Curriculum

Prevention Specialists teach to Pennsylvania Department of Education standards for grade levels, and employ evidence-based curricula with fidelity, for example:

  • Get Real About Violence (GRAV). 4th-12th grade, research-based prevention program that addresses a wide range of violent behavior in students—from bullying and verbal aggression at early grades through fighting and social exclusion at middle grades, to relationship abuse and assaults that can occur in later grades. GRAV clearly defines goals and objectives f or children, and contains pre- and post-tests in all grade levels for evaluations to measure the extent to which students have achieved objectives.
  • Here’s Looking at You (HLAY). CADEKids’ most widely used curriculum. HLAY provides high-risk K-12th grade children with the skills they need to avoid the consequences of negative behavior, particularly abuse of alcohol and other drugs. Age-appropriate lessons include how to be assertive with other children, how to say no to drugs under a variety of circumstances (“refusal skills”), problem solving, alternative activities, self-control, and the value of each person as an individual.
  • Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS). A K-6th grade program, PATHS is an impulse control-centered curriculum grounded in the science of children’s brain development, which has determined that children experience and react to strong emotions before developing cognitive abilities to verbalize them. PATHS’ priorities are impulse control, decision-making, and self-esteem.
  • Botvin’s Life Skills. A research-validated substance abuse prevention program for 3rd to 9th grade students, proven to reduce the risks of alcohol, tobacco, drug abuse, and violence by targeting the major social and psychological factors that promote the initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors. Life Skills program provides adolescents and young teens with the confidence and skills necessary to successfully handle challenging situations.
  • Reconnecting Youth. A school-based program for youth in grades 9 to 12 (14 to 18 years of age) who are at risk for school dropout and exhibit multiple behavior problems. The curriculum uses a partnership model involving peers, school personnel, and parents to deliver interventions that address decreased drug involvement, increased school performance, and decreased emotional distress.

The curricula described above are approved for use in the Philadelphia public schools by the School District of Philadelphia’s Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE). PATHS and GRAV have both been designated as model programs by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA model programs have been tested in communities, schools, social service organizations, and workplaces across the nation; and have provided solid proof that they prevent or reduce substance abuse and other related high-risk behaviors.

Curriculum Links

GRAV
http://www.promoteprevent.org/publications/EBI-factsheets/Get%20Real.pdf

PATHS
http://www.channing-bete.com/prevention-programs/paths/

Life Skills
http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/

Reconnecting Youth
http://www.reconnectingyouth.com/

Second Step
http://www.cfchildren.org/programs/ssp/overview/

Here’s Looking at You
http://cals-cf.calsnet.arizona.edu/fcs/bpy/content.cfm?content=pchar2&ID=89
http://www.unitedlearning.com