"Thanks for coming! See you in two weeks!" Patty called out as the last member of the School Improvement Team left the meeting room. Closing the door, she leaned back in her chair, relieved that the meeting was over. All in all, it had gone quite well, despite a rocky start. As expected, the group had at first resisted the idea of bringing in a new prevention program. Some were convinced that the program already in place was "research-based." Others claimed that student behavior seemed to be improving (based on their observations) and attributed these improvements to the current program. Still others, frustrated by the way prevention programs seemed to "come and go" at the school, lauded any program that could last more than one year.

Patty also sensed some general resistance to implementing prevention programs. Several teachers complained of limited instruction time and the pressure they felt to focus on improving test scores. They expressed concern that taking on a new prevention program at this time would compromise the effectiveness of their newly adopted whole-school reform program.

With the help of two colleagues from her Prevention Planning Team, Patty did her best to address the group's observations and concerns:

• First, she clarified the meaning and value of the term "research-based," stressing the connection between research-based strategies and programs and improved student outcomes in the areas of social skills, health, and school-related behaviors.

• Next, she reviewed key assessment findings, reminding the group of the process that they (together with the Prevention Planning Team) had gone through to translate these findings into prevention priorities.

• Finally, she suggested some prevention strategies that could help the school meet these priorities. She made sure to highlight the ways these strategies might work in conjunction with the school's other education reform efforts. (Click here to see the slides Patty used for her presentation.)

By the time she was done, the administrators and teachers on the School Improvement Team were much more enthusiastic about the proposed changes. They seemed to grasp that while research-based prevention could not guarantee positive outcomes, it could maximize their chances for achieving their intended results. They were also hopeful that a comprehensive and coordinated approach to prevention would result in something more than just another passing fad at their school.

"So, what do you think?" asked Patty, turning to her fellow Prevention Planning Team members. Janice, a sixth grade teacher, was enthusiastic: "Meetings at this school never move that quickly! They were a bit negative when we started, but they really came around!"

Eric, a youth worker at the Stanton Community Center, agreed that the meeting had been a success, but he shared a lingering concern: "While they did seem to buy into the concept of a comprehensive prevention plan, I'm not sure that we made it clear that the three main strategies we've proposed don't necessarily translate into three new pre-packaged programs. I have a feeling that they don't really understand the difference between plans, strategies, programs, and curricula. So often, these terms get used interchangeably!"

"You're right!" Patty agreed. "So, let's make sure we have our definitions straight. I think of a 'comprehensive prevention plan' as the big picture: everything we plan to do to meet our prevention priorities."

"Yes," Janice chimed in, "but a prevention plan has to be comprised of strategies that have been shown to be effective in preventing substance use and violence -- strategies like skills promotion and policy development. If we think of it graphically" -- Janice began sketching on the back of her notes -- "the prevention plan is a big circle, and 'strategies' are a smaller circle within it."

"Then 'programs,'" Eric jumped in, "are one way to put these strategies into action." He grabbed the pen and drew a smaller circle inside the "strategies" circle, which he labeled "Programs." "The sticking point," he continued, "is that not all strategies can be translated into programs. For example, 'skills promotion' is a strategy that is incorporated into many programs, such as Life Skills or Second Step. But 'policy development' -- also a strategy -- happens outside of a program."

"We also need to remember that many prevention programs incorporate multiple prevention strategies, Janice added. "For example, some emphasize classroom-based skill promotion but also promote a positive school climate and school-community partnerships."

This is the diagram Patty, Janice, and Eric sketched.

"And finally," Eric said, "let's not forget curricula. Many people use the term 'program' and 'curriculum' synonymously. In many cases, this is OK. For example, the Life Skills program is a classroom-based curriculum, and that's all. But other programs -- like Second Step -- have other components. The curriculum is just one piece of their overall program."

"No wonder people get confused!" Patty agreed. "I think that a primary goal of our next meeting should be to clarify these distinctions. The diagram we created today will help us do that."

"I've also been thinking," Patty continued, "that it will be important for us to describe our process for sorting through the research-based programs available to us and determining which program or programs will work best for our school. We don't want anyone to think that we're just choosing these programs out of a hat!"

The group paused for a few moments, thinking through the best ways to convey this information to a larger group. They knew that promoting genuine understanding among key school personnel would be absolutely essential to the effectiveness and endurance of their prevention activities. They'd need to be both clear and convincing.

Janice finally broke the silence. "Why don't we create a handout that lays out the steps we'll use to identify those programs that might meet our needs?" she suggested. "For example, if our starting point is the universe of prevention programs, our first step might be to eliminate programs that aren't right for middle school students -- such as programs that target grades K-5. Then another step might be to eliminate programs that don't match our priority areas: tobacco use and bullying. Do you follow?"

"I do!" said Patty. "I actually used a similar model to organize the information I collected last summer at the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program's National Training Assistance Meeting. The meeting showcased the 42 exemplary and promising substance abuse and violence prevention programs identified by the U.S. Department of Education. I developed my own set of steps to determine which programs would be most appropriate for our school."

"A handout sounds really helpful," agreed Eric, "but I also think we should develop a matrix that connects each of the programs on our 'short list' to the prevention strategies they employ. This will make it immediately clear which programs incorporate the strategies that we've selected for our school."

Patty and Janice nodded their approval for this idea, and Patty volunteered to develop the handout and matrix: "I'll distribute them to everyone at Friday's planning team meeting. Then I can get feedback and revise them in time for our next meeting with the School Improvement Team. Sound OK?"

Drained but optimistic, the trio agreed to the plan. They felt confident that these materials would paint a clear picture of where they wanted to go as well as their options for getting there.

Please think about these questions and post your answers to the Discussion Area.

1. Patty and her teammates felt that it was important that everyone have a shared understanding of the terminology. They needed to identify differences between prevention plans, strategies, programs, and curricula.

   Do you find that these terms are used interchangeably at your school? If yes, what steps have you taken to distinguish one from the other?

2. Patty presents one process for organizing the information she has collected about research-based programs.

   Do you find it helpful? Why or why not?

   Can you describe another process you have used to organize program information?

3. Do you think the School Improvement Team will find all of this "process related" information useful? How could Patty make it more useful?