non-financial)
After writing this entire report, you may be tempted to dash off a brief conclusion. Resist that temptation! This is where you make your recommendations, so take your time and think through what you plan to say. This section should include the following:
Major conclusions, based on the evaluation results
Recommendations for future program activities
Things about the evaluation that did and did not work well
Recommendations for future program assessments
Return to Day 2: Using Data to Set Your Direction |
Preliminary Assessment of Taft Middle School Prevention Activities | Evaluation Report Outline | Developing a Presentation | Options for Sharing Information | Selecting Your Audience |
As the primary spokesperson for your prevention initiative, you are responsible for communicating evaluation findings to a variety of audiences. This document includes tips for developing a well-organized presentation of your findings.
Set presentation goals. Ask yourself: What is the purpose of this presentation? Why am I addressing this audience? How can they help me achieve my goal? What am I asking for? Here are a few things you might be looking for:
Money and in-kind resources for your initiative
Volunteers for project activities
Influence in changing a program, policy, or practice
Input on how to make the initiative more responsive
Suggestions on overcoming resistance to the initiative
Ideas on how the initiative can become more effective
Review results ahead of time. Review the results of your evaluation with program staff before you write up your evaluation report and develop your presentation. You may want to just distribute a memo outlining the results and then hold a staff meeting to talk about it. This gives you a chance to get your staff's input on the meaning of the findings, as well as the opportunity to talk about any ambiguous data.
Share findings with key decision-makers first. Share and discuss your report with the superintendent, principals, and community leaders before you release your report to the public. This is especially important if your evaluation findings make it clear that there will be a need for any changes in policies. Policymakers or agency officials may wish to make a public response to your findings as well.
Use charts and tables. If you decide to do an oral presentation, develop a few charts and tables -- 5 to 10 should be plenty -- that illustrate key findings. Make sure to make multiple copies to distribute to your audience. You may also wish to distribute a single summary sheet of program results.
Cover the basics. Begin your presentation by explaining why you conducted the evaluation, what questions you asked, why you chose those questions, and the methods you used to answer them.
Know your audience. Determine the information they need and why they need it. For example, the make-up of your audience will determine whether you simply highlight your evaluation results or go into great detail about what you found. Be sure to explain possible implications the results may have for your audience. If the evaluation findings have led you to any particular conclusions about what your group should do in the future, talk about them.
Remember, evaluation findings -- both good and bad -- should play a key role in the development of your sustainability plan. Positive findings will help you justify why your initiative should continue and garner support, policy changes, and/or additional funding. Negative findings, though frustrating, can help you determine where adjustments need to be made so that you can pursue support and funding to improve your efforts.
Adapted from Hampton, C. (2002). Communicating information to funders for support and accountability. University of Kansas: Community Toolbox. Available online at http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/tools/EN/sub_section_main_1376.htm .
Preliminary Assessment of Taft Middle School Prevention Activities | Evaluation Report Outline | Developing a Presentation | Options for Sharing Information | Selecting Your Audience |
This document describes different options for sharing your evaluation findings. Please use it to identify the method of delivery best-suited to your intended audience.
Technical reports. These are detailed reports on a single issue, such as a small study on one or two sample groups. They can be presented at a staff meeting or as part of a larger report.
Executive summaries. These are brief documents (no more than two or three pages) that outline a study's major findings and recommendations. They usually accompany a larger, more comprehensive report.
Technical professional papers. These are detailed articles that summarize information for a scientific audience. Technical papers usually contain detailed descriptions of program activities, including how they were implemented, whether or not they were effective, and why.
Popular articles. These are written with a magazine or journal's particular readership in mind. They tend to be general, focusing on no more than two or three points.
Brochures/posters. These are brief and visually engaging printed materials that can be disseminated throughout the community.
Memos. These are short letters circulated internally among program staff.
Press conference. This is a gathering with the media, convened for the purpose of releasing specific information.
Public meeting. This is a gathering, open to the general public, where general evaluation findings are released in a clear, simple manner and discussion is encouraged.
Media appearance. This is more of a staged event than a press conference. It might, for example, involve a local author doing a public reading to heighten awareness of youth violence.
Staff workshop. This is an interactive, working presentation for your planning team or coalition's staff and volunteers.
Personal discussion. This is a face-to-face discussion that encourages dialogue among participants.
Adapted from Hampton, C. (2002). Communicating information to funders for support and accountability. University of Kansas: Community Toolbox. Available online at http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/tools/EN/sub_section_main_1376.htm.
Preliminary Assessment of Taft Middle School Prevention Activities | Evaluation Report Outline | Developing a Presentation | Options for Sharing Information | Selecting Your Audience |
You may want to share information about your initiative with the following groups:
Civic organizations
Business groups
Grassroots organizations
School boards
Parent-teacher groups
Church organizations
The local press
Health organizations
Elected and appointed local government officials
Grantmakers
For the following reasons:
To raise awareness about the issue
To attract volunteers, funding, and in-kind resources from local concerned citizens and agencies To promote recruitment of volunteers and collaborators
To lobby for local ordinances or program changes that will address issues of concern
To provide accountability to the community, trustees, and funders
You may want to share information about your initiative with the following groups:
State officials in education and public health
State and regional professional conferences
Grassroots and advocacy organizations
Church conferences
Grantmakers
For the following reasons:
To create a "name" for your initiative in the state, which makes it more competitive when seeking state resources
To establish a statewide network of persons and agencies with similar goals
To lobby for legislative changes to address the issues of concern
To garner recognition and resources from the state and region
It is also important to share information about your prevention initiative with specific individuals and groups at the national level, including your program officer/funder, national organizations that may provide valuable assistance and support, and potential future funders.
Share your information with the right people.
Address issues that are relevent to your audience.
Present your information in time to be useful and in a way that is clearly understood.
From the Community Tool Box, available at: http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/tools/EN/sub_section_main_1376.htm
As liaison to the School Improvement Committee, Alex volunteered to present the Prevention Planning Team's current thinking on sustainability at today's school improvement meeting. The School Improvement Committee was involved in conceptualizing the school's prevention plan; now Alex looked forward to including them in the sustainability discussion. Looking at the amount of material he had to cover, Alex realized that today's talk would, unfortunately, be more of a presentation than a discussion -- but he hoped that it would be the start of an ongoing dialogue on this topic.
After the Principal reviewed the meeting's agenda, Alex began: "As many of you know, federal funding for Taft's drug prevention and school safety coordinator position will end at the end of this fiscal year. This is not a surprise -- we knew from the start that our grant was limited to three years. But we need to be sure that our programs will continue.
"The Prevention Planning Team is currently investigating options for sustaining our initiatives. Some of our ideas relate directly to the work of the School Improvement Committee." Alex projected his first PowerPoint slide onto the meeting room screen:
| Sustaining Taft's Prevention Initiative
Goal: To develop plans to ensure that students and families continue to benefit from Taft's prevention initiative. Proposed Strategies:
|
"When we think of sustainability," he continued, "most of us automatically think about writing grants. And you're right -- funding is an important piece to consider when looking for ways to sustain programs. But, for today's meeting, I'd like to focus on some other options that can help us strengthen and sustain our prevention efforts."
"Taft's prevention plan is comprised of several mutually reinforcing components," Alex said. "Most of the staff are aware of our classroom-based social skills program, our Walk Safely program, and our information and referral system. Yet, few are aware that the school's harassment and smoking policies are also critical components of our prevention initiative.
"Policy represents our public commitment to prevention. In our policies, we lay out our collective expectations for how students should behave and what the consequences will be if a policy is violated. Our prevention activities are designed to foster positive social norms among students, parents, and staff. These norms should be reflected in our policies.
"Clear school policies can be an effective -- and cost-effective -- way to change student behavior. Well-established policies are key to institutionalizing our prevention message."
At this point, Marjorie, a special education teacher, interrupted: "I agree with everything you're saying, Alex, but the only way a policy can be effective is if it is enforced. And I don't believe that many of our policies are being enforced as they should. Just the other day I caught two students smoking in the bathroom, surrounded by cigarette butts. I can't imagine that I was the first teacher to smell the smoke in that hallway!"
"You're right," agreed Alex, "which is why the Prevention Planning Team's first sustainability strategy is to focus on policy enforcement. We can do this by making sure that staff are aware of the policies currently in place and how they connect to the school's overall prevention plan. We spent a lot of time working with staff to get their support for our classroom-based program, but we overlooked the importance of having staff support for our policies as well. Similarly, we've spent a lot of time providing staff with the skills they need to implement our classroom-based program, but we ignored the fact that many probably don't know what steps to take when one student harasses another. Policies are only effective when they are enforced consistently." Posting his next slide, Alex continued: "Here are some suggestions for how we might move forward."
Strategy 1: Strengthen the impact of existing policies by improving enforcement
|
Strategy 1 (continued)
Develop a joint committee comprised of the principal and members of the Prevention Planning Team and School Improvement Committee to review and revise policies annually. Communicate policy expectations to parents and students. Don't bury them in the student code of conduct handbook! Have parents sign and return a form stating that they've read the policy. |
Glancing down at his notes, Alex began to describe the next strategy the Prevention Planning Team had developed: "Moving away from policy, I'd like talk about one of our favorite topics -- educational standards. Research tells us that programs most likely to endure over time are those that are linked to their school's or district's stated goals and mission. In fact, when we first started looking at possible prevention programs to bring into our school, one of our selection criteria was the degree to which a program's learning objectives coincided with our district and state educational standards.
"However, the more explicit we can be in connecting our prevention efforts to existing standards, the stronger our case will be for obtaining continued funding." Alex laughed, catching himself. "I guess there really is no way to keep funding out of this discussion, is there?"
"You're right, though," interjected William, the principal. "If the Prevention Planning Team can show that the prevention programs support district standards, you may be able to become a line item in the district budget. At a minimum, you'll have a great shot at being included in the school budget and incorporated into the curriculum."
"Will you put that in writing?" Alex joked, then continued. "To strengthen these connections, the Prevention Planning Team has been looking into the district's new character education requirement. Our thinking is that several elements of our social skills program meet this requirement. Once we've done a little more research, we'll develop a one-page summary that highlights these connections." As he spoke, he showed this slide:
Strategy 2: Tie prevention activities to state/district standards by identifying ways to connect classroom-based activities to current education requirements.
|
"I think I have something you could use as a template for your summary," volunteered Don, a fourth grade teacher, pulling a sheet of paper from his briefcase. "A friend working in Florida sent it to me. It describes a violence prevention curriculum used across their state: what it is, who it's for, objectives, anticipated outcomes, and how it supports current standards. Here," he said, handing the document to Alex, "take a look."
