Thriving in School: The Role of Sixth-Grade Adolescent-Parent-School Relationships in Predicting Eighth-Grade Academic Outcomes.

The present study uses an ecological systems perspective to examine how parental involvement in school-related activities in sixth grade influences early adolescents' school bonding and academic achievement in eighth grade. Results of multilevel models of multiple data sources (i.e., adolescents, parents, and principals) suggested that parents' involvement in school, as reported by the adolescent in sixth grade, was a significant predictor of school bonding and academic grades in eighth grade. Furthermore, parent reports of guidance, support, and involvement in school and non-school activities were unrelated to their adolescents' grades and school bonding. Finally, schools' efforts to engage parents did not consistently predict an association between parental involvement and adolescent outcomes.

AN INTERACTIVE ONLINE LEARNING PROGRAM ON CHILD ABUSE AND ITS REPORTING.

This article describes the content and pedagogical foundations of iLookOut for Child Abuse, an interactive, online learning program that was designed for early childhood professionals and others who provide childcare to young children. It also describes how an online intervention can address a complex social and behavioral issue--viz., how to identify and appropriately respond to concerns of possible child abuse.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Nutrition and Dietary Intervention for Early Care and Education Providers.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary impact of the Create Healthy Futures program, a self-paced, 6-lesson, web-based intervention on promoting healthy eating for Early Care and Education (ECE) providers, using a group-randomized controlled trial design with 3 repeated measurements. METHODS: Nine ECE facilities in Ohio were recruited and randomly assigned to intervention (N = 4) and comparison (N = 5). The 111 participants are mostly female (97.3%), college graduated (59.5%), and overweight or obese (75.2%). Nutrition-related psychosocial and environmental factors and individual behaviors were assessed at baseline, post-test, and 3-month follow-up. We used mixed model analyses to compare changes between time points, controlling for ethnicity, age, and center effect, and calculated effect size to assess the magnitude of change. RESULTS: We observed significant between-group changes in improving nutrition knowledge (p = .003), increasing perceived support for staff wellness (p = .038), and reducing perceived barriers to eating fruits and vegetables (p = .004) and promoting nutrition in classrooms (p = .038), with small to medium effect sizes. The study demonstrated high feasibility with 94.1% enrollment rate, 87.5% intervention completion rate, and 83.8% retention rate. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study demonstrated high feasibility and acceptability of nutrition intervention programs using an online platform among ECE providers.

COGNITIVE MAPPING FOR ILOOKOUT FOR CHILD ABUSE: AN ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONALS.

This article delineates the theory and framework for an innovative child abuse training program for mandated reporters called 'iLookOut'. iLookOut is an online learning delivery system that utilizes mastery learning and self-determination theory in the Core Training program, along with spaced retrieval and retrieval practice in a follow-up micro-learning program that reinforces learning from the Core Training. A cognitive mapping model provides the structure for documenting and organizing the learning content in both the Core training and the follow-up micro-learning program. The article provides a conceptual framework for designing and implementing effective and efficient online learning programs.

Educating early childhood care and education providers to improve knowledge and attitudes about reporting child maltreatment: A randomized controlled trial.

Early childhood care and education providers (CCPs) work with over 7 million young children. These children are vulnerable to physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and neglect. However, CCPs make less than 1% of all reports of suspected child abuse and neglect that are made to child protective services. CCPs are therefore an untapped resource in the public health response to child maltreatment. However, their knowledge and attitudes about duties to report child maltreatment are poorly understood. Moreover, no rigorous research has tested whether their knowledge and attitudes about reporting child maltreatment can be improved. These gaps in knowledge are important because knowledge of the duty and positive attitudes towards it produce more effective reporting, and little evidence exists about how to enhance cognitive and affective attributes. Using the CONSORT approach, we report a single-blind test-retest randomized controlled trial evaluating iLook Out for Child Abuse, a customized online educational intervention for CCPs to increase knowledge and attitudes towards the reporting duty. 762 participants were randomized with results analyzed for 741 participants (372 in the intervention group; 369 in the control). Knowledge of the reporting duty increased in the intervention group from 13.54 to 16.19 out of 21 (2.65 increase, 95% CI: (2.37, 2.93); large effect size 0.95, p < 0.001); the control group remained stable, moving from 13.54 to 13.59 (0.05 increase, 95% CI: (-0.12, 0.22); negligible effect size 0.03, p = 0.684). Attitudes were enhanced on all 13 items for the intervention group, remaining stable in the control, with significant differences between groups on all items (p < 0.05). Gains were largely sustained at four month follow-up. Findings support education for CCPs and other professions. Future research should also explore effects of education on reporting behavior. TRIAL REGISTRATION: US National Institutes of Health NCT02225301.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Commitment Concerning Evidence-Based Prevention Programs: Differences between Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H Youth Development Educators.

