Coming throughout the course of the 2008-09 school year! Over 40 research briefs, each on a different program focused on improving safety in our schools and communities. The briefs deal with a range of important topics related to children, youth, and adolescents, including such timely issues as delinquency, violence prevention, and substance abuse prevention (including alcohol, drugs, and tobacco). Depending on the program, the target focus may be on the children, youth, or adolescents themselves, on city/school/community causal factors, on the actions and behaviors of parents, or on a combination of the above. Each brief provides a synthesis of the research on the effectiveness of the program as well as its alignment to national education standards and the authorized activities in Title IV, Part A of the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA)—another first, from Designed Instruction.

Check out the following available briefs, all in PDF:

ATLAS (male athletes ages 13-19) - a multifaceted program designed to reduce students' use of anabolic steroids or other drugs or "performance-enhancing" supplements, and improve self-efficacy and nutritional behaviors so that they will continue to rely on safe ways to improve performance.

CASASTART (youth ages 8-13) - a community-wide substance, violence, and delinquency prevention program designed to provide primarily high-risk 8- to 13-year-old youths with safe neighborhoods and the support and services they need to become productive citizens.

Child Development Project (children and youth grades K-6) - a whole-school intervention program designed to help transform elementary schools into Òcaring communities of learnersÓ that will in turn help students build a sense of commitment to their school and community, strengthen interpersonal skills, and develop positive values.

LifeSkills Training (adolescents grades 6-8) - a three-year drug abuse prevention program designed to help adolescents develop the psychological and social attitudes and skills needed to prevent use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.

Project ALERT (adolescents grades 6-8) - a one- to two-year drug prevention program designed to prevent adolescents from beginning drug use, prevent those who have experimented from becoming regular users, and curb risk factors influencing drug use.

Project G.R.E.A.T. - Gang Resistance Education and Training (adolescents grade 7) - a multi-level program designed to prevent delinquency, youth violence, and gang membership through formal collaboration between local education and law enforcement agencies.

Project Northland (adolescents grades 6-8) - a three-year alcohol abuse prevention program designed to delay the age when young people begin drinking, reduce alcohol use among those who have already tried drinking, and limit the number of alcohol-related problems among youths.

Second Step (Pre-K to youth grade 8) - a preschool through adolescence violence prevention program designed to change attitudes and behaviors that contribute to violence.

If this is your first time to visit LearningLeads™, or if it has been awhile, be sure to take a look at the LearningLeads™ homepage.