PPN Newsletter December 2009
Listed below are recent updates to the Promising Practices Network on Children, Families and Communities website (http://www.promisingpractices.net).
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
PPN Policy Forum Event: Promising Practices Related to Child Care Quality
The Promising Practices Network, the RAND Corporation, and Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families invite you to attend a special event on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 on the topic of Promising Practices Related to Child Care Quality. This policy forum will help decision makers and funders understand the latest research related to child care quality and the implications of the findings for policy. The event will be held from 10:00-11:30am PST in Santa Monica, California, and can be attended in-person or virtually via Webinar. Space is limited and the deadline to register is Thursday, December 3rd. To learn more about the event and scheduled speakers, and to register, visit the event information page below.
View the event information page at the RAND Corporation website
WHAT'S NEW
Accelerated Academics Academy program reduces middle school drop-out rate
The Accelerated Academics Academy (AAA) is an alternative middle school that helps middle school students who are behind grade levels to enter high school with their same-age peers. AAA emphasizes small class sizes and a curriculum that compresses two years of middle school learning into one year. According to a study that randomly assigned eligible students to either the AAA program or traditional middle schools, AAA students achieved higher grade promotion and were less likely to drop out when compared to students assigned to traditional middle schools.
Read PPN's new program summary of the AAA program
Big Brothers/Big Sisters program finds mixed results for new school-based model
Big Brothers/Big Sisters (BBBS) is a program that matches mentors with children in order to promote positive development and social responsibility in the children. The traditional BBBS model, where an adult mentor spends several hours a week with a child for at least one year, has been operating for over a century. Evaluations of this model found that BBBS improved children's school performance and behavior and reduced substance use. BBBS has recently tried a newer school-based BBBS model, which allows high school students as well as adults to mentor children on the school grounds. A new study of this school-based BBBS model, which was conducted by researchers at Public/Private Ventures, found several benefits for participants at the end of the first school year. However, by the end of the second school year, the only positive impact that remained significant was a drop in skipping school.
Read PPN's updated BBBS program summary 
Read the study at the Public/Private Ventures website
School-based obesity management programs show effectiveness in reducing the prevalence of childhood obesity
Authors of a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine conducted a meta-analysis that synthesized prior research evaluating the effectiveness of school-based obesity prevention and management programs. Programs included in the meta-analysis included approaches that addressed physical activity, diet, or both. Based on the nineteen studies that met the inclusion criteria for analysis, the researchers found strong evidence for the effectiveness of school-based obesity management programs. Programs that had been in operation for more than one year demonstrated greater effectiveness compared to shorter-term programs.
Read the journal abstract at the American Journal of Preventive Medicine website
RESEARCH IN BRIEF
Listed below are research summaries that have been added to the PPN site this month.
See all in this area » Healthy and Safe Children
Do Benefits of U.S. Food Assistance Programs for Children Spillover to Older Children in the Same Household?
— Dec. 2009
Journal abstract at Journal of Family and Economic Issues website
Income Volatility and Family Structure Patterns: Association with Stability and Change in Food Stamp Program Participation
— Dec. 2009
Behind International Rankings of Infant Mortality: How the United States Compares with Europe
— Nov. 2009
Clinical Preventive Services for Adolescents
— Nov. 2009
Effect of Early Intervention on 8-Year Growth Status of Low-Birth-Weight Preterm Infants
— Nov. 2009
Estimating the Risk of Food Stamp Use and Impoverishment During Childhood
— Nov. 2009
Improving Treatment Seeking Among Adolescents with Depression: Understanding Readiness for Treatment
— Nov. 2009
Patterns of Intimate Partner Violence Victimization from Adolescence to Young Adulthood in a Nationally Representative Sample
— Nov. 2009
School-Based Interventions on Childhood Obesity: A Meta-Analysis
— Nov. 2009
Screening Adolescents for Substance Use?Related High-Risk Sexual Behaviors
— Nov. 2009
Television Exposure as a Risk Factor for Aggressive Behavior Among 3-Year-Old Children
— Nov. 2009
Victimization by Peers and Adolescent Suicide in Three U.S. Samples
— Nov. 2009
Adolescent Beverage Habits and Changes in Weight Over Time: Findings from Project EAT
— Oct. 2009
The Relationship Between Protective Factors and Outcomes for Children Investigated for Maltreatment
— Oct. 2009
The State of Latino Children and Youth in the United States
— Oct. 2009
Long-Term Benefits of Short-Term Quality Improvement Interventions for Depressed Youths in Primary Care
— Sep. 2009
Seven Years Later: Developmental Transitions and Delinquent Behavior for Male Adolescents Who Received Long-Term Substance Treatment
— Sep. 2009
Socio-Economic and Family Characteristics of Teen Childbearing
— Sep. 2009
Child Maltreatment 2007
— 2009
See all in this area » Children Succeeding in School
Ending Social Promotion in New York City Public Schools Without Leaving Children Behind
— Oct. 2009
High School Mentors In Brief: Findings from the Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring Impact Study
— Oct. 2009
The State of Latino Children and Youth in the United States
— Oct. 2009
Seven Years Later: Developmental Transitions and Delinquent Behavior for Male Adolescents Who Received Long-Term Substance Treatment
— Sep. 2009
See all in this area » Strong Families
Do Benefits of U.S. Food Assistance Programs for Children Spillover to Older Children in the Same Household?
— Dec. 2009
Income Volatility and Family Structure Patterns: Association with Stability and Change in Food Stamp Program Participation
— Dec. 2009
Estimating the Risk of Food Stamp Use and Impoverishment During Childhood
— Nov. 2009
The State of Latino Children and Youth in the United States
— Oct. 2009
Regional Young Child Poverty in 2008: Rural Midwest Sees Increased Poverty, While Urban Northeast Rates Decrease
— Fall 2009
ABOUT OUR SUPPORTERS
The Promising Practices Network appreciates the generosity of our supporting organizations:
Annie E. Casey Foundation
The California Wellness Foundation
The Colorado Trust
The Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Family Communications, Inc. (FCI)
Family and Community Trust
Georgia Family Connection Partnership
Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families (GCYF)
Hands On Gulf Coast
Kansas Action for Children
KidsOhio.org
New York State Office of Children & Family Services
RAND Corporation
The Spencer Foundation
GENERAL INFORMATION
Please forward this newsletter to anyone who is interested in what works for children and families.
To subscribe to this newsletter, please visit our sign up page.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please visit our unsubscribe page.
If you have any questions or comments about this message, please send them to promisingpractices@rand.org.
|
The Promising Practices Network is operated by the RAND Corporation,
RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401-3208. |
Back to Top