National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention

New Prevention Brief on Implementation
The National Center has published a new Prevention Brief summarizing a National Implementation Research Network publication, Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature. Prevention Briefs are intended as short publications on topics relevant to the work of grantees. This document highlights the conceptual framework, stages, core components, and preservice and in-service training of implementation. To read more, please visit http://www.promoteprevent.org/publications/
center_briefs/Implementation_Brief.pdf.

EBI Fact Sheet: Project Towards No Drug Abuse
The National Center has published its second in a series of new Fact Sheets, designed to assist you in selecting, implementing, and sustaining the most effective evidence-based interventions (EBIs). Our latest document describes Project Towards No Drug Abuse (Project TND), a drug abuse intervention and prevention program for high school-age youth. Project TND has been recognized as a model evidence-based program by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and Blueprints for Violence Prevention. Learn more about Project TND at http://www.promoteprevent.org/
documents/EBI/Project_towards_no_drug_abuse.pdf or view all of our EBI Fact Sheets at http://www.promoteprevent.org/publications/evidence_based/.

Upcoming National Center Teleconferences
On February 27, 2007, the National Center will host a teleconference for grantees interested in Reconnecting Youth, an evidence-based intervention. Reconnecting Youth is a school-based prevention program for youth in grades 9 through 12 (ages 14–18) at risk for school dropout. The program aims to increase students’ school performance and mood management and decrease drug use. Nancy Kelly, a technical assistance specialist from the National Center, will facilitate this discussion. To learn more about this program, please read our Fact Sheet (http://www.promoteprevent.org/documents/EBI/RY.pdf).

The National Center will also host two teleconferences in March:

Grantees will receive official invitations to these events in the upcoming weeks and may visit the Center Events Web page (http://www.promoteprevent.org/events/center_events/) or contact promotepreventinfo@edc.org for more information.

Notes Available from the January Teleconferences
The National Center has posted the notes from the following January teleconferences: (1) CASEL: Engaging School Administrators in Social and Emotional Learning and (2) Latino Networking Group: Dropout Prevention. During the CASEL teleconference, educators, school administrators, and project directors discussed best practices for involving, engaging, and communicating with school administrators around the topic of prevention and social and emotional learning. Please read the CASEL notes to learn about the key issues discussed during this meeting (http://learn.aero.und.edu/pages.asp?PageID=97014).

The Dropout Prevention teleconference focused on programs and strategies that work for at-risk Latino students. Please read the Latino Networking Group notes at http://www.promoteprevent.org/events/center_events/event_docs
/Dropout%20Prevention%20teleconference%20notes.pdf.

New Evaluation Online Course
The National Center has created the Evaluation 101 SS/HS Refresher Online Course for SS/HS project directors and evaluators. The course reviews basic evaluation terms and concepts and offers guiding principles to focus evaluation plans. You can begin at any time and work through the segments at your own pace. To participate in this important learning opportunity, please visit http://learn.aero.und.edu/pages.asp?PageID=93000. For more information regarding this course, please contact promotepreventinfo@edc.org.

NET Calendar of Evaluation Site Visits
The National Evaluation Team (NET) of MANILA Consulting Group, Inc., is gathering data from the 2006 SS/HS grantees for the national evaluation. Evaluation site visits began on February 13, 2007, and will continue through April 2007. To view the NET calendar, please visit http://www.promoteprevent.org/resources/national_evaluation/materials
/2006%20Cohort%20Site%20Visit%20Schedule.doc. Grantees who are preparing for their evaluation site visit can find helpful resources at this link: http://www.promoteprevent.org/resources/national_evaluation/.

This section summarizes the key findings from a current research study in the field of education, mental health, violence prevention, or youth substance abuse prevention. Research Notes are linked to the full report when available online.

Creating Change Through Effective Implementation
The Communities of Change project explored how human service organizations successfully implement their policies. The study found that successful human service organizations require a clearly articulated and widely held theory of change—a set of assumptions about what is critical to produce change and improvement for children and families. The project found four characteristics that contribute to the success of such organizations. These are

The study also identified two “facilitators” that are necessary for success as follows:

This Research Note was drawn from Creating Change and Keeping It Real: How Excellent Child-Serving Organizations Carry Out Their Goals, by S. Hodges, M. Hernandez, T. Nesman, and L Lipien, published by the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health at the University of South Florida in 2002. The full report, including the study’s findings about sustainability, is available at http://rtckids.fmhi.usf.edu/rtcpubs/creatingchange/creatingchange_toc.html.

This section highlights just a few updates from the prevention field. Please go to http://library.promoteprevent.org for more news items and resources.

