School-based Interventions with Successful Academic Outcomes

PROGRAM	TARGET POPULATION	COMPONENTS	OUTCOME MEASURES
Preschool Programs
The Incredible Years (Began in Seattle, has been replicated nationally) Creator/Director: Carolyn Webster- Stratton	Children age 4-8, and their parents and teachers	Three components: 1) parent group training sessions focused on support, problem-solving, discipline and anger management; 2) child group training sessions consisting of social skills development and problem- solving and implemented through videos, puppets, role playing and cooperative activities; and 3) 36 hours of teacher training involving teaching social skills and problem solving, interacting with difficult children, building motivation and other topics.	Increased school readiness and school engagement. Improved classroom environment and parent involvement. Improved problem-solving abilities. Improved social skills. Decreased oppositional behavior and aggression.

I Can Problem Solve (Philadelphia, PA) Creator/Director: Myrna Shure, Ph.D.	Children age 4-7. Originally designed for low-income, urban, African-Americans, but has been replicated with varying racial/ethnic groups and across income levels.	School-based intervention that trains children in generating a variety of solutions to interpersonal problems, considering the consequences of these solutions, and recognizing thoughts, feelings, and motives that generate problem situations. Program is administered in groups of 6-10 children for three months.	Significantly improved academic performance for those in kindergarten and first grade. Better problem solving. More positive pro-social behavior. Decreased high-risk behaviors at home and school.
Elementary School Programs
Fast Track (Durham, NC; Nashville, TN; Central PA; Seattle, WA) Creators/Directors: Karen, Bierman, Ph.D. John Coie, Ph.D. Ken Dodge, Ph.D. Mark Greenberg, Ph.D. John Lochman, Ph.D. Bob McMahon, Ph.D. Ellen Pinderhughes, Ph.D.	High-risk children throughout school districts identified in kindergarten and followed through elementary school.	Interventions included a classroom program for all children and social skills training, academic tutoring, parent training, and home visiting for target children.	Decreased special education use. Improved academic skills. Greater parent involvement in school. More positive peer interactions. Fewer conduct problems.

School-based expanded mental health services (Baltimore, MD) Marcia Glass-Siegel, MSS, LCSW-C	Elementary school students in inner-city neighborhoods.	Expanded mental health services (EMHS) provided in schools through partnerships with a number of community-based mental health programs to those students identified as having, or at risk for emotional and behavioral difficulties. Services included individual, group and family therapy, mental health screening, teacher consultation, student support groups and formal prevention programs.	Fewer referrals from professional teachers to special education for emotional and behavioral disorders. Of all referrals made for special education, EMHS schools had less students qualify for services because of emotional and behavioral disorders. Fewer referrals to "special programs in the school".

Child Development Project (multiple locations including cities in CA, MO, KY and MA) Creator/Director: Eric Schaps, Ph.D.	All elementary school students in target schools.	Three components: 1) a reading comprehension program with attention to ethical and social development integrated throughout curriculum material; 2) a decoding program that develops word recognition strategies and skills; and 3) class meetings, a cross-age buddies program, school-wide community building and service activities and home-based activities that help students build a sense of community.	Higher course grades and Higher academic achievement test scores for those schools with high implementation levels. Improvements in school- related attitudes, motivation, and behavior. Significant increases in students� sense of community. Improved conflict resolution skills. Decreased alcohol and marijuana use.

Primary Mental Health Project (Originated in Rochester, NY and has become integrated statewide in New York, California, Connecticut, and Hawaii, and in selected districts in Delaware, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, Maine, Michigan and Washington.) Creator: Emory Cowan, Ph.D	Pre-kindergarten through fourth grades students.	Children are universally screened for behavioral, social/emotional, and learning difficulty. Selected children work with a paraprofessional child associate alone or in small groups in a structured playroom equipped with items designed to encourage expressive play. Meetings occur for 25 to 45 minutes, for 20-25 sessions over the school year. Child associates are trained and supervised by mental health professionals who assist in creating a plan for the target child and monitoring child�s progress.	Improved grades. Improved achievement test scores. Improved learning skills. Improved social skills. Reduction in action out, shyness, and anxious behaviors. Increased adjustment ratings.