"Thanks!" Alex said. "This is great. I'm sure the team will find it helpful."
"For the last part of my presentation," said Alex, "I'd like to talk about the relationship between prevention and school reform. Linking prevention and reform efforts will strengthen both initiatives and improve the likelihood that they will last.
"This isn't a new topic for anyone: The Prevention Planning Team and the School Improvement Committee have worked together for several years now to identify ways to connect our projects. Our goals are the same: to facilitate positive, healthy development so that young people can reach their full potential. We know that healthy behavior and academic achievement are intrinsically connected -- any effort to support one automatically supports the other.
"I think that what is key is that both teams are looking through a comprehensive lens: We've taken a systematic approach to schoolwide improvement that is based on data, incorporates every aspect of the school, and includes all students. We also know that our success depends on long-term collaboration among school staff, parents, and others invested in the well-being of youth.
"I'd like to focus on the parent involvement piece. As I understand it, one of the goals of Taft's current whole school reform efforts is to promote greater parent and community involvement in school activities. In fact, our new cultural literacy curriculum includes a parent involvement component.
"Our comprehensive prevention plan also includes several components directed at parents. The classroom-based social skills program has a parent component, and the success of our Walk Safely program hinges on parental involvement. Both programs have been well-received, but data from our process evaluation show that both would be enhanced by greater participation. This information led us to our final sustainability strategy…" Alex showed his last slide.
Strategy 3: Tie prevention activities to school reform efforts by working more closely with the School Improvement Committee to promote parent involvement.
|
"Our goal," said Alex, "is for these parent programs to ultimately become incorporated into the school's whole-school reform plan. This will allow them to be sustained over time, with or without the continued funding of our prevention initiative.
"Before ending this presentation, I'd just like to thank our principal for his ongoing commitment to prevention and his active support of our comprehensive prevention initiative." Turning to the principal, Alex said, "You've helped us obtain the resources -- including access to funding, time, space, and personnel -- to launch and implement a successful initiative. Without this continued support, program sustainability will be impossible."
After a nice round of applause for the principal, Alex asked the group if they had any questions.
Please think about the questions below, and post your answers, comments, or questions to the Discussion Area.
How have you used policy to build support for your prevention initiative?
What other strategies have you used to institutionalize your prevention programs?
This completes today's work. Please visit the Discussion Area to share your responses to the discussion questions! |
| Tips for Developing School Policy | Tips for Enforcing School Policy | Summary Sheet for Florida Violence Prevention Curriculum
Provide a rationale for the policy. For example, what is its underlying philosophy? What are the long-term outcomes the school hopes to achieve by implementing the policy?
Include a clear, positive statement about the behaviors the school expects students (and staff) to exhibit. For example, are students expected to be courteous and to show respect for others, and are those behaviors clearly defined for students? Are teachers expected to model those behaviors?
Include provisions for prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation or treatment. For example, are there specific school policies related to substance use prevention? What about violence prevention? Are there policies to target the precursors of problem behaviors, such as name calling and threats? What is the school policy on handling violent acts and substance use on school grounds or at school events? How are repeat offenders or users handled? Where are students referred for treatment? Are parents kept abreast of any problems their children might be having with substance use or delinquent behavior?
Coordinate school policies with community policies regarding substance use and violence. Is the school working closely with specific systems in the community to coordinate the policy? What community agencies help implement specific policies (especially policies that deal with interventions, such as locker searches, and with treatment, such as family skills-based training, counseling, or in-home support)?
Include clear consequences for infractions. For example, do students know and understand what will happen when they violate a specific policy?
Include rewards and recognition for those who behave appropriately. For example, what mechanisms exist to ensure that people are recognized for positive behavior?
Communicate policy information to students, faculty, parents, and the community. Do students and parents receive written information that clearly outlines their rights and responsibilities? Are faculty and other staff trained to implement the policy? Do they understand the many ways in which they can support the policy to make it effective? Do they understand the rationale of the policy?
School policies need not focus on punitive measures, environmental restrictions, or behavior codes to reduce substance use and violence among students. Other policies, broader and more far reaching, have great potential in terms of reducing violence and substance use, not just at the school level, but at the district or community level too. These changes in policies and day-to-day practice involve translating lessons learned from specific prevention programs into prevention policies that are integrated into more general school reform efforts.
Adapted from Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R., and Asociates (1992). Communities that care: Action for drug abuse prevention. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; and Drug Strategies (1998). Safe schools, safe students: A guide to violence prevention strategies. Washington, DC: Drug Strategies.
Return to Day 3: Sustaining Prevention Efforts Through Policy and Education Reform |
| Tips for Developing School Policy | Tips for Enforcing School Policy | Summary Sheet for Florida Violence Prevention Curriculum
Enforcement does not have to be synonymous with punishment. Enforcing school policies is about making sure that certain policies are implemented consistently throughout the school environment. Enforcement means that school administrators, staff, and parents all convey messages that certain kinds of behavior (e.g., name calling, substance use, fighting, carrying weapons) are wrong and will not be tolerated at school. In this way, enforcement is closely linked to schoolwide campaigns to influence norms about substance use and violence. In general, effective enforcement should do the following:
Promote and consistently enforce specific rules or policies, including those regarding discipline, smoking, alcohol, and weapons. For example, do students know and understand what will happen when they violate a specific policy? Are teachers and other staff aware of school policies regarding substance use, violence, weapons, and so on? Do teachers and staff consistently enforce these policies?
Be paired with communication strategies that emphasize changing norms or beliefs that support substance use, violence, disruptive behavior, and weapons in school. For example, what beliefs do students hold about substance use, fighting, carrying weapons, and so on that might affect their inclination to disobey or obey school rules? How can schools challenge beliefs that are inconsistent with school policy, and translate these challenges into messages that might help enforce certain school policies?
Include rewards and recognition for those who behave appropriately. For example, what mechanisms exist to ensure that students are recognized for positive behavior? Are rewards publicized at school?
Drug Strategies (1998). Safe schools, safe students: A guide to violence prevention strategies. Washington, DC: Drug Strategies.
Gottfredson, D. (1997). School-based crime prevention. In Preventing crime: What works, what doesn't, what's promising. A report to the United States Congress. Prepared for the National Institute of Justice by L.W. Sherman, D. Gottfredson, D. MacKenzie, J. Eck, P. Reuter, and S. Bushway. College Park, MD: Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland.
Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R., and Associates (1992). Communities that care: Action for drug abuse prevention. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Return to Day 3: Sustaining Prevention Efforts Through Policy and Education Reform |
| Tips for Developing School Policy | Tips for Enforcing School Policy | Summary Sheet for Florida Violence Prevention Curriculum
| Description | The Think First* curriculum is a violence prevention program. The cruel tragedies and crises that have occurred on various school campuses around the country were the catalyst for the implementation of this curriculum. A key component is the pivotal role of the bystander in diffusing critical situations. In most school crises, bystanders are aware of potentially violent situations but fail to report this information to school officials. This curriculum emphasizes the responsibility of the bystander to diffuse conflicts and crises in our schools. The U.S. Department of Education gave Think First an "A" rating for program quality, developmental appropriateness, and ease of administration. A large-scale controlled evaluation attests to the program's effectiveness. The backbone of Think First is the four-step "Think-First Model of Conflict Resolution." The Think-First Model provides students with a framework for dealing with and changing the habits of thought that can result in violence. The program also motivates bystanders to be problem-solvers, be responsible, and "break the code of silence" in crisis situations. |
| Intended Audiences | Implemented by police officers in sixth grade classes. |
| Program Objectives |
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| Anticipated Outcomes |
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| Costs | The funds to implement the Think First program are provided by the Safe Schools Center. |
| Contributions to Achievement for All | School Board Goal: School
Safety and Environment
Core Strategy #8: Provide safe and nurturing learning environments that promote high expectations, good behavior, and excellent performance of students and staff. |
| Corresponding Sunshine State and Marzano Standards | Sunshine State Standards: Health Education and Physical Education;
Responsible Health Behavior, Standard Three, sub-items A, B,
C, D, E, F, and G; Advocation and Promotion of Healthy Living,
Standard One, sub-item A; Government and the Citizen, Standard
Two, sub-item F.
Marzano Standards: Working with Others, sub-items 1 (Contributes to the overall effort of the group), 2 (Uses conflict resolution techniques), 3 (Works well with diverse individuals and in diverse situations), 4 (Displays effective interpersonal communication skills), and 5 (Demonstrates leadership skills); Self-Regulation, sub-items 1 (Sets and manages goals), 2 (Performs self-appraisal), 3 (considers risks), 5 (Maintains a healthy self-concept), and 6 (Restrains impulsivity). |
* the name has been changed
Return to Day 3: Sustaining Prevention Efforts Through Policy and Education Reform |
Renowned for having brought in two small grants earlier in the year, Jane volunteered to take a trip to the local Prevention Center to prepare for the first meeting of the Prevention Planning Team's Funding Group. She loved doing research and looked forward to the opportunity to talk to prevention specialists, read through the available books and journals, search the Internet, and investigate funding options.
When Jane arrived at the center, she was impressed, as always, by the amount of information that surrounded her. This was exactly what she needed! Heading straight for the section on funding sources and the grant-writing process, she pulled up a chair and began poring through the materials. Her attention was immediately drawn to an article titled "Is That All There Is? Things to Consider Before You Apply." The article encouraged readers to think carefully about whether they actually wanted to pursue a grant and ask themselves these questions before doing so:
Can we do the same work as well, or almost as well, without grant money?
Are we planning to apply for a grant simply because funds are available?
Is a grant the only way (or the best way) to do what we want to do?
Are there other (and perhaps better) ways of getting the money we need?
Do we have a realistic chance of success?
Are we prepared to put in the work to produce a top-quality grant proposal?
