"Here are some effective strategies we have used to implement prevention programs at our middle school:

• Provide support to classroom teachers who are implementing new prevention programs. Most prevention curricula require `active learning'; this can be a new and exhausting experience for a teacher. I spend a lot of time in the classroom observing, engaging in feedback with the teachers, and listening to their concerns. I am in the classroom when they try new ideas and programs, and I give them support, both during and (especially) after. I also have created a survey that students complete at the end of each program, designed to be constructive and positive. This helps teachers see how much students prefer active learning and how much new information they are absorbing (great positive feedback!). Finally, I make sure that the principal and community members are aware of the teachers who are taking on this new journey of more active learning, research-based programs, etc.
• Involve students and support integrated learning. We conducted a focus group in our eighth grade health class to assess students' interests and learning styles. We learned, among other things, that students are interested in learning about methamphetamines, club drugs, and eating disorders, and that they prefer being taught though small-group activities, small-group presentations, up-to-date videos, and have speakers come into the classroom. This information helped us strengthen our existing program.
• Schedule presentations by local professionals in the field to complement prevention program topics. This not only makes topics `real' for students and faculty but builds and strengthens school-family-community partnerships. For example, we had representatives from the county Juvenile Court Probation Office and a deputy from the Sheriff's Department give classroom presentations on problems associated with alcohol and methamphetamine use. We also had a panel comprising our probation officer, a juvenile court judge, and the assistant county attorney make an evening parent education presentation.
• Use the school newsletter to communicate about prevention topics and what is being done in the classroom (middle school students often don't tell their parents about these activities). I coordinate the prevention section with our Juvenile Court Probation Office, health teacher, physical education teacher, school nurse, and principal.
• Write grants. This has helped us garner support for specific issues and programs -- even when the requested funding was not awarded. For example, our physical education program became a pilot site for the University of Northern Iowa, despite the fact that the U.S. Department of Education didn't fund our 2001 application for a Physical Education Program grant. This provided our district with a curriculum, training to physical education teachers, and ongoing technical assistance at no cost. The physical education department is now very receptive to trying new prevention programs and strategies."

Source: Safe and Drug-Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education (2002). Leaving No Child Behind: Results-Based Strategies for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.