Suicide Rate on the Rise
There has been an alarming increase in suicide for children under age 19 from 2003 to 2004, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The suicide rate for children increased by 18.2 percent, most significantly for teens ages 15 to 19. In this age range, there were 1,700 reported suicide deaths in 2004, compared to 1,483 deaths in 2003. Although suicide increased, the overall mortality rate for children decreased by 0.9%. To read the abstract of Annual Summary of Vital Statistics: 2005, please visit http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/119/2/345 or contact promotepreventinfo@edc.org to access the full report.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center has numerous important resources to help grantees recognize and respond to warning signs and prevent suicide in their schools, which can be accessed at http://www.sprc.org/featured_resources/index.asp. The National Center also provides information about suicide prevention on their Prevention Briefs Web page at http://www.promoteprevent.org/publications/center_briefs/.

Research on Factors Related to Positive Youth Development
A recent study, Risk and Promotive Factors in Families, Schools, and Communities: A Contextual Model of Positive Youth Development in Adolescence, assessed data from the 2003 National Survey of Children’s Health. The authors identified protective and risk factors for youth in a variety of contexts from a sample of 42,305 adolescents, ages 11 to 17 years. For example, adolescent health-promoting behavior was associated with family communication and parents’ own healthy behavior, and school and community safety was associated with increased social competence. Conversely, school violence was related to academic problems and lower self-esteem. You can read the abstract of this report on the Pediatrics Web site at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/119/Supplement_1/S47 or contact promotepreventinfo@edc.org to access the full report.

Annual Report on School Crime and Safety
The Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics have released the results of the ninth annual report, Indicators of School Crime and Safety. The study tracked multiple data sources, which provided information on school safety; violent deaths; nonfatal student victimization; threats and attacks on teachers; weapons and illegal substances; student reports of fear and school avoidance; and discipline, safety, and security measures. Although the rate of victimization (thefts, violent crimes, or serious crimes) at school decreased from 2003 to 2004, the number of in-school homicides in 2004–2005 increased from the 2000–2001 figures. To read the full report, please visit http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs06.htm.

Bullying and Students with Special Health Care Needs
Students with special health care needs, including medication use; increased use of therapy or health services; functional limitations; and/or developmental, emotional, and behavioral problems were more likely to be bullied than students without any special needs, according to a recent study published in Pediatrics. The authors also found that children aged 6 to 17 years with chronic developmental, emotional, and behavioral problems were 1.5 to 2 times more likely to be victims of bullying and 3 times more likely to bully others. Read the abstract of “Bullying and Peer Victimization Among Children With Special Health Care Needs” at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/118/4/e1212 or contact promotepreventinfo@edc.org to access the full report.

Preparation for National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day
Systems of Care Communities, a SAMHSA-funded program, is planning and coordinating activities for National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day, which will take place on May 8, 2007. This year’s theme is Thriving in the Community, and SAMHSA encourages all SS/HS grantees to participate and plan activities to raise awareness about this important issue. In the upcoming months, Systems of Care will host two teleconferences: Planning for Evaluation/Planning for Success on Wednesday, March 14, 2007, and Media Outreach Strategies: Getting Out the Word on Wednesday, April 11, 2007. To learn more about these events, please contact Handel N. Mlilo, Communications Specialist for the SS/HS Communications Team, by email at hmlilo@sshscom.org or by phone at 240-747-4721.

National School Breakfast Week
Throughout the week of March 5–9, 2007, schools are encouraged to support National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) and promote healthy eating habits for students. The annual NSBW began in 1989 to raise awareness about the availability of the School Breakfast Program. The Web site of the School Nutrition Association provides resources and activity ideas for schools interested in participating (http://docs.schoolnutrition.org/meetingsandevents/nsbw2007/).

The Grant Opportunities page is updated regularly with new announcements of available public and private grant competitions. Here is just one of the listings you'll find:

Title: Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program
Funder: Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education , US Department of Education
Description: The purpose of this grant is to promote school readiness and improved learning outcomes of young children by providing high-quality professional development programs to improve the knowledge and skills of early childhood educators and caregivers in high-poverty communities and to serve primarily children from low-income families.
Award: $3,600,000 (3–6 awards)
Eligibility: Institutions of higher education (IHEs), local education agencies (LEAs), nonprofit organizations, other organizations and/or state education agencies (SEAs) may apply. Partnerships of a professional development provider; public agencies, Head Start agencies, or private organizations; and if feasible, an entity with experience in training early childhood educators about identifying and preventing behavioral problems or with experience in working with children who are victims of abuse may apply.
Deadline: April 20, 2007
For More Information: http://www.ed.gov/programs/eceducator/index.html
Note: Forecasted grant: Please check Web site for the official announcement.

We regularly add to a detailed listing of conferences and events occurring within the National Center and across the nation. For example,

Date: March 29–April 2, 2007
Location: Seattle, Washington
Title: NAESP's 86th Annual Convention and Exposition: Soaring to New Heights
Sponsor: National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)
Description: Attendees include principals, superintendents, teachers, professors of education, counselors, and others who work with K–8 students in the United States and around the world. Over 300 exhibitors offer their products and services to more than 4,000 principals and other educators.
Web site: http://www.naesp.org/ContentLoad.do?contentId=15