In this article, we describe the results of a study designed to assess knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes towards evidence-based and other prevention programs among county Extension educators. We examined differences across educators from the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) and 4-H Youth Development program areas. Analyses based on a multi-state sample of educators revealed significant differences across program areas such that, compared to their 4-H counterparts, FCS educators were more knowledgeable of evidence-based programs and had more favorable perceptions and attitudes towards evidence-based and other pre-packaged prevention programs. These findings suggest that Cooperative Extension administrators should work to encourage the use of evidence-based and other prevention programs, particularly within the 4-H program area.

Team factors that predict to sustainability indicators for community-based prevention teams.

Because they often set out with a guarantee of only short-term funding, many community partnerships will face a threat to their sustainability almost as soon as the first money runs out. Research into the factors that enable some coalitions and partnerships to meet the challenge when others fail is limited. This study begins to fill this gap in our understanding by examining influences on the process of sustainability planning in the context of a collaborative partnership focused on youth development. We report on a longitudinal examination of the quality of planning and attitudes underpinning the sustainability of PROSPER community prevention teams whose members implement evidence-based programs designed to support positive youth development and reduce early substance use and other problem behaviors. The current research concentrates on a particular dimension of partnership effectiveness to establish whether perceptions about team functioning in play at 6 and 18 months predict the quality of sustainability planning at 36 and 48 months. How well teams functioned in the early stages was found to be strongly related to the quality of their later preparations for sustainability. Recruitment and integration of new team members, and the encouragement they subsequently received were also found to be key factors. The results strengthen the argument for providing technical assistance to meet the needs of those who promote prevention partnerships, and they provide longitudinal empirical data to support the hypotheses of other researchers who have similarly found a correlation between effective sustainability and early planning and support.

Fostering Youth Engagement on Community Teams.

Within the youth development field a growing movement exists to establish youth member positions on community teams (e.g. organizational boards and planning committees). The involvement of youth on decision-making teams is commonly referred to as youth engagement. As a relatively new approach to youth and community development, the existing research shows the potential positive impacts youth engagement efforts may produce and encourages youth practitioners to incorporate such efforts into their programs and organizations. In doing so, successful youth engagement efforts may be sustained within teams that best adapt their organizational structure, policies, and practices to complement the developmental needs of youth. Such adaptations begin with the four team characteristics presented in this paper: adult support, a youth-friendly environment, opportunities to complete meaningful tasks, and opportunities to learn and use new skills. When these practices are woven through the work of the team, youth engagement may flourish.

Extension Educators' Perceptions of Community Readiness, Knowledge of Prevention Science, and Experience with Collaboration.

This investigation compared Extension educators' perceptions of community readiness, knowledge of prevention science, and experience with community collaborations with the perceptions of community human service professionals. First, Cooperative Extension System (CES) educators and human service professionals were found to hold similar perceptions of community readiness for prevention programs. Second, CES educators demonstrated less awareness of prevention programs in the community, but a greater knowledge of research-based community risk and protective factors than the human service professionals. Third, CES educators and human service professionals were similar in terms of community collaborative involvement, success, and personal effectiveness.

Results of an independent evaluation of Project ALERT delivered in schools by Cooperative Extension.

Reported are results of an independent effectiveness study of the Project ALERT drug prevention program implemented in eight Pennsylvania middle schools by outside program leaders employed by Cooperative Extension. In this randomized, 2-cohort longitudinal evaluation, 1,649 seventh-grade students completed a pretest and four waves of posttests over the 2-year program and 1-year follow-up. Project ALERT's effectiveness was tested through a 3-level hierarchical linear model. Analyses failed to yield any positive effects for substance use or mediators for use in the adult or teen-assisted delivery of the curriculum. An extensive set of additional analyses detected no differential program effects by student risk level, gender, school, or level of implementation quality. Potential explanations for outcomes relative to Project ALERT's original effectiveness trial are discussed, as well as implications for future research, including the need to conduct independent effectiveness studies of previously validated programs in a variety of contexts.