Effective and Promising Summer Learning Programs and Approaches for Economically-Disadvantaged Children and Youth

Reviews research on summer learning program outcomes for low-income children and identifies the characteristics of effective programs such as experienced teachers, small groups, and fun activities. Finds reading and math achievement gains are possible

Online Resources for Identifying Evidence-Based, Out-of-School Time Programs: A User's Guide

Summarizes general information, select program outcomes, and evidence levels of searchable databases, interactive summaries, and documents online on evidence-based intervention programs. Outlines considerations and assessments for selecting programs

Preventing aggressive behavior by promoting social information-processing skills: a theory-based evaluation of the Making Choices program

This theory-based evaluation was conducted on pretest-posttest data collected from an efficacy trial of the Making Choices (MC) program, a universal intervention designed to prevent conduct problems. This study examined three areas of inquiry. First, program effects on social information-processing (SIP) skills and overt aggression were evaluated. Next, program-by-gender interactions were tested. Lastly, indirect effects were tested to evaluate whether effects on theoretical mediators, in part, explained program success. MC and MC+ were expected to result in decreased overt aggression and improved SIP skills, and gender was expected to moderate these effects. SIP skills were expected to partially mediate program effects on overt aggression. The study utilized a non-randomized, cohort design with treatment withdrawal. The sample consists of three ethnically-diverse cohorts of third graders (N=480; 50% female) from two rural elementary schools. The 2001-02 cohort (n=156) participated in MC, the 2002-03 cohort (n=193) participated in MC+, an augmented version of MC. After a one-year treatment withdrawal period, data were collected from a routine-services cohort (2004-05; n=131). On average, intervention students made greater improvements than comparison students on all outcomes. MC students demonstrated better encoding, emotion regulation, and response selection. MC+ students had less hostile attribution bias and better emotion regulation and response selection. MC and MC+ boys had less overt aggression and more benign social goals than comparison boys. MC+ girls also experienced improvements on these outcomes, though improvements were modest. Effect sizes for SIP skills varied in magnitude from small to medium, and large effects on overt aggression were obtained for boys. Three out of five SIP skills (i.e., goal clarification, response selection, and emotion regulation) appeared to explain program effects on overt aggression. Effects on social cognition were consistent with study hypotheses. Large effects on overt aggression suggest that SIP-based programs may be particularly effective at preventing conduct problems in boys. Mediation findings suggest that effects on SIP skills explained program effects. Intervention research examining mediation and moderation can help us to achieve a better understanding of "what works" and "for whom," improving our capacity to prevent problem behavior in youth

From Racial Discrimination to Substance Use: The Buffering Effects of Racial Socialization

The experience of race-based discrimination may place African American youth at risk for substance use initiation and substance use disorders. This article examines the potential of parental racial socialization—a process by which parents convey messages to their children about race—to protect against the impact of racial discrimination on substance use outcomes. Focusing on stress as a major precipitating factor in substance use, the article postulates several possible mechanisms by which racial socialization might reduce stress and the subsequent risk for substance use. It discusses future research directions with the goal of realizing the promise of racial socialization as a resilience factor in African American and ethnic minority youth mental health

The art of groupwork practice with manualized curricula

There is a growing trend in social work toward the use of group-based manuals. Occasionally considered to be opposing approaches, practice based on manualized curricula and practice based on group processes are – in our view – complementary to each other. In this paper, we examine the advantages and disadvantages of manuals as a basis for practice. We offer a series of design and practice principles intended to assist designers and users of manuals. We illustrate the application of these principles with a manualized program, Making Choices, whose aim is to decrease aggression and improve peer relationships in elementary school children