This module provides the basis for inservice training on the establishment of Sharing Centers, which are small groups of parents and their pre-school (birth-3) children, both handicapped and non-handicapped who come together on a regular basis for shared social and developmental experiences. The Sharing Center, as created by the Macomb 0-3 Rural…

Presents a framework and some practical examples for using rigorous implementation research to inform program outcomes and foster program development for developmental interventions. Focuses on: (1) role of process research, specifically developing developmental interventions; (2) characteristics of adherence process research; and (3)…

Major approaches to school-based substance abuse prevention for adolescents are reviewed, and school organizational issues for the implementation of such programs are considered. The need for multi-level interventions including parents, the community, and the media is discussed. Three models of school-based substance abuse prevention programs are…

Major national, state, and local systems reform efforts are under way to close the gap between science and service through implementation of a range of evidence-based practices (EBPs). A set of rhetorical distinctions and ensuing debates about the relevance of science versus service and efficacy versus effectiveness threatens to widen rather than…

We present a discussion of some of the lessons the investigators learned during the development and implementation phases of the Parents Matter! Program (PMP). Lessons were learned that are relevant to various groups involved in large scale, multi-site, community-based intervention studies: investigators, community leaders, community members,…

This article discusses how literacy leadership is used to improve the achievement of struggling students. Literacy leadership begins with principals believing, knowing, and deliberately doing certain things. In reflecting on the experience of developing, implementing, and evaluating a successful literacy intervention, it is clear that literacy…

Passed in 1999, the Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) established a results-based accountability system in California with specific performance targets for schools. The PSAA created a system of rewards and sanctions for meeting or not meeting those targets, and established assistance programs for low-performing schools. In 2001, the High…

In January 2006, PAL[R] Peer Assistance and Leadership, a Promising Prevention Program of Workers Assistance Program, Inc. (WAP), received a $30,000 grant from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) in order to be scientifically-evaluated on the outcomes and effectiveness of its programs and services. According to the grant, the…

Recent changes in federal policy and the proliferation of empirically based interventions (EBIs) designed to prevent problems and promote student academic and behavioral success have created an unprecedented opportunity for schools to expand their use of comprehensive strategies to meet the academic and behavioral health needs of all students. The…

Educators have come to recognize the importance of their efforts in building students' social and emotional skills. However, the creation of lasting programming often fails to keep pace with educators' best intentions. In this article, the authors suggest guidelines for ways in which school counselors can be involved in implementing sustained…

This paper presents and illustrates some principles for organizational development approaches to improving school climate. It discusses a specific structure for facilitating school improvement entitled Program Development Evaluation, and it illustrates the use of school climate assessments for school diagnosis and the evaluation of improvement…

The Innovative Instructional Incentive Plan represents a set of goals and action strategies for implementing the school improvement plan of the Fairway Elementary School in Miramar, Florida, where instructional time was being lost due to disruptive student behavior, and where behavioral infractions were not always dealt with quickly or…

This paper considers what happens when research-based strategies are attempted outside the context of the original research and questions whether positive findings from research studies can be generalized to real-world settings. Prevention programs within a school system were identified and an activities questionnaire was developed to measure each…

This report presents findings on the implementation and impacts of Project Transition, a research and demonstration program implemented at Pulaski High School in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) during the 1995-96 and 1996-97 school years, and in Schlagle High School in Kansas City (Kansas) during the 1996-97 school year. The program was deigned to test the…

An overview of research and programs aimed at primary prevention of adolescent suicide is presented. In addition to person-centered programs, institutionally oriented prevention efforts involving policy formation at the district, community, and state levels are outlined. Model programs and resources are cited. (SLD)