Jane jotted down the questions, for they tapped into her own concerns about pursuing grant funding to sustain program activities. Though she had volunteered to be the funding "lookout," she wasn't entirely convinced that this was the best way to move forward. She believed that the ideal funding situation for Taft's prevention activities would be a renewable source of local revenue -- such as building program costs into the annual budget of their school system -- rather than another short-term grant. She hoped that the other working group would be able to come up with a solid plan for connecting prevention activities to educational policy and school reform efforts, which might allow this to happen.
For the immediate future, however, grants probably were their best bet. Some of the school's prevention activities weren't quite ready to be integrated into the school's funding stream -- and integration takes time even when activities are ready. Grants could extend the life of the initiative long enough to allow for full implementation of their prevention activities, an understanding of the benefits produced, and time to work toward sustaining those activities that prove to be effective. With that realization, Jane returned to the task at hand.
As Jane began sifting through the literature around her, she learned that there were three main sources of grants for school- and community-based prevention work:
The government, including federal, state, and sometimes local sources
Foundations
Private businesses and corporations
Since the Prevention Planning Team had already approached several local businesses about funding (to no avail!), Jane decided to focus her efforts on learning more about government and foundation grants. She located numerous websites that contained useful information about funding sources, as well as a few helpful books and reports. Using these resources, Jane identified several government agencies and federal initiatives that promoted school-based health promotion and risk prevention efforts, including the new National Coordinator Program from the U.S. Department of Education's Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program.
She also identified a handful of national foundations that support prevention work, as well as a directory of foundations that provide funding to groups and institutions in her city and state. After photocopying several relevant pages, Jane decided to take a break. She needed a short walk before moving on to her next charge: to collect information on the grant-writing process itself.
An Executive Summary, outlining the study's major findings and recommendations
A Statement of Need, explaining why the proposed program is necessary
A Project Description, describing how the project will be implemented and evaluated
A Budget, i.e., a financial description of the project plus explanatory notes
Information About the Host Organization, including its history, governing structure, and primary activities, audiences, and services
Jane then came across an interesting article that focused on the "how to's" of successful grant writing. According to the article, success depended on three simple steps:
Start with a good idea.
Locate a source that has a history of funding similar ideas.
Design, craft, and develop your idea into a well-written statement.
These steps made sense to Jane, but she knew they were just a start. She began searching online, and soon found some other helpful resources:
The Foundation Center's Proposal Writing Short Course
A tip sheet on writing successful proposals from a Harvard University website
Winning Grant Proposals Online, which provides access to recently funded, top-ranked grant proposals to major government funders in a variety of subject areas, including education and health
The more she read, the more she found the idea of hiring a grant- writing consultant to be appealing. Though resources were scarce, so was time! And a full-time proposal writer might also have established relationships with potential funders. She made a note to herself to bring this idea back to her working group. It couldn't hurt to think through all of their options.
Although there was much more material to look through, Jane was pleased with all she had accomplished. She had solid information, as well as several important questions, to bring back to the group. She felt confident that when the Prevention Planning Team next met, they would be well-equipped to develop a viable plan for sustaining their prevention activities.
Berkowitz, B. Applying for a grant: The general approach. Lawrence, KS: Community Tool Box, University of Kansas. Available online at http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/tools/EN/sub_section_main_1300.htm.
The Foundation Center. Proposal writing short course. Available online at http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/shortcourse/index.html.
Orlich, D.C. (1996). Designing successful grant proposals. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/books/orlich96book.html.
Please think about the questions below, and post your answers, comments, or questions to the Discussion Area.
Have any of you sought additional funding for your prevention activities through grants or foundations? Please share your experiences.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of receiving grant/foundation funding?
This completes today's work. Please visit the Discussion Area to share your responses to the discussion questions! |
Federal and State Government Agencies that Fund Prevention | Related Federal Initiatives | Announcement of New National Coordinator Program | Foundations as a Funding Source for Prevention | Ten Tips for Writing Successful Proposals | Identifying a Qualified Grant Writer | Tips for Developing Relationships with Potential Funders |
Several federal agencies provide funds to groups and institutions that do substance use and violence prevention work in their communities. Below are some examples. Information on funding priorities and requirements is available on their websites.
SDFS provides discretionary funding to school districts that promote safe and drug-free learning environments for students; state block grants to support drug and violence prevention programs in virtually every school district and community in the United States; and model demonstration grants to support the development of innovative programs that help schools and communities improve programs funded under these state grants.
OJJDP provides funding to states, territories, localities, and private organizations through block grants and discretionary funding.
SAMHSA has recently provided discretionary funding to community-initiated prevention interventions, family strengthening programs, and substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Federal funding notices appear in the Federal Register, available online at www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/, and Commerce Business Daily, available online at cbdnet.gpo.go. These resources are also available at regional federal offices and some libraries. To subscribe, contact the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, (202) 783-3238.
Information on both government and non-government funding for substance abuse prevention can also be found on the Join Together website at www.jointogether.org/news/funding/.
Many state agencies also fund prevention programs. Funding may be available from one or more departments in your state government, including departments of education, health, mental health, justice, public safety, labor, social services, and highway safety. You may also be able to obtain funding through the governor's office. To learn more about your state's funding patterns, contact the Single State Agency that oversees funding for prevention activities in your state.
From The Northeast Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies website (www.northeastcapt.org/science/faq/faq-05.asp).
Return to Day 4: Seeking External Funds to Support Prevention |
Federal and State Government Agencies that Fund Prevention | Related Federal Initiatives | Announcement of New National Coordinator Program | Foundations as a Funding Source for Prevention | Ten Tips for Writing Successful Proposals | Identifying a Qualified Grant Writer | Tips for Developing Relationships with Potential Funders |
The Drug Prevention and School Safety Coordinator initiative is one of several programs designed to improve youth outcomes. There are many other national and state initiatives with complementary goals and resources that can supplement your current funding. Before seeking funding from one of these programs, contact your local school district and education agency, as well as your state education and health agencies, to determine if these funds are already present in your community. If they are, find out how they are being utilized and how they might be coordinated with your school's prevention initiative.
In 1992, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a new initiative to support coordinated school health programs (CSHPs) to reduce chronic disease risk factors, including poor eating habits, physical inactivity, and tobacco use. CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health currently provides CSHP funding to state education and health agencies in 20 states. When visiting the CSHP website, look for the Healthy Youth Funding Database. Formerly known as the Adolescent and School Health Funding Database, this resource contains information on federal, foundation, and state-specific funding sources for school health programs
.This initiative is jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Its purpose is to fund the implementation and enhancement of comprehensive, community-wide strategies for creating safe and drug-free schools and promoting healthy childhood development. Nearly $100 million in awards includes up to $3 million for local education agencies (LEAs) in urban areas, up to $2 million for LEAs in suburban areas, and up to $1 million for LEAs in rural areas and tribal school districts.
The focus of this program, authorized under Title X, Part I, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, is to enable schools to stay open longer and provide expanded educational and enrichment opportunities for participating children in a safe, drug-free, and supervised environment. Nearly $206 million in new 21st Century Community Learning Center grants was awarded in June 2001, bringing the total number of 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants awarded to 1,587. These grants support 6,800 centers and serve about 1.2 million children and 400,000 adults. Eligible applicants are rural and inner-city school districts working in partnership with community-based organizations.
Title I: Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards
This title is designed to enable schools to equip students to meet state content and performance standards. Strategies to accomplish this objective include the following:
Providing schoolwide programs or additional services that increase the amount and quality of instructional time
Providing staff with opportunities for professional development
Offering parents meaningful opportunities to participate in their children's education
Distributing resources to areas and schools where needs are greatest
Providing greater decision-making authority and flexibility to schools and teachers, improving accountability--as well as teaching and learning--by using state assessment systems
Coordinating services under this title with one another and with other educational, health, and social service programs
Title IV: Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
This title was designed to support programs to meet the seventh
National Education Goal by preventing violence in and around schools
and by strengthening programs that prevent the illegal use of
alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, and involve parents. It provides
federal assistance to states for grants to or contracts with
educational agencies, community-based organizations, other public
and private nonprofit agencies, and institutions of higher
education. These agencies and institutions should work toward
improving the quality of local drug and violence prevention
activities, as well as provide effective training and technical
assistance services to support these activities.
Title XIII, Part A: Comprehensive Regional Assistance Centers
This program funds 15 grantees that provide comprehensive training
and technical assistance services to states, LEAs, schools, Indian
tribes, community-based organizations, and other recipients of
federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA). These grantees help coordinate and integrate the
implementation of ESEA and other federal education programs with
state and local activities so that they support federal, state, and
local efforts to improve teaching and learning. Appropriations of
$28 million were made each fiscal year from 1999 to 2001.
In November 1998, the tobacco industry settled the Medicaid lawsuits of 46 states so that the states could recover their tobacco-related health care costs. The industry committed to paying the states approximately $206 billion over the next 25 years. In addition, payments of $5 billion will be made to 14 states to compensate them for potential harm to their tobacco-producing communities. (Four states settled their tobacco lawsuits separately.) Many states have decided to apply these funds to coordinated school health programs, while others are currently determining how to make the best use of this money.
This program was established in 1994 by the Bureau of Primary Health Care to encourage the development of new, comprehensive, full-time school-based primary care programs that serve high-risk children. The program has established a number of collaborative linkages with other government agencies and private organizations. These linkages provide the Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities centers with multiple avenues for technical assistance, which subsequently improves the care they provide.
Other options for funding school-based health centers include state and local Maternal and Child Health Block Grants, Title XX funding, State General Funds, Preventive Health & Health Services Block Grants, Tobacco Taxes, and Tobacco Settlement Agreements.
Return to Day 4: Seeking External Funds to Support Prevention |
Federal and State Government Agencies that Fund Prevention | Related Federal Initiatives | Announcement of New National Coordinator Program | Foundations as a Funding Source for Prevention | Ten Tips for Writing Successful Proposals | Identifying a Qualified Grant Writer | Tips for Developing Relationships with Potential Funders |
4000-01-U
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (CFDA No. 84.184K)
Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Coordinator Program
AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education
ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2002.
SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary invites applications for new grant awards for FY 2002 for the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) National Coordinator Program. These grants are authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as amended, Title IV, Part A, Subpart 2, Section 4125, SDFSC National Programs. The Assistant Secretary also announces the final priority, definitions, and selection criteria to govern this competition and FY 2002 awards of these grants.
