EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
The education programs listed in this toolkit are not intended to be an exhaustive list, but to highlight local education programs, as well as programs supported by local, state, or federal agencies. It’s important to note that everyone can contribute to prevention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend three foundational aspects for implementing substance use education:
- Build staff capacity, especially core knowledge and skills for delivering prevention education,
- Teach functional health information and skills to prevent other drug and related outcomes,
- And offer or link students to health services.
When selecting health education programs for your school district, keep in mind these should be planned, structured learning experiences that include on the following:
- A set of learning outcomes/objectives that relate to students’ acquisition of health knowledge, attitude, and skills.
- Planned progression of developmentally appropriate lessons or learning experiences that lead to achieving health objectives.
- Continuity between lessons or learning experiences that clearly reinforce adoption and maintenance of health behaviors.
- Content or materials that correspond with the sequence of learning experiences and help teachers and students meet learning objectives.
- Assessment strategies to determine if students have achieved desired learning.
The CDC provides a Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT) to support school districts as they review health education programs, providing them with templates and tools to analyze curriculum.
Local Education Programs:
TEEN INTERVENE
- Age/Grade level: Ages 12-19, Tier 2/Tier 3
- Overview: Teen Intervene is designed as a comprehensive screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) model of care. Teenagers who have experienced mild to moderate problems associated with alcohol or drug use work one-to-one with an addiction treatment counselor to identify and, ultimately, change their choices and behaviors. The main goals of program are to identify the reasons they have chosen to use alcohol or other drugs, examine the effects of substance abuse in their lives, and learn to make healthier choices.
- Implementation: Schools can purchase curriculum; facilitator guide provided; can be implemented by school staff.
- Category: Behavioral health, marijuana use prevention, substance use prevention
- Outcomes: Evidenced-based
- Promoted by: Local program used by Riverside County schools.
TOO GOOD FOR DRUGS
- Age/Grade level: K-12 prevention education program, Tier 1, universal curriculum for elementary, middle school, and high school students
- Overview: Too Good for Drugs is a prevention education program designed to mitigate the risk factors and enhance protective factors related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) use. The lessons introduce and develop skills for making healthy choices, building positive friendships, developing self-efficacy, communicating effectively, and resisting peer pressure and influence. The curriculum consists of 14 core lessons, as well as an additional 12 lessons that can be infused into other subject areas (such as English, science, and social studies). Teachers participate in 10 staff development lessons. The program includes optional elements of family and community involvement.
- Implementation: Schools can purchase curriculum; facilitator guide provided; can be implemented by school staff.
- Category: Substance use prevention, violence prevention
- Outcomes: Evidenced-based demonstrating changes in knowledge, attitudes, values
- Promoted by: Local program used by Riverside County schools.
COURAGE TO SPEAK
- Age/Grade level: Student and parent engagement, Tier 1, universal
- Overview: Ginger Katz along with her husband Larry presents substance use prevention programs to children, parents, educators, clergy, professionals and others at many forums including state and national conferences. With a team of experts, the organization developed evidence based substance use curriculum evaluated and recommended by Yale School of Medicine. Many facilitators and teachers across the country implement the Courage to Speak Foundation student curriculum in elementary, middle and high schools as well as a single-session program for parents called Courage to Speak – Courageous Parenting 101® which give parent tools to keep their children safe.
- Implementation: Speakers from organizationprovide trainings students, parents, or educators.
- Outcomes: TBD, promotes that program are evidence-based drug prevention programs evaluated by Yale University School of Medicine, but no peer reviewed articles provided.
- Promoted by: Local program used by Riverside County schools.
SECOND STEP
- Age/Grade level: K-8, Curriculum for early learning (pre-k), elementary, middle school, after school programs, SEL for Adults, Tier 1, universal
- Overview: Second Step programs help students build social-emotional skills—like nurturing positive relationships, managing emotions, and setting goals—so they can thrive in school and in life. It is designed to reduce impulsive, high-risk, and aggressive behaviors and increase children’s social competence and other protective factors. The program builds on cognitive behavioral intervention models integrated with social learning theory, empathy research, and social informationprocessing research. It is intended to teach children to identify and understand their own and others’ emotions, choose positive goals, and successfully manage reactions when emotionally aroused.
- Implementation: Schools can purchase curriculum; facilitator guide provided; can be implemented by school staff.
