SDFS>Using Science-Based Research Programs and Strategies

Principles of Effectiveness #3
Using Science-Based
Research (SBR) Programs and Strategies

The No Child Left Behind Act requires that all SDFS programs or activities “shall be based on scientifically based research that provides evidence that the program to be used will reduce violence and illegal drug use.” To meet this criteria, school corporations may use any of the following approaches satisfy this requirement.

Connect SDFSCA Authorized Activities to Published Research

Click on the link below to access a list of research citations that connect with the activities that are authorized by the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Act.

SBR Citations

*Note School Safety Plan/Security Equipment and Security Personnel expenses are not required to be connected to SBR. However, the need for such expenditures should be clearly outlined in your SDFS 3-year plan (Column #1).

Use Model/Research-based Programs

The U.S. Department of Education and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have developed lists of drug and violence prevention programs that are well-implemented, well-evaluated programs that have been reviewed according to rigorous research standards. Therefore, using SDFS funds for these programs will not require research to be cited on the SDFS 3-year plan.

U.S. Department of Education’s Exemplary and Promising Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free Schools Programs, 2001

This publication provides descriptions of the 9 exemplary and 33 promising programs selected by the Expert Panel in 2001. Contact information for each program is also provided. In the program summaries that follow, the sections “Program Description” and “Professional Development Resources and Program Costs” were prepared based on information provided by the developers at the time they submitted their programs for consideration. At the request of the Department, developers checked each program description for accuracy and added updated information regarding costs as relevant. The remaining sections—“Program Quality” and “Evidence of Efficacy”—are based on the assessments of the reviewers and panelists.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Registry of Effective Programs and Practices (NREPP)

NREPP is a searchable online registry of mental health and substance abuse interventions that have been reviewed and rated by independent experts. The registry assists local organizations in identifying interventions that have been scientifically tested and can be readily disseminated to the field. Organizations can search for interventions that fit the needs of their communities.
Updated summaries for programs previously labeled as model programs will be found under the “Find Interventions” tab of the NREPP Web site after they are reviewed under the current NREPP procedures. SAMHSA is also providing the ability to search programs previously labeled as effective or promising. Under “Legacy Programs” Web site visitors can browse an alphabetical listing of the 86 effective or promising programs and search based on specific topics, areas of interest, or populations.

Waiver

If the planned SDFS activities, strategies or programs cannot be linked to published research or are not on one of the model program lists above and are innovative or demonstrate a substantial likelihood of success then a waiver from this requirement may be requested.

To request a waiver:

Fill in the blanks in the Waiver Request letter that is linked below. Within this letter a description of the activity, strategy or program that will be funded through SDFS will be required. By signing the Waiver Request letter the superintendent will be agreeing to fulfill the annual reporting requirements outlined within the letter.

Waiver Request Letter

Once the Waiver Request letter is received the request will be reviewed to ensure that it meets the requirements of Title IV, Part A. Once the review is complete a letter of approval will be forwarded to the Superintendent.

SBR Library:

Levels of Effectiveness of Science-Based Prevention

Research-based Prevention: A Pyramid for Effectiveness Developed by Peter Mulhall, Ph.D & Carol Hays, Ph.D. Center for Prevention Research and Development Institute of Government and Public Affairs University of Illinois.

Science-Based Substance Abuse Prevention: A Guide

The booklet highlights the risk and protective factors that help determine an individual’s vulnerability to substance abuse. It also examines CSAP’s qualitative and quantitative strategies for evaluating existing substance abuse prevention programs and developing scientifically defensible best practices.

This booklet is one in a series of products developed to help key stakeholders structure and assess scientifically defensible programs. It is designed to serve practitioners and others involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of substance abuse prevention programs as we work together on innovative and effective solutions that respond to the unique needs of our individual communities.

Promising and Proven Science-Based Prevention Programs

This guide is a comprehensive compilation of both proven and promising interventions presented in an easy-to-scan grid, organized by risk factor and domain.

The National Cross-Site Evaluation of High Risk Youth Programs: Understanding Risk, Protection, and Substance Use Among High Risk Youth

This monograph addresses a topic that is important to both prevention practitioners and researchers. While the risk and protection framework heavily influences the work of both professional groups, the interrelationships among risk and protective factors have not been well understood. Previous efforts to model how risk and protection factors relate to substance use have been based on data from the general youth population, often using relatively small samples. The data collected by the CSAP National Cross-Site Evaluation of High-Risk Youth Programs provide an excellent opportunity to investigate these interrelationships and, through modeling, to advance our understanding of how certain risk and protective factors influence the behaviors of at-risk youth. The Cross-Site sample reflects a diversity of youth from many population subgroups. A robust model of risk, protection, and substance use can show practitioners which factors to target and suggest appropriate intervention strategies. Researchers can use such a model to identify critical variables, guide measurement selection decisions, and focus data analysis plans.

The National Cross-Site Evaluation of High Risk Youth Programs: Findings on Designing and Implementing Effective Prevention Programs for Youth at High Risk

This monograph is one in the Points of Prevention series, which reports findings from a landmark evaluation that is uniquely suited to provide information on the design and implementation of prevention programs for high-risk youth in actual community conditions. The National Cross-Site Evaluation of High-Risk Youth Programs is a large study by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study includes 48 programs originally funded by CSAP in 1994 or 1995 to implement prevention programs for youth at high risk for substance abuse. These programs were not selected as model programs, nor were they implemented specifically for the purposes of the study. The findings for these programs are not the product of successful studies already published. These are actual programs implemented by a variety of organizations with different resources, staffing, and experience. The programs were implemented in communities at high risk and represent the experience and challenges of programs in these conditions. Not all of the programs succeeded, and of those that did achieve their objectives, some were much more successful than others. In short, this study provides the opportunity to learn about a range of program experience in actual community conditions, and to learn what design and implementation features contribute to effectiveness in reaching prevention objectives.