PURPOSE OF PROGRAM: The purpose of the SDFSC National Coordinator Program is to provide grants to local educational agencies to recruit, hire, and train individuals to serve as drug prevention and school safety program coordinators in schools with significant drug and school safety problems.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: Local educational agencies (LEAs) NOTE: LEAs may apply in consortium with one or more adjacent LEAs; however, each LEA in the consortium must meet all requirements of the priority for this competition, and one LEA must serve as lead applicant.
APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE: April 12, 2002.
DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: May 28. 2002.
DEADLINE FOR INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW: July 26, 2002.
AVAILABLE FUNDS: Approximately $12,000,000.
ESTIMATED NUMBER OF AWARDS: 30.
ESTIMATED SIZE OF AWARDS: $250,000 - $650,000.
ESTIMATED AVERAGE SIZE OF AWARDS: $400,000.
NOTE: These estimates are projections for the guidance of potential
applicants. The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
PROJECT PERIOD: Up to 36 months.
APPLICABLE REGULATIONS: The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 97, 98, and 99.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
In making awards under this grant program, the Assistant Secretary
may take into consideration the geographic distribution of the
projects in addition to the rank order of applicants.
Contingent upon the availability of funds, the Assistant Secretary
may make additional awards in FY 2003 from the rank-ordered list of
unfunded applications from this competition.
LEAs receiving grants under this program will use funds to recruit,
hire, and train individuals to serve as drug prevention and school
safety program coordinators in schools with significant drug and
school safety problems.
Those coordinators will be responsible for
developing, conducting, and analyzing assessments of drug and crime
problems at their schools and for administering the safe and
drug-free grant program at those schools.
DEFINITIONS:
For purposes of this competition, "administering the safe and
drug-free grant program" means that the coordinator will perform the
following functions in schools with significant drug and school
safety problems:
b. "Schools with significant drug and school safety problems" are defined as those that have identified drug use and school safety as serious problems in their most recent needs assessment and that have taken one or more of the following actions within the 12 months preceding the date of this announcement:
Other Requirements:
(a) Participation by Private School Children and Teachers. LEAs that
receive a National Coordinator Program grant are required to provide
for the equitable participation of eligible private school children
and their teachers or other educational personnel. In order to
ensure that grant program activities address the needs of private
school children, timely and meaningful consultation with appropriate
private school officials must occur during the design and
development of the program. Administrative direction and control
over grant funds must remain with the grantee.
(b) Maintenance of Effort. An LEA may receive a National Coordinator Program grant only if the SEA finds that the combined fiscal effort per student or the aggregate expenditures of the agency and the State with respect to the provision of free public education by the agency for the preceding fiscal year was not less than 90 percent of the combined fiscal effort or aggregate expenditures for the second preceding fiscal year.
(c) Annual Report. LEAs receiving a grant under this program must report annually to the Department of Education on progress toward meeting measurable goals and objectives of the funded project.
(d) National Evaluation. The Department of Education is conducting a
national evaluation of the National Coordinator Program to determine
its efficacy as a means of improving prevention programming.
Grantees must agree to participate in the evaluation as a condition
of receiving a grant.
(e) Hiring. LEAs may apply for grant funding under the absolute
priority for this competition to hire one or more coordinators to
serve schools in the district. Each coordinator hired with funds
from this grant must:(1) serve at least one school and no more than
four schools; (2) have no duties other than coordinating and
administering the drug prevention and school safety programs in
those schools; (3) have a degree from an accredited four-year
institution of higher education and an academic background or
equivalent work experience in a field related to youth development,
such as education, psychology, sociology, social work, or nursing;
and (4) participate in any training required by the Department.
WAIVER OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING: Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed rules. Section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act, however, exempts from this requirement rules that apply to the first competition under a new or substantially revised program authority. This is the first competition under the National Coordinator Program, which was substantially revised by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
ABSOLUTE PRIORITY: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, the Assistant Secretary gives an absolute priority to applications that meet the following priority and funds under this competition only applications that meet this absolute priority. Under the absolute funding priority for this grant competition, LEAs with significant drug and school safety problems in their schools must propose projects that recruit, hire, and train individuals to serve as full-time drug prevention and school safety program coordinator(s) in schools with significant drug and school safety problems, who are responsible only for: (1) developing, conducting, and analyzing assessments of drug and crime problems at their schools; and (2) administering the school's safe and drug-free grant program as defined in this notice.
SELECTION CRITERIA: The Assistant Secretary uses the following selection criteria to evaluate applications for new grants under this competition. The maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses.
(1) Need for the project. (25 points)
In determining the need for the proposed project, the following
factor is considered: The extent to which specific gaps or
weaknesses in services, infrastructure, or opportunities have been
identified and will be addressed by the proposed project, including
the nature and magnitude of those gaps or weaknesses.
PILOT PROJECT FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS In FY 2002, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing to expand its pilot project of electronic submission of applications to include additional formula grant programs and additional discretionary grant competitions. The National Coordinator Program (84.184K) is one of the programs included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the National Coordinator Program, you may submit your application to us in either electronic or paper format.
The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant
Application System (e-APPLICATION, formerly e-GAPS) portion of the
Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS). We request your
participation in this pilot project. We shall continue to evaluate
its success and solicit suggestions for improvement.
If you participate in this e-APPLICATION pilot, please note the
following:
You may access the electronic grant application for the National Coordinator Program at http://e-grants.ed.gov. We have included additional information on the e-APPLICATION pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic Applications) in the application package.
FOR APPLICATIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deirdra R. Hilliard, U.S. Department of Education, Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 3E256, Washington, DC 20202-6123. Telephone: (202) 260-2643, or the following email or internet addresses:
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document, or an application package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding paragraph. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in the application package.
Electronic Access to This Document:
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or
Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the
following site:
Note: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at:
PROGRAM AUTHORITY: 20 U.S.C. 7135
Dated:
Susan B. Neuman, Ed.D.,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education
Return to Day 4: Seeking External Funds to Support Prevention |
Federal and State Government Agencies that Fund Prevention | Related Federal Initiatives | Announcement of New National Coordinator Program | Foundations as a Funding Source for Prevention | Ten Tips for Writing Successful Proposals | Identifying a Qualified Grant Writer | Tips for Developing Relationships with Potential Funders |
A foundation is a non-governmental, nonprofit organization that provides financial support to organizations and activities that serve the public good. There are currently more than 45,000 foundations in the United States. They fall into four categories:
Independent foundations, funded by a person or family of wealth
Corporate foundations, funded by business corporations
Operating foundations, which run research, social welfare, or other charitable programs
Community foundations, which focus on a specific community or region
There are three main approaches to researching foundations:
The subject approach identifies foundations that have expressed an interest in funding programs in a specific subject field, such as prevention, higher education, or the arts.
The geographic approach identifies foundations that fund programs in a particular city, state, or region. Although some give nationally and even internationally, most funders limit their giving to specific geographic areas.
The type of support approach identifies foundations that provide specific types of support, such as building funds, seed money, scholarships to individuals, or general operating support.
When assessing the appeal of an organization or project, funding officials will first ascertain whether the proposed project matches the funders' interest. They will also want to be see evidence that each of the following is true:
The proposal addresses an existing need.
The applicant is well-known in its community.
The applicant has a history of funding by other sources.
The applicant has the capacity to successfully complete the project (e.g., a strong, involved board; committed volunteers; qualified staff).
The applicant's budget is realistic.
Here are some prominent national foundations that have a strong history of providing support to prevention projects throughout the United States:
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, which provides grants to organizations at the state, city, and community level that address the needs of at-risk children and families. Contact: (410) 547-660 or www.aecf.org.
The JM Foundation, which provides grants to projects in the areas of rehabilitation for people with disabilities, prevention and wellness, prevention education, early intervention for substance use, and health policy research. Contact: (212) 687-7735.
The Pew Charitable Trusts, which provides grants to nonprofit organizations in the fields of culture, education, the environment, health and human services, public policy, and religion. Contact: (215) 575-4939 or www.pewtrusts.com.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which provides grants to organizations working toward the following goals: to ensure access to basic health care to all Americans at a reasonable price; to improve services for people with chronic health conditions; and to reduce harm caused by tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs. Contact: (609) 452-8701 or http://www.rwjf.org.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which provides grants to projects in the areas of health, food systems and rural development, youth and education, higher education, philanthropy, and volunteerism. Contact: (919) 968-0413 or www.wkkf.org.
The Foundation Center is an excellent resource for information about foundation funding. You can find their directory, a complete compilation of foundations throughout the country, at "cooperating collections" (free information centers in libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit resource centers that house Foundation Center publications and other supplementary materials) in your state.
Regional Associations of Grantmakers (RAGs) is a nonprofit membership association of foundations and related organizations that work to strengthen philanthropy in each geographic region. Each RAG produces a directory of local foundations, which it sells for a reasonable price. Visit the RAG website for a listing of local contacts.
Join Together, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting community-based efforts to prevent substance abuse and gun violence, provides information on both government and non-government funding for prevention.
The Foundation Center. Available online at http://foundationcenter.org/
The Northeast Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies. Available online at www.northeastcapt.org/science/faq/faq-07.asp.
Return to Day 4: Seeking External Funds to Support Prevention |
Federal and State Government Agencies that Fund Prevention | Related Federal Initiatives | Announcement of New National Coordinator Program | Foundations as a Funding Source for Prevention | Ten Tips for Writing Successful Proposals | Identifying a Qualified Grant Writer | Tips for Developing Relationships with Potential Funders |
by Linda DeLauri, Harvard Graduate School of Education
(www.gse.harvard.edu/~hgseosr/toolbox.html#tips)
Before you start, ask "Can this program or project compete?"
Great writing and proposal presentation cannot make up for a poorly
conceived project. Take a hard look at your plans. Are there clear
goals and objectives? Is the timeline realistic and achievable? Is
the budget reasonable and well justified? Are there solid plans for
evaluation and dissemination? Is there a demonstrable need for the
project? Are the proposed activities appropriate for the potential
project beneficiaries or target audience?
Do your homework.
To be successful, a proposal must link project goals and objectives
to funder interests. Carefully review your potential funder's annual
report and guidelines. If possible, speak to a program officer and
talk to other applicants whom they have funded. It is important to
have a clear understanding of your potential funder's current
priorities and funding areas. Do not expect a funder to set aside
its priorities in response to a compelling argument.
Know who will read your proposal.
