You can begin to promote quality implementation the moment you start looking for a research-based prevention program. Many programs include features and supports specifically designed to facilitate implementation by education and health professionals. These include the following:

• Clear description of core components
• Pre-implementation training
• Ongoing technical assistance
• High-quality, structured materials
• Monitoring tools

Make sure to factor the availability and quality of these supports into your program selection process, as they can significantly enhance your school's capacity to implement your selected prevention program.

• Clear description of core components. As we said on Day 1, quality implementation can be defined as the effective delivery of a program's core elements to its target audience. When looking through prevention programs, determine whether they clearly articulate the core components necessary for the program to achieve its intended results. This information may appear in a background or rationale section in which the program's theoretical underpinnings are described. Some programs also differentiate between core and optional lessons or activities.

  "Knowing what works will decrease the chances of eliminating a crucial programmatic component for the sake of expediency, time, or economy... Once the active ingredients of a prevention program are specified, practitioners can determine which elements must remain to achieve fidelity, and they can change elements shown to be less essential and thereby adapt the program with confidence."

  Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
  2001 Annual Report of Science-Based Prevention Programs

• Pre-implementation training. Good training prior to program implementation will promote competence and confidence among educators -- both of which increase the likelihood that a program will be implemented effectively. Many programs provide training directly to faculty. Others offer train-the-trainer sessions to school representatives, who can in turn train others. An effective training will familiarize participants with program materials and methods; provide opportunities for participants to practice and receive feedback on program delivery skills; and facilitate reflection on relevant attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs about program objectives and approaches.

  "We have had success with teacher training in all of our schools. At first the teachers were resistant to attending training. After engaging in the training workshop, the teachers understood the goals of the project and were interested in the project and their role teaching the curriculum."

  Elesia Crosswhite, MSC from Florence, Alabama

• Ongoing technical assistance. In addition to receiving training before implementing a program, educators should also have access to ongoing training and support throughout the implementation process. This service, typically referred to as technical assistance (TA), usually takes place by phone or through e-mail. Varieties of TA include newsletters, booster sessions, mailings, website resources, and one-on-one mentoring. Some programs may even offer onsite technical assistance, in which a consultant visits your school and works directly with educators to resolve problems and refine skills. However, the program developers will most likely provide TA to the middle school coordinator, who will in turn provide it to the teachers.

  "Research has shown that the most effective type of TA is more intensive and involves activities that are sustained over a period of time with frequently scheduled meetings between the TA provider and user(s). This more intensive TA is collaborative in nature and may include onsite consultations, brainstorming sessions, or frequently scheduled phone conversations."

  National Training Partnership
  Technical Assistance: Ensuring Effectiveness

• High-quality, structured materials. As you may have already discovered, program materials vary considerably in terms of both format and quality. The program you select should, at a minimum, include some form of implementation guide or manual. For some programs, this may consist of a brief set of instructions or binder of activities. Other programs may provide larger, more structured manuals that include clearly sequenced lesson plans, as well as guides for administrators and other school personnel who may be involved in program implementation. Materials such as videotapes, handouts, overhead slides, and student workbooks provide further guidance and structure for program implementers. Make sure that the programs you consider include materials to support all stated program components. Also make sure that the materials are visually appealing, user-friendly, age-appropriate, and culturally sensitive.

  "Implementation manuals can provide scaffolding for implementers by providing structure, organization, and a plan for what to do as well as guidance on how to do it. Prepared materials, such as handouts, overhead masters, and videotapes can make implementation easier and deviation from intended content less likely."

  National Study on Delinquency Prevention in Schools

• Monitoring tools. Though few seem to provide this level of support, some research-based prevention programs do offer guidance for monitoring implementation efforts. These materials tend to include information about the importance of quality implementation, tips and tools for monitoring the program's implementation, and suggestions for how to use the data collected to refine program activities.

  "Both the quantity and quality of implementation should be assessed. That is, we need to know how much of the program was administered and how well each part was conducted, respectively. An effective method of assessing implementation must be established."

  Joseph Durlak
  Why Program Implementation is Important

It is very unlikely that your school will identify a research-based prevention program that includes all of the features described above. For some programs, "support" may be limited to highly structured materials. Others may offer pre-implementation training, but no TA. Fortunately, there are many other ways to get the information and obtain the support you need. Consider these examples:

• If you would like input on possible ways to adapt program components without compromising effectiveness, don't hesitate to contact the program developer or a program representative.

• If the program you select does not provide training or technical assistance, collaborate with partners from local health and education agencies, area colleges/universities, or regional prevention centers to access or develop these implementation supports.

• If you are working with an evaluator, ask him to help you identify or design implementation monitoring tools. (We will describe this process in more detail on Day 4.)

High-quality training, whether provided by the program developer or an in-house trainer (i.e., you!), is an important step to promoting quality implementation. Yet, finding the time to squeeze training into an already full school day can be challenging. Please read the following vignette, then share your reactions in the Discussion Area.

Stan, a Boston-area middle school coordinator, returns from a terrific train-the-trainer workshop eager to share with faculty what he learned about the prevention program they'd soon begin implementing. His enthusiasm quickly dampens, however, as he tries to schedule the first training session. Different teachers prefer different days; some want the training during school hours, and other prefer waiting until after school. Still others seem reluctant to attend any training at all: They feel confident that they can learn all they need by reading through the program materials. Stan weighs the pros and cons of their suggestions, but is still not sure of what to do.

Discussion Questions

• Based on your own experiences, what suggestions or recommendations can you give to Stan?

• In addition to scheduling conflicts, what other challenges might be associated with getting educators ready to implement a new prevention program?

• What strategies have you used to prepare your schools' staff to implement research-based programs?

References

Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. (2001). 2001 Annual Report of Science-Based Prevention Programs. Rockville, MD: Author. Available online at: http://modelprograms.samhsa.gov/pdfs/2001Annual.pdf.

Durlak, J.A. (1998). Why Program Implementation is Important. Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, 17 (2), pp. 5-18.

ETR Associates. (1997). Dissemination Workbook for Programs That Work. Santa Cruz, CA: Author.

Graczyk, P. A., Domitrovich, C. E, & Zins, J. E. (in press). Facilitating the implementation of evidence-based prevention and mental health promotion efforts in schools. In M. Weist, S. Evans, & N. Tashman (Eds.), School Mental Health Handbook, a volume in the series Issues in Clinical Child Psychology (M. Roberts, Ed.).

National Training Partnership. (June 2000). Technical Assistance: Ensuring Effectiveness. Newton, MA: Author.