- Category: Behavioral health, social-emotional learning
- Outcomes: Evidence-based
- Promoted by: Local program used by Riverside County schools.
PROJECT ALERT
- Age/Grade level: Middle school (7-8 grade), Tier 1 universal
- Overview: Project ALERT is a free classroom-based substance abuse prevention program for 7th and 8th graders that’s proven to reduce the experimental and continued use of drugs. Through a series of comprehensive lessons, Project ALERT motivates students against drug use, cultivates new non-use attitudes and beliefs, and equips teens with the skills and strategies they’ll use to resist drugs. Project ALERT is proven to motivate students against drug use, provide skills and strategies to resist drugs, and establish new non-use attitudes and beliefs. It consists of 11 weekly lessons, plus three booster lessons.
- Implementation: Curriculum is free; Lessons/facilitator guide provided; can be implemented by school staff.
- Category: Marijuana, substance use prevention
- Outcomes: Evidence-based
- Promoted by: Local program used by Riverside County schools.
CATCH MY BREATH
- Age/Grade level: Ages 10-18 years (Grades 5-12), Tier 1/Universal
- Overview: CATCH My Breath’s peer-led teaching approach empowers students with the knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions about e-cigarettes and resist social pressures to vape. Informed by tobacco youth prevention researchers and practitioners, years of real world implementation, and a youth advisory board, it is the only school-based vaping prevention program proven to reduce the likelihood of vaping among youth.
- Implementation: Curriculum is free; Lessons/facilitator guide provided; can be implemented by school staff. Video lessons and live implementation training or train-the trainer training option for purchase.
- Category: Substance use prevention
- Outcomes: Evidence-based
- Promoted by: Local program used by Riverside County schools.
ASPIRE (A SMOKING PREVENTION INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE)
- Age/Grade level: 11-18 years; Tier 1/2
- Overview: ASPIRE (A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience) is a free online educational resource from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. ASPIRE delivers tobacco prevention education to teens and adolescents at a self-directed pace. The program is evidenced-based and tackles the full range of traditional and emerging products such as e-cigarettes, hookah, JUUL and synthetic marijuana.
- Implementation: Curriculum is free (schools need to sign an MOU to use); program is online and self-paced.
- Category: Tobacco prevention
- Outcomes: Evidence-based
- Promoted by: Local program used by Riverside County schools.
OVERDOSE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION PROGRAM (OAPP)
- Age/Grade level: Middle and high school, Tier 1/Universal
- Overview: The OAPP training program was created in 2019 and has been implemented in X schools in Riverside County, training X students. The OAPP program is a overdose prevention program specific for middle and high school youth. OAPP programming includes interactive discussions about the effects of opioids, what to do if youth suspect a friend or peer may be overdosing, how to talk with a someone if they are concerned about substance use, and resources on where to obtain substance use support if needed. The OAPP school based program also conducts pre- screening to early identify youth that may be at risk for a substance use disorder. Based on the screening, direct referrals are made to either a school counselor or behavioral health specialist for further assessment.
- Implementation: Training is free and is provided by RUHS-Public Health staff
- Category: Substance use and overdose prevention
- Outcomes: Promising practice
- Promoted by: Local program used by Riverside County schools.
BOTVIN LIFE SKILLS TRAINING MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM
- Age/Grade level: Youth in grades 6-9, ages 11-15
- Overview: The Botvin LifeSkills Training Middle School Program is a substance abuse and violence prevention program for youth in grades 6-9. LifeSkills Training is comprehensive and developmentally designed to promote positive youth development. In addition to helping kids resist drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, the LifeSkills Training Middle School program is also designed to support the reduction of violence and other high-risk behaviors. Each session is 30-45 minutes; sessions can be taught either on an intensive schedule (two to three times a week) until the program is complete, or on a more extended schedule (once a week).
- Implementation: Schools can purchase curriculum; can be implemented by school staff.
- Outcomes: Evidenced-based
- Category: Addresses safe coping skills, social skills, and drug resistance skills
STANFORD’S REACH LAB
- Age/Grade level: Middle and high school, Tier 1/Universal, Tier 2
- Overview: Stanford’s REACH lab has substance use prevention curriculum for schools on tobacco, cannabis, vaping, harm reduction, as well as alternative to suspension curriculums for substance use. All of these curriculums are evidence-informed and evidence-based, and are completely free and available online.