Find out who will review your proposal (e.g., board members,
professional foundation staff, the corporate marketing director,
members of an employee donation committee, or peers) and try to
match your proposal writing and presentation style to their level of
sophistication. While technical language and detailed discussion of
research methodology are requisite in peer review, a proposal aimed
at a corporate decision-maker might benefit more by extra white
space, clear headings, bold type, and bullet points.
Follow the funder's instructions for format and presentation.
Federal agencies (and an increasing number of private funders) are
quite explicit in their expectations of how a proposal should look
and be organized. Overlooking page and type-size limits, specific
questions to be addressed, mandatory attachments, required forms,
binding instructions, or number of photocopies can subject a federal
grant application to immediate disqualification. For private
funders, a perceived disregard for clearly stated guidelines could
lessen a proposal's likelihood for success.
Follow basic rules of good writing.
While good writing can't disguise a poorly conceived project, bad
writing can bury a great project. A strong opening paragraph,
clarity in communicating ideas, smooth transitions and narrative
flow, and a persuasive argument are all elements that contribute to
a successful proposal. Avoid jargon, rhetoric, and grand statements.
Be clear in describing your project.
Successful proposals distinguish goals from objectives and
objectives from the methods employed to achieve them. All three
(goals, objectives, and methods) are critical elements in a project
description. State the need for your project in real terms; use
statistics, quotes, case studies, and other firm data.
Be accurate and reasonable in budgeting project costs.
Inflated budgets are red flags to seasoned program officers and
proposal reviewers. Incomplete or underestimated budgets suggest bad
planning, and, if funded, can cause problems when it's time to
complete the work. Think the budget through. Base personnel costs on
realistic projections of how much time it will take to complete the
project activities. Don't use estimates when you can base a budget
item on past expenditures or a cost quote from an outside vendor.
Cost out travel-related expenses. Make the budget calculations as
clear as possible, and make certain that the budget fits with the
description of the proposed activities.
Allow sufficient time for a final review of the complete proposal.
Pressing too close against a deadline is the surest way to guarantee
omissions, typos, and copying snafus. Spelling and neatness really
do count! Ideally, one or two people who have not worked on the
proposal should review it for content accuracy, clarity, flow of the
proposal narrative, grammar, spelling, punctuation, pagination, etc.
Avoid negative statements.
While you should always be truthful in proposals, avoid offering
negative information that is not requested. If past failures,
inconclusive results, or potential challenges to the proposed
project need to be addressed, shift the focus to solutions. Avoid
direct comparisons with competitors. And, above all, keep in mind
that a project or program's dire financial need, in and of itself,
is not a strong case for financial support.
Submit proposals to multiple funders.
A final decision on a proposal can take 2 to 12 months; 6 months is
the norm. Valuable time can be lost waiting for a funding decision
that may or may not be positive. Get your proposals out there, to
any and all funders whose interests are closely aligned to your
project goals and objectives.
Return to Day 4: Seeking External Funds to Support Prevention |
Federal and State Government Agencies that Fund Prevention | Related Federal Initiatives | Announcement of New National Coordinator Program | Foundations as a Funding Source for Prevention | Ten Tips for Writing Successful Proposals | Identifying a Qualified Grant Writer | Tips for Developing Relationships with Potential Funders |
From Tips for Finding and Working with Freelance Grantwriters. Available online at www.gse.harvard.edu/~hgseosr/toolbox.html#freelancers.
Your planning team may decide that it lacks the time and/or the expertise to write a successful grant proposal. If this is the case AND your team possesses sufficient resources, you may elect to hire an external grant writer. Here are some tips for identifying a qualified person for this job.
How much experience does the candidate have in the field of prevention?
Does the candidate have a history of success writing similar grants?
Is the candidate a full-time grant writer?
How many current clients/work commitments does the candidate have?
Does the candidate have the equipment needed to work effectively with you (e.g., e-mail, fax, computer compatibility, software)?
Review writing samples.
Check references.
Consider success rate.
Appropriate fees:
$30-$75 hourly
$3,000-$5,000 flat rate for a major (e.g., federal) proposal
Inappropriate fees:
Payment contingent on success
Percentage of funds raised
Getting and Working with Consultants. Available online at www.mapnp.org/library/staffing/outsrcng/consult/consult.htm.
Tips on Hiring a Grant Writer (May 1999). Available online at www.volunteersinhealthcare.org/ResTips/grntwrit.htm.
Return to Day 4: Seeking External Funds to Support Prevention |
Federal and State Government Agencies that Fund Prevention | Related Federal Initiatives | Announcement of New National Coordinator Program | Foundations as a Funding Source for Prevention | Ten Tips for Writing Successful Proposals | Identifying a Qualified Grant Writer | Tips for Developing Relationships with Potential Funders |
Go to conferences they attend and join the groups they belong to.
Contribute to the specialized publications they read.
Call and ask for their advice on a program problem.
Visit them on an informal basis when you're "in the neighborhood."
Send them a copy of any article you write, conference presentations you make, or publicity you get.
Ask what their travel schedule is and invite them to visit your program.
Ask them to speak to program staff or serve as project advisors.
Ask them to refer you to other funders.
Call them for clarification of any new funding information you receive from them.
(For federal agencies) Ask them if you can be a reviewer of their proposals.
(For community foundations) Volunteer to help them raise money.
Invite them to program-related events.
Ask them what the latest trends are in your field.
Ask, "Is there any project you'd like to see funded that you've never gotten a grant proposal for?"
Ask "What were the most successful programs you've ever funded?"
Ask, "What are the main reasons why you reject most proposals?"
Ask, "How could we improve our grant-seeking process?"
Ask if you could interview them for expert input on a proposal/project you are considering.
From Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (1989). Prevention Plus II: Tools for Creating and Sustaining Drug-Free Communities. Rockville, MD: Author.
Return to Day 4: Seeking External Funds to Support Prevention |
This document summarizes the questions and comments posted by participants throughout the five-day event. Please review the summary, and then visit the Discussion Area to share your impressions.
This form is intended to gather information about your experience throughout this online event. Your careful reflections will help us improve future events and create more networking opportunities. Please do not fill out this evaluation until you've completed your participation in the event.
Thank you for participating in
Sustaining Your Prevention Initiative! |
Below is a summary of the comments and suggestions posted by event participants. Thanks again for a week of wonderful discussion and learning!
On Day 1, discussion focused on the importance of building school staff and community support for prevention initiatives, recognizing that early buy-in is key to program sustainability. As one coordinator pointed out, "In an era where positions and funding streams change continually, broad community -not just school - support is critical from the beginning [of your program] through continuation." Some examples of how coordinators have built support include the following:
Involving stakeholders in the planning process
Establishing an advisory board or council
Meeting regularly with school administrators
Distributing newsletters about program activities to staff and parents
Creating a library of resources to inform school staff and build support for prevention programs
On Day 2, discussion turned to data and how needs assessment and process evaluation data can be used to both build support for and refine prevention activities. According to one coordinator, "Staff commitment, ongoing evaluation, and constant revision to 'tweek' our prevention programs make them more sustainable." Here are some examples of how coordinators have used data to support program efforts:
By using survey data from students to guide future implementation and program selection
By having staff complete annual evaluation forms to provide feedback on implementation progress
By sharing discipline data regularly with school administrators and faculty
By incorporating data into presentations for parents
Several of you also commented on the benefits of working closely with an outside evaluator. These consultants can help you "stay on track" and analyze your data.
Day 3's discussion focused on strategies for integrating prevention activities into the culture/fabric of a school. These included strengthening and enforcing prevention policies, linking prevention efforts to academic success, and aligning prevention goals with educational standards and benchmarks. According to one coordinator, "When I tied prevention methods to either a state mandate or local system policy, teacher/staff 'buy-in' was easier. Staff were more willing to incorporate prevention efforts across curricula." Several of you also noted the importance of weaving prevention into ongoing school reform efforts.
Last, but not least, Day 4's discussion addressed funding. Coordinators described both the benefits and drawbacks of receiving grant/foundation funding. Benefits included the following:
Secure funds for a guaranteed period of time
Not at the "whim" of district budget cuts
Can bridge the gap during economic down turns
Welcome supplement to the annual budget
These were some identified challenges:
Grantwriting is time-consuming, and there's no guarantee that you'll "win"
Finding grants that correspond to your goals can be difficult
Grant funding is often accompanied by a lot of paperwork
Coordinators volunteered these suggestions for approaching the grant-writing process:
Hire or contract with a grant writer you trust
Make looking for grant opportunities a habit
When looking for foundation funding, in particular, make sure that you share similar agendas
Don't overlook state agencies, local non-profits, businesses, or your local regional board
Most importantly, don't give up! The more grants you write, the better you'll get at it and the more likely you are to succeed. Also, as one coordinator noted, "Grant writing can be an excellent opportunity to 'focus in' on an issue and discover 'unintended' opportunities."
Thanks again for your participation! |
Tips for Participating in Online Events
Tips for Using the Discussion Area
Research-Based Prevention Programs
Tips for Participating in Online Events | Tips for Navigating This Site | Tips for Using the Discussion Area | Glossary |
Facilitated communication among participants in this online workshop will be asynchronous, meaning that drug prevention and school safety coordinators can log on to the event at their convenience to read and contribute messages. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you participate in this exciting online event.
Your involvement is the key to event success! We hope to have enjoyable and stimulating discussions, but that can only happen if you log on and participate.
Make sure that you have adequate time to review new information and messages.
Log in at least once a day and participate in the online discussion as often as you can. You can share long or short messages, ask big or small questions, or contribute brief reactions to the messages posted by other MSCs and facilitators.
You can compose, review, and edit messages in a word-processing program (e.g., Microsoft Word) or in the event's Discussion Area prior to posting your messages online. Your messages will not appear online until you actively choose to post them. This allows you time to think about what you want to say and how you would like to say it.
When you reply to a message that was posted by a fellow coordinator or a facilitator, make sure to refer to the original message in your response so that others can follow the conversation.
To participate more fully during the event, try enabling the mailing list feature (see Tips for Using the Discussion Area). This will enable you to receive all discussion postings by e-mail.
If you have any technical questions or problems, please do not hesitate to submit a request for assistance to Event Support. We promise you a quick response.
Relax and have fun with this opportunity to learn and connect with your fellow coordinators!
