In progress throughout 2010! 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:

Across Ages (children ages 5-14, but most focused on youth ages 9-13) - a school- or community-based mentoring program designed to enhance resiliency of children and promote positive development, thus preventing high-risk behaviors such as substance use, sexual activity, or violence.

Al's Pals: Kids Making Healthy Choices (children ages 3-8 and their teachers) - a resiliency-based, early childhood prevention curriculum and teacher training program designed to help children gain the skills to properly express feelings, relate to others, accept differences, use self-control, resolve conflicts peacefully, cope, and make safe and healthy choices regarding drug use, violence, and disruptive behavior.

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.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America (at-risk youth ages 6-18) - a community-based mentoring program intended to improve the social behavior, family and/or peer relationships, and academic achievement of each youth (e.g., Little Brother or Little Sister) with whom a Big Brother or Big Sister has been matched by an assigned case manager.

Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) (children and adolescents ages 6-17 that display or are at-risk for behavior and substance abuse problems) - a short-term, problem-focused clinical intervention that employs a family systems framework to address family members' behaviors, interactions, and protective and risk factors related to the child's symptoms and substance abuse, reducing drug use and associated youth behavior problems.

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

Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) (youth grades 6-9) - a school therapy-based group intervention program aimed at relieving symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety among children exposed to trauma.

Coping Power (moderate to high-risk children in the late elementary school and early middle school years) - a school-based child and parent preventive intervention designed to reduce risk factors for aggressiveness and later drug abuse and delinquency. It is also adaptable for mental health settings.

Creating Lasting Family Connections (CLFC) (parents and youth ages 11-15) - a comprehensive family-strengthening program designed to reduce substance abuse and violence.

Dare to be You (DTBY) (parents of children (and children) ages 2-5) - a primary prevention program designed to improve the knowledge, competence, and confidence of parents of young children in order to ensure adequate resiliency in children later in life.

Families That Care—Guiding Good Choices (GGC) (parents of children ages 8-13) - a multimedia program designed to increase school success and buffer children against problems later in life (e.g., violence, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior) by providing parents with the skills and knowledge they need to guide their children through early adolescence.

Fast Track Prevention Trial for Conduct Problems (students in preschool through grade 6, but most intense during the key periods of entry to school (first grade) and transition from grade school to middle school) - a comprehensive, long-term prevention program that aims to prevent chronic and severe conduct problems for high-risk children by fostering bonds between the school, home, and individual.

Focus on Families (parents who receive methadone treatment for substance abuse and their children between ages 3 and 14) - a selective clinical-based program that is designed to reduce parents' use of illegal drugs by teaching them skills for relapse prevention and coping, and to reduce their children's risk for future drug abuse by teaching them family management skills.

High/Scope Perry Preschool Program (children ages 0 to 4) - a framework of educational practices based on early childhood development theories, particularly those of Jean Piaget. It is designed to provide a supportive environment that will lead to the development of independent thinking, initiative, and creativity, thus increasing the chance of higher academic performance as well as adherence to healthy lifestyles in later life.

Houston Parent-Child Development Program (Mexican-American mothers and their children ages one to three years) - a culturally sensitive program designed to assist low-income families by fostering intellectual and social competence in young children, thus helping them do well in school in their later years.

I Can Problem Solve (children ages 4-5 who are at-risk for behavioral dysfunctions and interpersonal maladjustment; extends through grades 4-5) - a school-based intervention designed to help students generate solutions to interpersonal problems, anticipate consequences to actions, and plan steps to achieve goals. Results are preventive and rehabilitative, improving social adjustment and behavior, and decreasing impulsivity and inhibition.

Incredible Years (children ages 2-10) - a three-part curriculum for parents, teachers, and children designed to promote emotional and social competence and prevent, reduce, and treat behavioral and emotional problems in young children.

LifeSkills Training (LST) (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.

Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers (LIFT) (children grades 1-5 and their families living in at-risk neighborhoods) - a school- and population-based intervention program designed to improve positive social behavior, family interaction, and school/home coordination, reducing delinquent behavior later in life.

Lions-Quest Skills for Adolescence (students grades 6-8) - a universal school- and community-based life skills program designed to reduce risk of substance abuse and violence by providing a nurturing, caring environment that enhances character, social and emotional competency, an ethic of community service, and good citizenship skills.

Midwestern Prevention Project (MPP) (youth typically in transition to middle school or junior high school, usually grades 6 and 7) - a comprehensive, community-based prevention program designed to reduce use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana among adolescents by addressing the multiple influences adolescents regularly face.

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) (juvenile offenders ages 12-17) - a family-oriented, home-based program designed to reduce youth criminal activity, antisocial behavior, and substance abuse, and do these things at a cost savings compared to incarceration or out-of-home placement.

Oregon Social Learning Center (OSLC) Treatment Foster Care (youth ages 12-18) - a housing and care program designed to reduce antisocial behavior of seriously delinquent adolescents.

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (students ages 6-15) - a universal, primarily school-based prevention program designed to reduce and prevent bully/victim problems by reducing environmental opportunities for bullying in schools and by reducing positive social rewards (e.g., peer support, approval) often gained through bullying.

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.

Project T.N.T. (Towards No Tobacco Use) (youth ages 10-15) - a comprehensive curriculum designed to reduce initiation of young teen non-users to cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco as well as frequency of use for those who have already been initiated.

Project Towards No Drug Abuse (middle and high school students ages 13-17) - a classroom-based drug prevention program designed to help students develop self-control and communication skills, acquire resources that help them resist drug use, improve decision making strategies, and develop the motivation to not use drugs.

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.

Strengthening Families Program (SFP): For Parents and Youth 10-14 (parents and youth ages 10-14) - a video-based intervention program designed to reduce substance abuse and behavioral problems during adolescence.

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.