School-based mental health services (Dallas, TX) Jenni Jennings, MA Glen Pearson, MD Mark Harris, EdD	All students in the school district, elementary through high school.	Ten strategically located Youth and Family Centers (YFCs) directed by licensed mental health professionals that provide physical health, mental health, and other support services to students and their families. Multi-disciplinary teams serve families and services are provided through comprehensive collaboration between the schools and YFCs.	Decrease in school absences. Decrease in failing grades in academic subjects. Decrease in disciplinary referrals.

Cognitive-ecological approach to preventing aggression (Chicago and Aurora, IL) Patrick Tolan, Ph.D.	Students in grades 2 & 3 and grades 5 &6 from inner-city and urban poor communities who were considered at high-risk for aggression and anti-social behavior.	3 levels of treatment: 1) general enhancement classroom programs, 2) with small group peer-skill trainings, 3) and with family intervention. Interventions lasted for 8 years.	Implementation in the early grades (not in late grades) was related to stable or improved academic achievement. Reading ability improved more rapidly.

The Baltimore Mastery Learning and Good Behavior Game (Baltimore, MD). Creator/Director: Sheppard Kellman, M.D., Ph.D.	First and second grade students.	Classroom-based program where children are assigned to heterogeneous teams. Teams are encouraged to improve social skills and reading skills. Teams with the lowest number of points for the maladaptive behavior of individual members are rewarded. Reading teams cannot move to the next reading level until 80% of the team has achieved the learning objectives.	Increased reading achievement. Less aggressive behavior at the end of the school year. Less shy behavior at the end of the school year. Long-term studies have found decreased levels of aggression for male students who were rated the highest for aggression in the first grade.

Olweus Bullying Program (non-metropolitan counties in South Carolina) Creator/Director: Dan Olweus, Ph.D. Sue Limber, Ph.D.	Elementary, middle and junior high students.	A school-wide coordinated system of supervision of students, classroom level interventions focused on promotion of social skills and empathy, involvement of parents and individual interventions for children identified as bullies or victims.	Students reported more positive attitudes toward school and schoolwork. Decreased rates of truancy. Decreased rates of fighting. Decreased rates of theft. Decreased rates of alcohol use.
Middle and High School Programs
The Quantum Opportunities Program (Philadelphia, PA; Oklahoma City, OK; Saginaw, MI; San Antonio, TX; and Milwaukee, WI) Creators/Directors: Robert Taggart C. Benjamin Lattimore	Poor high school students who receive public assistance. Freshman are enrolled and stay in the program until high school graduation.	A year round program that provides groups of 20-25 students with 250 hours a year of: 1) educational activities (computer-assisted instruction, peer tutoring, etc.); 2) developmental activities such as acquiring life/family skills, planning for college and advanced training, and job preparation; and 3) service activities including community service projects, helping with public events, and working as a volunteer in various agencies. Students are also given an adult group mentor, and serve as positive peers for one another. Performance-based incentives (money and scholarships) are also distributed.	Increased high school graduation rate. Increased post- secondary school attendance. More likely to receive an honor or award. Less likely to be arrested or become a teen parent.

Guiding Good Choices (formerly Preparing For The Drug Free Years) (Initially studied in the Rural Midwest, and has been replicated throughout the United States.) Contacts/Directors: J. David Hawkins, Ph.D. and Richard Catalano, Ph.D., care of Channing Bete Company	Targets primarily middle schoolers, but has been implemented with children as young as 8 years old.	Five, two-hour or ten, one-hour parent training sessions that focus on strengthening child-rearing techniques, parent-child bonding, and children�s skills for resisting alcohol and drugs. Children also attend one session on peer pressure.	For middle schoolers: Significant improvement in academic skills. Reductions in children�s antisocial behavior. Better bonding with positive peer groups. Fewer incidents of drug use in school.

Multi-systemic Therapy (has been replicated throughout the United States) Creator/Director: Scott Henggeler, Ph.D.	Targets chronically violent, substance-abusing juvenile offenders 12 to 17 years of age who are at risk for out-of-home placement.	A home-based model where a therapist works with parents to set limits for the child, promote pro-social peer relations and improve school performance, as well as focusing on empowering the family to access community services and build healthy social support networks. Treatment lasts for 3-5 months and families are discharged upon youth behavior change.	Increased attendance in mainstream schools. Decreased substance abuse. Decreased psychiatric symptoms. Decreased arrest rates. Decreased out-of-home placements. Improved family relations and functioning.