Tips for Participating in Online Events | Tips for Navigating This Site | Tips for Using the Discussion Area | Glossary |
Whether you are a computer expert or novice, you may need some guidance in using this website. This document will provide you with an overview of site mechanics: where things are located and how to get around. Two additional tip sheets, Tips for Participating in Online Events and Tips for Using the Discussion Area, will orient you to issues associated with actual participation.
There are several ways to move around this website. When you enter the site, you will automatically arrive on the Home page. Here you will find brief instructions for what to do and where to go first in order to orient yourself to the event. These instructions include links that you will be asked to follow.
As you read through the event, you will encounter links that can connect you to related materials, activities, and resources. Links will always appear as underlined blue or purple (depending on your browser) text, like this: I am a link.
If you look to the side of your screen you will notice a red sidebar. The sidebar lists each main section of the event website. Just click on one of the titles to travel to that page. The page you are currently on will be in bold print at the top of the page.
When you are in a secondary document (i.e., a document contained within one of the main event sections, such as a supporting materials or tip sheet), you will notice a menu of links at the top of the page. These links reflect other materials contained within that section. To get to one of these pages, click on the appropriate link. Again, the page you are currently on will be in bold print at the top of the page.
Clicking on the yellow box at the bottom of your screen will return you to the main page of that event section. For example, clicking on the box at the bottom of this page will take you to the main Resources & Links page.
Whatever method you choose to navigate this website, you can always use the "Back" button on your browser to return to the last document you were reading.
Every MSC online event includes a Discussion Area. The symbol for this section, a green and gray button featuring two talking heads, is located at the bottom of the sidebar.
To enter the event's WebBoard discussion to read and/or contribute messages, click on the Discussion Area icon or on the title beneath it. You can also click on the "discussion" link beneath the event title at the top of the screen. Refer to Tips for Using the Discussion Area if you have any questions about how to participate in the online discussion.
Tips for Participating in Online Events | Tips for Navigating This Site | Tips for Using the Discussion Area | Glossary |
These tips can help both the experienced and novice web users fully participate in and benefit from this online event discussion.
New technology often assigns new meaning to "old words." Here are some commonly used terms you may encounter when you participate in online discussions throughout this event.
WebBoard: The software used on the general Drug Prevention and School Safety Coordinator website and the online event websites to support online discussions among coordinators and Training Center staff.
Discussions: Online "conversations" taking place within central Discussion Areas of the WebBoard. Discussions appear on the left hand side of the screen. One or more Discussion Areas will be available to you during an event.
Topic: A specific thread of discussion within a Discussion Area of the WebBoard. Topics appear indented, under a particular Discussion.
Post: Sending a message to the Discussion Area of the WebBoard that begins or continues a thread of discussion. You must first select a discussion before posting a new topic (or continuing an ongoing one).
Reply: A posting/message made in response to another posting/message, always threaded under an existing topic on the WebBoard. Replies appear indented beneath the messages to which they correspond.
For a more extensive list of definitions, visit the event Glossary.
To view topics within a Discussion, click the plus symbol [+] next to a Discussion name (or the Discussion name itself). You can also click the plus symbol [+] next to a topic to view the replies beneath it.
If the message you are sending to a Discussion begins a new topic (rather than adding to a current topic), you are posting a message. To post a message, follow these steps:
Select a Discussion by clicking on its name.
Use the Post button on the top (color) toolbar, or open a message in the topic and select Post from the options at the top of the message.
You will see a message creation form. Enter your new topic in the topic field.
Type your message in the text box.
Select the Post button on the form.
To respond to a message, follow these steps:
Open the message by clicking on it.
Select Reply from the menu at the top of the message.
You will see a message creation form; the current message's topic will appear in the topic field. Edit the topic if you wish.
Type your response in the text box.
Select the Post button on the form.
You have the option of subscribing to a discussion via e-mail. This means that you can receive new Discussion postings as regular e-mails, and you can respond to them as regular e-mails as well. To subscribe to a particular Discussion, follow these steps:
Select More from the toolbar.
Select Mailing Lists from the list of options.
Subscribe to the Discussions you want by clicking the appropriate checkboxes.
Save your changes -- and you're done!
NOTE: Attachments made to a WebBoard posting/message will not be carried through e-mail. You must open the posting via the Web in order to retrieve an attachment.
If you use Netscape 3 or above (or Explorer 4 or above), you can attach documents to a message in a WebBoard Discussion. To attach a document, follow these steps:
Create a message either by posting or replying.
Select the Attach File checkbox by clicking on it.
Post the message. If you have "preview/spell check" selected, you must click Post twice.
You will see a form for uploading documents. Click on the Browse button to look for the document you wish to attach.
Select the document and click Upload Now. You're done!
Tips for Participating in Online Events | Tips for Navigating This Site | Tips for Using the Discussion Area | Glossary |
Adobe Acrobat: A collection of programs developed by Adobe Systems, Inc., for creating and distributing electronic documents. These programs let you create and/or read a Portable Document Format (PDF) for your files, which preserves the document's layout. This is an advantage over other electronic formats, such as HTML, where the layout can vary depending on the software being used.
Asynchronous discussion: Two-way communication that occurs with a time delay, allowing participants to respond at their own convenience. An example of an asynchronous discussion is the Discussion Area used for these online events.
Chat room: A "virtual" room where people have real-time (synchronous) communication with one another via computer. During a chat session, either user can enter text by typing on the keyboard; the entered text will then appear on the other user's monitor. Most networks and online services offer a chat feature.
Discussion Area: The section of this website where active participants can engage in asynchronous discussion.
Discussions: Online "conversations" that take place within central Discussion Areas of the WebBoard. Discussions appear on the left hand side of the screen. One or more discussion areas will be available to you during an event.
Internet access: One's ability to log on to the Internet. There are a variety of ways to do this. Most online services, such as America Online, offer access to some Internet services. It is also possible to gain access through a commercial Internet Service Provider.
Internet Service Provider (ISP): A company that provides direct Internet access via modem or high-speed connection. For a monthly fee, the ISP gives you a software package, user name, password, and access phone number. You can then log on to the Internet, browse the World Wide Web, and send and receive e-mail.
Link: In hypertext systems (i.e., the World Wide Web), a link provides a direct path from one document or Web page to another.
Logon: The steps you must take to gain access to a network. Most personal computers have no log-on procedure -- you just turn on the machine and begin working. For larger systems and networks, however, you usually need to enter a user name and password before the computer system will allow you to execute programs.
Modem: A device used to link computers via a phone line; "modem" is short for modulator-demodulator.
Online: An adjective meaning that you or your computer are connected to another computer via a modem. It can also mean that you have unspecified access to the Internet.
Online learning: The process of learning new skills and acquiring knowledge via the Internet, without needing to be physically present in the learning environment.
Online resource: Information that is located on the Internet.
Post: Sending a message to the Discussion Area of the WebBoard that begins or continues a thread of discussion. You must first select a Discussion before posting a new topic (or continuing an ongoing one).
Reply: A posting/message made in response to another posting/message, always threaded under an existing topic on the WebBoard. Replies appear indented beneath the messages to which they correspond.
Synchronous discussion: Interaction between two or more people that occurs at the same time, that is, with no appreciable delay between the end of one message and the beginning of another. Talking on the phone and participating in a chat session are examples of synchronous discussion.
Threaded discussion: In online discussions, threaded discussions include a series of messages that have been posted as replies to one another. A single forum or conference typically contains many threads covering different subjects. By reading each message in a thread, one after the other, you can see how the discussion evolved. You can also start a new thread by posting a message that is not a reply to an earlier message.
T1 communication: A high-speed network link that transmits data at 1.5 mbps (millions of bit per second). T1 lines transmit data almost 30 times faster than an ordinary phone line.
Topic: A specific thread of discussion within a Discussion Area of the WebBoard. Topics appear indented, under a Discussion.
URL: Short for "uniform resource locator," this is a website's specific Internet address.
Web: Short for the World Wide Web, this is a method of using the Internet to access information via a graphical user interface.
Web access: One's ability to log on to the Internet, an online service, or another network.
Web browser: A software application used to locate and display Web pages.
Web-based learning (workshop/training): The process of learning new skills and acquiring knowledge through the use of an educational site.
WebBoard: The brand of software we use for the Drug Prevention and School Safety Coordinator online events to conduct both synchronous and asynchronous online discussions.
Web server: A computer that delivers (serves up) Web pages to your
computer. Every Web server has an Internet Provider address and
possibly a domain name. For example, if you enter the address
Web service provider: See Internet Service Provider.
Website: Any collection of pages that is accessible on the Web, usually referring to a constellation of separate pages accessed through a main title/menu or home page. You can access a website by instructing the computer to find and connect to the site's specific Internet address, known as its "uniform resource locator" (URL).
Selected Resources on Program Sustainability | Selected Resources on Program Implementation | Selected Resources on Program Evaluation
Abbott, M., Walton, C., Tapia, Y., & Grennwood, C. (1999). Research to practice: A "blueprint" for closing the gap to local schools. Exceptional Children, 65, 339-352.
Factors related to sustainability include grassroots support, collaboration between researchers and teachers, and teacher participation.
Akerlund, K.M. (2000). Prevention program sustainability: The state's perspective. Journal of Community Psychology, 28(3), 353-362.
Programs are likely to be sustained if they are high-quality, have evaluated and documented success, have strong administrative support, have community ownership, and meet funder's priorities. Groups planning for sustainability should develop a three-year plan, include an advisory board in planning, identify and maintain a list of current and potential funders, consider non-traditional funding sources (i.e., managed care), develop and follow a timeline and management structure, gain the support of potential funders, carefully maintain program records, perform cost-effectiveness/cost-benefit analyses, consider integration with other service providers, look beyond grants, and follow sound business practices.
Altman, D.G. (1995). Sustaining interventions in community systems: On the relationship between researchers and communities. Health Psychology, 14(6), 526-536.
Six phases in the community research cycle include research; transfer to a community base; transition, adaptation, replication, or innovation; regeneration based on community feedback to researchers; empowerment; and community ownership of the program.
Backer, T.E. (2000). The failure of success: Challenges of disseminating effective substance abuse prevention programs. Journal of Community Psychology, 28(3).
Factors related to sustainability include user-friendly communication, user-friendly evaluation, adequate capacity-building, adequate resources, yield (benefits), and community (participant) involvement.