- Implementation: Curriculum is free; Lessons/facilitator guide provided; can be implemented by school staff.
- Category: Substance use, tobacco, cannabis, vaping, overdose prevention/harm reduction
- Outcomes: Evidenced-informed/evidenced-based
FAMILIAS UNIDAS
- Age/Grade level: Youth ages 12-16 and/or their parents
- Overview: Familias Unidas is a family-centered drug use and sexual risk behavior prevention intervention for Hispanic youth and their families. Familias Unidas was specifically developed for Hispanics. It helps empower parents to speak with their adolescents about how to prevent drug use and sexual risk behaviors. Familias Unidas is a multilevel intervention that targets risk (e.g., poor adolescent communication) and protective factors (e.g., parental involvement) at the family, peer, and school level. Familias Unidas has been adapted for use online and is currently being tested for obesity prevention, and delivery in primary care settings.
- Implementation: Program to train school staff (~4 day training)
- Outcomes: Evidence-based
- Category: Prevent drug use and sexual risk behaviors, improve family relationships, communication, positive parenting, parental investment and monitoring of peers
STRENGTHENING FAMILIES PROGRAM
- Age/Grade level: A universal program for families and youth ages 10-14
- Overview: The Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14 (SFP 10-14) is delivered in seven parent, youth, and family sessions using narrated videos portraying typical youth and parent situations with diverse families. The program is taught with 7-10 families over seven weeks for two hours each session. Parents and youth meet in separate groups for the first hour and together as families during the second hour to practice skills, play games, and do family projects. Sessions are highly interactive and include role-playing, discussions, learning games, and family projects.
- Implementation: Options to purchase training options for school staff to facilitate or online training modules for students/families.
- Outcomes: Evidence-based
- Category: This curriculum addresses youth risk such as: aggressive or withdrawn behavior, negative peer influence, poor school performance, lack of prosocial goals, and poor relationship with parents. Protective factors addressed include: positive future goals, peer pressure resistance skills, prosocial peer relationships, positive management of emotions, and empathy with parents.
EARLY RISERS SKILLS FOR SUCCESS
- Age/Grade level: Elementary/Middle School, ages 6 to 12 years
- Overview: Early Risers: Skills for Success is a multicomponent, developmentally focused, competency-enhancement program that targets elementary school students (6-12 years old) who are at high risk for early development of conduct problems, including substance use. This program is based on the premise that early, comprehensive and sustained intervention is necessary to target multiple risk and protective factors. It uses integrated child-, school-, and family-focused interventions to move high-risk children onto a more adaptive developmental pathway.
- Implementation: Can be implemented by school staff; contact University of Minnesota for program information.
- Outcomes: Evidence-based
- Category: Program is designed for elementary school children (ages 6 to 12) who are at high risk for early development of conduct problems, including substance use (i.e., who display early aggressive, disruptive, or nonconformist behaviors).
PAX GOOD BEHAVIOR GAME
- Age/Grade level: Elementary, Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade, ages 4 to 12
- Overview: The PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG) is a universal classroom-based preventive intervention that is designed to create a nurturing environment for all children. The intervention aims to increase on-task behavior, focused attention, and self-regulation in students while decreasing disruptive, withdrawn, and violent behavior. Unlike a curriculum, the intervention is designed to integrate seamlessly into classroom instruction by providing the teacher or after-school professional with ten research-based behavioral health strategies for use in concert with daily instruction.
- Implementation: Certified trainers train school staff to implement program.
- Outcomes: Evidence-based
- Category: self-regulation, improved focus and attention, improved test scores and other academic outcomes, reduced alcohol and other drug use, reduced psychiatric disorders, and reduced suicide.
GUIDING GOOD CHOICES
- Age/Grade level: Elementary to middle school, ages 9 to 14 years
- Overview: A drug use prevention program that provides parents of children in grades 4 through 8 (9 to 14 years old) with the knowledge and skills needed to guide their children through early adolescence. It seeks to strengthen and clarify family expectations for behavior, enhance the conditions that promote bonding within the family and teach skills that allow children to resist drug use successfully.
- Implementation: Virtual, self-paced option; Certified trainers train school staff to implement program.
- Outcomes: Evidence-based
- Category: Substance use prevention, family management and communication skills