Thank you for making this event a great success by asking important questions of one another and sharing your own valuable ideas and experiences. As MSCs, you have all taken on the role of change agent and are striving to promote the health and well-being of young people. This is an incredibly meaningful and rewarding job, but it is also a challenging and daunting responsibility. Make sure to keep talking with and supporting one another. Below you will find a brief overview of some of the key points from Days 1 and 2, as well as a summary of the discussion from Day 3.

Key Points from Day 1:

Of the change agent roles described on Day 1, participants indicated that they most often played the roles of Leader and Guide of the Overall Change Process and Catalyst and Motivator for Change. Participants seemed to find the latter to be one of the most challenging roles for a change agent, along with Advocate or Champion of the Cause. These roles are particularly challenging because: (a) many people do not believe that drug- and violence-problems are real issues in their schools and communities and (b) there is great pressure to focus on raising test scores and meeting standards, which can make prevention seem like a low-priority topic (even though we know that prevention efforts can help a school achieve academic goals). Some MSCs indicated that they found the roles of Collaborator and Resource Provider to be the most rewarding of the change agent roles on Day 1. MSCs also discussed some of the strategies that they have used and/or plan to use to overcome obstacles to the change process, including the following: Selling the MSC position, Obtaining administrative support, Building relationships, Presenting local data, Disseminating information about prevention, Assessing competencies, Providing training, Setting goals, Anticipating barriers, Working with existing programs, and Monitoring progress and outcomes.

Key Points from Day 2:

Many participants felt that the MSC in the case study played all of the change agent roles described on Day 1, while others believed that the MSC primarily performed the following subset of roles: Catalyst and Motivator for Change, Advocate or Champion of the Cause, Collaborator, and Resource Provider. MSCs also demonstrated their understanding of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) by identifying various strategies used by the MSC in the case study to address the early stages (0-2) of concerns exhibited by administrators and staff. After discussing the case study, MSCs shared some of their own experiences with CBAM. Some stated that they have been working in accordance with the model even though they did not know about it before this event. Others indicated that they found it helpful and would start incorporating it into their work. A few MSCs found the one-legged interview to be a particularly effective strategy. Finally, MSCs discussed the importance of working with a diverse team when striving to promote change in schools and communities.

Summary of Day 3:

MSCs described many of the obstacles that they face when trying to establish research-based prevention initiatives in their schools and communities, including the following:

• Lack of time and resources (e.g., to purchase research-based programs, to train teachers to implement programs, etc.)
• Lack of buy-in for prevention activities
• Difficulty getting school personnel to understand/adopt the philosophy that prevention is more than a classroom-based curriculum -- it involves schoolwide practices and culture
• Emphasis on raising test scores; limited instruction time, and prevention is not always a priority
• Difficulty building and maintaining enthusiasm among teachers for new instructional techniques/programs
• Discomfort with data collection and evaluation among school personnel
• Lack of understanding among school personnel about the importance of implementation with fidelity
• Lack of patience with prevention programs/desire for fast results
• Consensus seems to be reached and decisions are made, but then nothing actually happens… people continue to do things the way they always have
• The existence of many other problems that need to be addressed before school staff can focus on prevention
• Problems that you have little control over, such as union contracts, staff turnover, and challenging personalities/teaching styles

MSCs also described strategies that they use to overcome some of the obstacles listed above, including the following:

• Have individual conversations with school staff to answer questions and make the case for prevention
• Hold focus/discussion groups to obtain and process different perspectives
• Provide support and encouragement to classroom teachers implementing new prevention programs and activities
• Have teachers brainstorm simple strategies they would be willing to implement in their classrooms (e.g., teachable moments - rules and social skills; adult connection - 40 Developmental Assets); these are activities that do not put much pressure on teachers and can be done with limited resources
• Obtain the student perspective on what they want to learn using surveys, discussion groups, etc.
• Connect with energized professionals in the field to complement your prevention topics
• Integrate prevention into the existing curriculum to enhance and sustain programs and activities
• Write grants to obtain resources to fund programs and activities
• Attend school meetings to share information/discuss issues
• Present data in user-friendly formats and highlight positive findings
• Use the school newsletter to disseminate information about prevention research and to showcase prevention programs and activities
• Create a support network, beginning with interested and invested teachers
• Focus on alternative strategies for positive youth development if your school is not ready to adopt and implement a program
• Make sure that you are working as part of a team, and try to get influential individuals/organizations to work with you on that team
• Try to change how you approach the obstacle, namely perspective and attitude
• Try to maintain your focus and enthusiasm

MSCs also described some of the strategies they have used to overcome the specific obstacle of resistance to prevention programming, including the following:

• Work hard to get and keep the support of school administrators, since they can help overcome resistance among other school personnel
• Keep parents and students involved -- they have strong influence
• Make sure to connect with school personnel who do not attend meetings in which prevention is discussed
• Share local data about drug- and violence-related problems; make it clear that prevention activities are needed
• Be familiar with research about the effectiveness of prevention programs in general, but especially about the effectiveness of the program(s) selected by your school(s)
• Point out the links between prevention and academic achievement
• Highlight the ways prevention programs can help the school meet state standards
• Try to understand and respect the perspectives of different school personnel
• Let teachers know you understand that they are overloaded and overwhelmed; do what you can to provide support and reduce their burden
• Offer incentives for participation in prevention activities if possible
• Connect with fellow MSCs and other prevention specialists - make sure that you have a support network
• Remember that change is a process; it takes time and flexibility

MSCs emphasized the need to build trust and quality relationships at their schools in order to facilitate the change process, which requires large investments of time - including "face time" - and energy.

"Each day you have to build trust. I work with 7 different schools. I found that 'face time' is very important. My office is at the district central office, but each day I find ways to be in the buildings. The time spent there with teachers, administrators, students, and parents has helped develop trust."

"Trust is the key!!! The teachers do not trust people they believe are from 'The District Level' (note drum sound here). They see us as sitting up in some tower pushing paper. I have found that by going to activities at the school such as Back to School Night and attending afterschool meetings, they tend to accept you more as one of them. Quite frankly, it is kind of a funny feeling since it has only been about six months since I was in a classroom myself. But, by building this bond, the teachers are more likely to listen when I speak."

"I work with multiple campuses and am housed out of central office. `Face time' is critical to relationship building. Things go smoother when I visit the campuses and work with staff on multiple issues. The job of change agent really is all about relationships."

Finally, a few MSCs shared some reflections on how to deal with the challenging task of being a change agent.

"Keep focused and remember that any change for the good takes persistence, tenacity, and a sense of humor."

"We want our children educated with compassion and understanding, and we need to have the same compassion and understanding toward ourselves and our colleagues. I need to remember that, to be an agent of change, I need to model change within myself, be compassionate to those experiencing difficulties, and provide appropriate assistance to those who are experiencing growing pains."

"Remember to see the big picture. I was at a workshop the other day about special education and the speaker said, `We may be unable to make THE difference, but we are able to make A difference.' I am more able to accept that change is slow, and even baby steps signal progress."