Comins, W.W., & Elias. M.J. (1991). Institutionalization of mental health programs in organizational contexts: The case of elementary schools. Journal of Community Psychology, 19.
Conditions hypothesized to have a positive effect on the institutionalization of educational innovation in the classroom include the following:
Edwards, S.L., & Stern, R.F. (1998). Building and sustaining community partnerships for teen pregnancy prevention: A working paper. Available online: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/teenp/teenpreg/teenpreg.htm.
Factors related to sustainability include monitoring; quality of process and outcome evaluations; involvement of program staff in the evaluation; resources and support (e.g., paid staff, community organizer, trained and experienced staff who are accepted in community); diversity of funding; use of local funding; effective leadership; technical assistance; and ongoing planning.
Elias, M.J., Zins, J.E., Weissberg, R.P., Frey, K.S., Greenberg, M.T., Haynes, N.M., Kessler, R., Schwab-Stone, M.E., & Shriver, T.P. (1997). Promoting social and emotional learning: Guidelines for educators. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Factors related to long-term implementation of social and emotional learning programs include presence of a designated program coordinator, social development facilitator, or social and emotional development committee; high visibility and recognition; active involvement and commitment of larger community; and adaptability.
Elmore, R.F. (1996). Getting to scale with good educational practice. Harvard Education Review, 66(1).
Recommendations for bringing innovations to scale include the following: Develop strong professional and social normative structures for good teaching practice that are external to individual teachers and their immediate working environments; evaluate how many teachers use good practice; develop organizational structures that intensify and focus expected student outcomes; create intentional processes for reproduction of successes; and create structures that promote learning of new practices and incentive systems that support them.
Gager, P.J. & Elias, M.J. (1997). Implementing prevention programs in high-risk environments: Application of the resiliency paradigm. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 67(3).
Factors related to program institutionalization include an ongoing process of formal and informal training; high visibility in the school; adherence to a regular time schedule; inclusion of special education students as regular program recipients; involvement of recognized community figures to help meet program goals; and support of individuals who carry out the initiative with high shared morale, good communication, and a sense of ownership.
Gersten, R., Chard, D., & Baker, S. (2000). Factors enhancing sustained use of research-based instructional practices. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33, 445-457.
Factors affecting the sustainability of core teaching strategies include teacher understanding, teachers' willingness to consider new content and pedagogical approaches, teacher efficacy, and membership in a professional community.
Gomez, B.J., Greenberg, M.T., & Feinberg, M. (in press). Sustainability of community coalitions: A study of 20 coalitions under communities that care. Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University.
A continuing board provides the best measure for sustainability. Factors statistically associated with the continuing nature of coalition board activity are key leader knowledge of how to select empirically based prevention programs, the coalition's internal functioning, fidelity of implementation, and technical assistance ratings.
Goodman, R.M., & Steckler, A. (1989). A model for institutionalization of health promotion programs. Family and Community Health, 11(4), 63-78.
Factors related to sustainability include awareness of a problem, concern for the problem, organizational receptivity to change, availability of solutions, adequacy of resources and benefits, convergence of aspirations held by various program constituents, presence of an effective program champion, adjustments between the program and the host organization, and organizational fit.
Marek, L.I., Mancini, J.A., & Brock, D.J. (2000). The national youth at risk program sustainability study. Report to the USDA, Washington, DC.
Factors related to sustainability includecommunity support, collaboration, and use of a variety of sustainability mechanisms (e.g., grants, user fees, advisory boards). Obstacles to sustainability include longer-term funding, inadequate numbers of staff, and lack of committed staff.
Paine-Andrews, A., Fisher, J., Campuzano, M.K., Fawcett, S.B., & Berkly-Patton, J. (2000). Promoting sustainability of community health initiatives: An empirical case study. Health Promotion Practice, 1(3), 248-258.
Factors related to sustainability include community awareness of the value of the program, a local champion, strong leadership, fit of the project within a lead agency, type or attributes of community changes produced by the project, and strength of alliances between community organizations with similar missions.
Pentz, M.A. (2000). Institutionalizing community-based prevention through policy change. Journal of Community Psychology, 28, 257-270.
Factors leading to policy change includehaving outside developers share decision-making with community planners; networking with other community leaders; community leader involvement in policy and program implementation; standardized training of community leaders, vendors, and program providers, and use of comprehensive, multi-component community prevention programs. Barriers include shifts in federal focus of priorities, length of time between policy planning and enactment, and variability in completion of policy activities.
Rogers, E.M. (1995). Diffusion of innovation (4th ed.). New York: Free Press.
Factors related to program adoption include characteristics of the innovation (relative advantage, complexity, trialability, observability); communication channels; timing; infrastructure factors; opinion leadership; and social system norms. Factors related to sustainability include compatibility of innovation with clients' needs and resources; involvement with the innovation (ownership); process of individual diffusion (knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, confirmation); and process of organizational diffusion (agenda-setting, matching, redefining/restructuring, clarifying, routinizing).
Shediec-Rizkallah, M.C., & Bone, L.R. (1998). Planning for the sustainability of community-based health programs: Conceptual frameworks and future directions for research, practice, and policy. Health Education Research, 13(1), 87-108.
Operational indicators of sustainability include maintenance of benefits achieved through the initial program, level of institutionalization of the program within an organization, and changes in the capacity of the targeted community. Three major groups of factors that influence sustainability are project design and implementation, factors within the organizational setting, and factors in the broader community.
Vaughn, S., Klingner, J., & Hughes, M. (2000). Sustainability of research-based practices. Exceptional Children, 66(2), 163-171.
Teacher/researcher issues that affect sustainability include teacher knowledge and adequate opportunity to weave it into the research; teacher attitudes, including beliefs about the effectiveness of the research and the extent to which research findings should/could influence teaching; contextual factors, including the multiple demands on teachers from their environments; researchers who are open to input from teachers and other school staff; and mutual respect, sensitivity, and responsiveness between teacher and researchers. Other challenges to sustaining research-based educational practices occur when the consequences of implementing a particular research-based practice are not immediately apparent, teachers believe that their pre-research practices are moderately effective, and/or teachers don't believe that there is enough consensus among researchers to warrant a change in their teaching practices.
The resources listed above were collected and summarized by Meg Small, Ph.D., of the Prevention Research Center at Pennsylvania State University, as part of the development of a comprehensive literature view. We also extend our thanks to the Northeast Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies for providing references.
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (2001). 2001 Annual Report of Science-Based Prevention Programs. Rockville, MD: Author. Available at http://www.samhsa.gov/centers/csap/modelprograms/pdfs/2001Annual.pdf .
Dane, A.V., & Schneider, B.H. (1998). Program Integrity in Primary and Early Secondary Prevention: Are Implementation Effects Out of Control? Clinical Psychology Review, 18, 23-45.
Ferrari, J.R., & Durlak, J. (Eds.) (1998). Program Implementation in Preventive Trials. [Special issue]. Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, 17 (2).
This journal issue includes the following articles:
Why Worry About Implementation Procedures: Why Not Just Do It?
Why Program Implementation Is Important
Intervention Fidelity in the Psychosocial Prevention and Treatment of Adolescent Depression
Implementing a Violence Intervention for Inner-city Adolescents: Potential Pitfalls and Suggested Remedies
Successful Program Development Using Implementation Evaluation
Design and Implementation of Parent Programs for a Community-Wide Adolescent Alcohol Use Prevention Program
Some Exemplars of Implementation
Gottfredson, G.D., Gottfredson, D.C., Czeh, E.R., Cantor, D., Crosse, S.B., & Hantman, I. (2000). National Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools. Ellicott City, MD: Gottfredson Associates, Inc. Available at http://www.gottfredson.com/national.htm.
Graczyk, P.A., Domitrovich, C.E, & Zins, J.E. (in press). Facilitating the Implementation of Evidence-Based Prevention and Mental Health Promotion Efforts in Schools. In M. Weist, S. Evans, & N. Tashman (Eds.), School Mental Health Handbook, a volume in the series Issues in Clinical Child Psychology (M. Roberts, Ed.).
Greenberg, M.T., Domitrovich, C.E., Graczyk, P., & Zins, J. (January 2001). A Conceptual Model of Implementation for School-Based Preventive Interventions: Implications for Research, Practice, and Policy. Report to the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services.
Zins, J.E., Greenberg, M.E., Elias, M.J., & Pruett, M.K. (Eds.) (2000). Issues in the Implementation of Prevention Programs [Special issue]. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 11 (1).
This journal issue includes the following articles:
Increasing Implementation Success in Prevention Programs
The Role of the Collaborative to Advance Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) in Supporting the Implementation of Quality School-Based Prevention Programs
Moving Prevention from the Fringes into the Fabric of School Improvement
Implementation and Diffusion of the Rainbows Program in Rural Communities: Implications for School-Based Prevention Programming
Building Full-Service Schools: Lessons Learned in the Development of Interagency Collaboratives
You Can Get There From Here: Using a Theory of Change Approach to Plan Urban Education Reform
Partnerships for Implementing School and Community Prevention Programs
Building an Intervention: A Theoretical and Practical Infrastructure for Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating a Metropolitan-Wide School-To-Career Initiative
Zins, J.E., Greenberg, M.E., Elias, M.J., & Pruett, M.K. (Eds.) (2000). Measurement of Quality of Implementation of Prevention Programs [Special issue]. Journal of Education and Psychological Consultation, 11 (2). Available online.
This journal issue includes the following articles:
Promoting Quality Implementation in Prevention Programs
Community Psychology: Partners in Prevention Program Implementation
Applying Comprehensive Quality Programming and Empowerment Evaluation to Reduce Implementation Barriers
The Study of Implementation: Current Findings from Effective Programs that Prevent Mental Disorders in School-Aged Children
A Model to Measure Program Integrity of Peer-Led Health Promotion Programs in Rural Middle Schools: Assessing the Implementation of the Sixth-Grade Goals for Health Program
Voices From the Field: Identifying and Overcoming Roadblocks to Carrying Out Programs in Social and Emotional Learning/Emotional Intelligence
Serving Children with Special Social and Emotional Needs: A Practical Approach to Evaluating Prevention Programs in Schools and Community Settings
Andrews, F. M., Lem, L., Davidson, T. N., O'Malley, P., and Rodgers, W. L. (1978). A guide for selecting statistical techniques for analyzing social science data. Ann Arbor, MI: Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.
