New England Comprehensive Assistance Center (NECAC) at EDC, Inc. 55 Chapel Street Newton, MA 02158 Phone: 800-332-0226 Fax: (617) 969-7578 TDD: 617-964-5448 E-mail: CompCenter@edc.org URL: http://www.edc.org/NECAC/ We have done our best to make this site accessible. Please direct comments or questions about this site to Cyndi Plouff ©1999 Education Development Center, Inc.

Publications Applying Effective Strategies To Prevent or Reduce Substance Abuse, Violence, and Disruptive Behavior Among Youth by Kimberly Dash, Phyllis Scattergood, Cheryl Vince-Whitman, et al. Schools and communities face an urgent challenge to design effective solutions to the complex problems of violence and alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. Federal and private funders are asking schools to demonstrate their prevention programs or strategies are effective and based on the science of prevention. Determining what is meant by "science-based" is a complex task. There is a wealth of information about prevention programs and strategies but this information is not synthesized in a way that allows schools to select the most appropriate science-based programs and strategies, implement them, and evaluate their effectiveness. To meet these needs, the New England Comprehensive Center and the Northeast Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies at Education Development Center are developing a guide for schools. Funding, guidance, and support from the U.S. Department of Education’s Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Program (SDFSC), and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Closely paralleling the SDFSC Principles of Effectiveness, this guide is designed primarily for school personnel working with students in grades K-12. It is intended as both a reference and a tool kit for action. The goals of the guide are to enable users to: Understand what "a coordinated, multi-strategy" approach to prevention means and why it offers the best chance for success. Define the issues students in schools and communities face and identify the resources to deal with these issues. Select and apply science-based strategies that have been proven effective in preventing and/or reducing risk factors for violence and alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among youth in grades K-12 Create a plan for implementing and evaluating effective, science-based strategies that complement activities already have in place. The guide will be available by the 1999 - 2000 school year. Applying Effective Strategies To Prevent or Reduce Substance Abuse, Violence, and Disruptive Behavior Among Youth Titles, pages, and prices are to be announced.