This guide uses decision trees to map the choices involved in selecting an appropriate statistical technique for a given analysis. More than 100 different statistics or statistical techniques are included in the guide. Some knowledge of statistics is assumed.
Carmona, M.C., Steward, K., Gottfredson, D.C., and Gottfredson, G.D. (1998). A guide for evaluating prevention effectiveness, CSAP Technical Report (NCADI Publication No. 98-3237). Rockville, MD: Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
This guide provides practitioners with basic evaluation concepts and tools. It describes commonly used research designs and their strengths and weaknesses. Qualitative and quantitative data collection methods used in process and outcome evaluation are described. Basic concepts in data analysis are also discussed.
Flaxman, E. (Ed.) (2001). Evaluating School Violence Programs. New York, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education and Institute for Urban Minority Education.
This monograph provides the information program administrators need to integrate evaluation ino their programs naturally, using their own staffs or consultants. Separate essays offer an overview of the evaluation process, tools for measuring the effectiveness of one specific type of violence prevention program, and a comprehensive review of assessment resources currently available in print and over the Internet. The document also includes a table of school violence resource guides and a school violence resource guide content checklist. Ordering Information can be obtained online at http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu.
French, J F., and Kaufman, N.J. (Eds.) (1981). Handbook for prevention evaluation: Prevention evaluation guidelines. Publication No. ADM81-1145. Washington, DC: National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health.
This handbook was written for evaluator-practitioner teams working to apply their skills in the assessment and improvement of prevention programs. Topics include models of prevention, evaluation design, indicators and measures for process and outcome evaluation, and reporting evaluation results. It contains an extensive appendix on instruments and data sources.
Hawkins, J D., and Nederhood, B. (1987). Handbook for evaluating drug and alcohol prevention programs: Staff/team evaluation of prevention programs (Publication No. (ADM) 87-1512). Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services.
This handbook provides program managers with a comprehensive tool for guiding their evaluation efforts. It discusses instruments and activities for determining program effectiveness (outcome evaluation) and for documenting and monitoring the delivery of services (process evaluation). The major topics it addresses are evaluation design, measuring outcomes, measuring implementation, data collection, data analysis, and reporting study findings. Worksheets, sample instruments, and a bibliography are included.
Isaac, S., and Michael, W. B. (1983). Handbook in research and evaluation: A collection of principles, methods, and strategies useful in planning, design, and evaluation of studies in education and the behavioral sciences (2nd Ed.). San Diego, CA: EdLTS Publishers.
This book summarizes basic information on research and evaluation methods. It is intended to help practitioners choose the best technique for a particular study. The major topics include planning evaluation and research studies, research design and methods, instrumentation and measurement, data analysis, and reporting a research study. It contains many tables and worksheets.
W. K. Kellogg Foundation (1998). W. K. Kellogg Foundation Evaluation Handbook. Battle Creek, MI: Collateral Management Company.
This handbook provides a framework for thinking about evaluation as a program tool. It was written for project directors with direct responsibility for the evaluation of Kellogg Foundation-funded projects. It discusses how to prepare for an evaluation (e.g., developing evaluation questions, budgeting for evaluation, selecting an evaluator), designing and conducting an evaluation (e.g., data collection methods, analyzing and interpreting data), and reporting findings. The handbook contains worksheets, charts, and a bibliography on evaluation. Full text available online at http://www.wkkf.org/pubs/Pub770.pdf.
Moberg, D.P. (1984). Evaluation of prevention programs: A basic guide for practitioners. Madison, WI: Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System for the Wisconsin Clearinghouse.
Muraskin, L.D. (1993). Understanding evaluation: The way to better prevention programs. Publication No. ED/OESE92-41. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
This handbook was written for school and community agency staff to carry out required evaluations under the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act. The premise of this book is that many evaluations that use simple designs can be conducted without formal training in program evaluation. The author outlines checkpoints in the evaluation process where practitioners may want to consult with evaluation specialists. Topics discussed include evaluation design, data collection methods and instruments, and interpreting and reporting findings. The handbook describes implementation of an evaluation of a hypothetical prevention program. This publication can be ordered through ERIC at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/pubdb.html.
Thompson, N.J., and McClintock, H.O. (1998). Demonstrating your program's worth: A primer on evaluation for programs to prevent unintentional injury. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Addressed to program managers, this guide describes the process
involved in conducting a simple evaluation (formative, process,
impact, and outcome), how to hire an evaluator, and how to
incorporate evaluation activities into a prevention program.
Appendices include information on sample questionnaire/interview
items, events or activities to observe, and types of records to
maintain. The guide provides a glossary and a bibliography on
evaluation. It also includes sources of information on violence;
injuries that take place in the home, on the road, or during leisure
activities; acute care, rehabilitation, and disabilities; and
general sources on injury control/prevention. Ordering information
for this publication is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/demonstr.htm.
You may also want to consult the Northeast CAPT
Funding Sites | Grantwriting Tips | Research-Based Prevention Programs |
Research-Based School Reform Models | General Prevention Planning Sites |
The following agencies, initiatives, and foundations often provide funding for prevention activities:
Federal Agencies
Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program (SDFS), U.S. Department of
Education
www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Department
of Justice
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/current.html
National and State Initiatives
Safe Schools, Healthy Students Initiative
www.sshsac.org/
21st Century Community Learning Centers
www.ed.gov/21stcclc/
Elementary and Secondary Education Act/Improving America's Schools
Act of 1994
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/ESEA/toc.html
State Tobacco Settlements
http://tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements/
http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/Agriculture/index.cfm
Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities Program
http://bphc.hrsa.gov/
The National Assembly on School-Based Health Care
www.nasbhc.org/
Center for Health and Health Care in Schools
www.healthinschools.org/
Coalition for Community Schools
www.communityschools.org/
Foundations
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
www.aecf.org
The Pew Charitable Trusts
www.pewtrusts.com
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
http://www.rwjf.org
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation
www.wkkf.org
Other Funding Resources
The Foundation Center
http://foundationcenter.org/collections/index.html
Regional Associations of Grantmakers
http://www.givingforum.org/
Join Together
http://www.jointogether.org/home/
Proposal Writing Short Course
Foundation Center
http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/shortcourse/index.html
Winning Grant Proposals Online
http://www.tgcigrantproposals.com
GrantSource Library
University of North Carolina
http://research.unc.edu/grantsource/
Getting and Working with Consultants
www.mapnp.org/library/staffing/outsrcng/consult/consult.htm
Tips on Hiring a Grant Writer
www.volunteersinhealthcare.org/restips/funding.htm.
The following are links to lists of research-based prevention programs that have been identified by federal agency initiatives:
The Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program has identified 9 exemplary and 33 promising programs.
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention provides funding to the Blueprints for Violence Prevention initiative of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, which has identified 11 model programs and 20 promising programs.
The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention has identified 36 model programs, 20 effective programs, and 32 promising programs.
The Division of Adolescent and School Health has identified 2 tobacco prevention Programs That Work.
Several reports have also identified research-based programs that produce positive changes among youth, including the following:
Choosing the Tools: A Review of Selected K-12 Health Education Curricula (Education Development Center)
Making the Grade: A Guide to School Drug Prevention Programs (Drug Strategies)
Positive Youth Development in the United States: Research Findings of Positive Youth Development Programs (Social Development Research Group, University of Washington)
Preventing Mental Disorders in School-Age Children: A Review of the Effectiveness of Prevention Programs (Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development, Pennsylvania State University)
Safe Schools, Safe Students: A Guide to Violence Prevention Strategies (Drug Strategies)
School Health: Findings from Evaluated Programs (American School Health Association)
As you plan your prevention initiative, it is important to be familiar with research-based strategies and programs in both prevention and education reform. The following are links to a few helpful sites on research-based models of comprehensive or whole-school reform:
The purpose of the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory is to improve teaching and learning practice. This database of reference materials includes information on educational reform, coherent teaching practice, and improved student learning.
This site provides descriptions of 32 "entire school" reform models, plus additional entries on reading/language arts, mathematics, and science reform. Selection criteria include evidence of effectiveness in improving student academic achievement, extent of replication, availability of implementation assistance, and comprehensiveness.
This guide reviews the research on 24 "whole school," "comprehensive," or "schoolwide" approaches. It rates the different approaches against a common set of standards, compares them in terms of scientifically reliable evidence, and provides detailed information about each. A one-page table summarizes the approaches' relative strengths, and brief profiles describe their key features and provide contact information.
The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory provides numerous links to websites and products relevant to comprehensive school reform. Two of these are Comprehensive School Reform: Making Good Choices and Making Good Choices: Districts Take the Lead. The first document presents a three-step strategy for deciding whether comprehensive school reform is a good choice for your school, and, if so, whether one of the existing programs is right for your school. The second presents five components that describe district reform efforts that support, shape, and enrich school improvement, as well as several assessment tools to help identify where your district stands relative to the five components.
Although this event focused on the implementation phase of prevention programming, it is important to be aware of how all of the different stages fit together. Your MSC training manual is an important tool for developing your understanding of the whole process, as are the following sites:
This site, developed and maintained by the Western Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies, describes a seven-step model for prevention: Community Readiness and Mobilization, Needs Assessment, Prioritizing, Resource Assessment, Targeting Efforts, Best Practices, and Evaluation.
The Community ToolBox website, created by the University of Kansas Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development and AHEC/Community Partners in Amherst, Massachusetts, contains numerous "how to" tools designed to help practitioners with the different tasks necessary for community health and development. There are sections on leadership, needs assessment, community assessment, advocacy, grant writing, and evaluation, including an overview of the strategic planning process.
This site presents a seven-step model for prevention based on CSAP's logic model for strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation of prevention programs. The logic model is presented as a circular (recursive) process beginning at Assess Needs and progressing through Develop Capacity, Select Programs, Implement Programs, Evaluate Programs, Report Programs, and Get Technical Assistance and Training.
Developed by the Center for Adolescent Studies at Indiana University, this brief assessment tool is designed to help prevention planners develop and implement comprehensive programs that will work in their schools. By assessing what a school is currently doing to prevent drug abuse and the levels of support for those activities, DIADS can determine a given program's chance of success.
This event is now concluded. No further support is provided for this event.
Last Modified: 05/30/2008
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