II. Federal Requirements
This project is subject to all applicable federal grant requirements, including, but not limited to Education
Department General Administration Regulations (EDGAR), and the General Education Provisions Act
(GEPA). The EDGAR text may be found at the following web site:
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCFO/grants/edgar.html
III. State Requirements
The Department of Education has developed and implemented a document entitled, General Terms,
Assurances and Conditions for Participation in Federal and State Programs, to comply with state
regulations and laws pertaining to the expenditure of state funds.
In order to receive funding, applicants must have on file with the Department of Education, Office of the
Comptroller, a signed statement by the agency head certifying applicant adherence to these General
Assurances for Participation in State or Federal Programs. The complete text of may be found at
http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin00007/gbook.htm. (A hard copy is available upon request.)
School Districts, Community Colleges, Universities and State Agencies
The certification of adherence filed with the Department of Education Comptroller’s Office shall remain in
effect indefinitely unless a change occurs in federal or state law, or there are other changes in circumstances
affecting a term, assurance, or condition; and does not need to be resubmitted with this application. The
Department of Education already has signed assurances from all public school districts and most public
institutions of higher education; other applicants will need to submit the attached Assurances form.
IV. Program Overview
The State of Florida received a federal appropriation of $2,589,623 to establish and “carry out programs
under which students expelled or suspended from school are required to perform community service.” The
program is part of “No Child Left Behind” legislation under Title IV, Part A, Subpart 2, Section 4126, Safe
& Drug-Free Schools & Communities. The contract period is February 2003-January 2004, with the option
to extend until September 30, 2004. Future funding is contingent on federal appropriations.
The Florida Department of Education, in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Drug Control and other
key stakeholders, will award contracts to public or private school systems and non-profit organizations that
work with students who are suspended (at least 10 days), expelled, or in alternative programs in lieu of
expulsion. For-profit programs that work with the target population under contract with school districts may
also apply. Contractual activities are for pilot and model initiatives to engage this student population in
community service that has the students practice skills and behaviors they need to transition back to the
regular classroom and be productive citizens. Service activities must support academic goals, meet real
community needs, and help reduce suspension and expulsion rates. The focus of the service is not punitive
but rather rehabilitative and educational.
A total of $2,201,180 is available. It is anticipated that a range of contracts will be awarded, from a
minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $175,000 to allow for a variety of models in small, medium, and large
districts. Most contracts will be under $75,000. Larger contracts are required to involve more students, have
more significant contributions, and have strong ties with district goals and policies.
The Department of Education will issue contracts to eligible applicants to:
•
Engage students who are suspended, expelled, or in alternative settings in lieu of expulsion in
meaningful community service as a structured element of an alternative education program
2
•
Focus service activities to have these students practice skills and behaviors they need to learn to return
successfully to the regular classroom
•
Focus service activities to address other outcomes such as reduced recidivism (i.e., lower suspension,
expulsion, and arrest rates), improved attendance and behavior, personal responsibility, social
competence, and job skills
•
Develop individual academic and personal development plans for each program participant based on
an assessment of the student’s strengths, needs, and interests
•
Use service as a strategy to meet real community needs
•
Involve the most needy students; programs involving significant numbers of students from “D” or “F”
schools are encouraged
•
Work with youth serving 10-day suspensions and expulsions
•
Provide meaningful community partnerships both to implement the project successfully and to help it
become self-sustaining in the future
•
Develop service activities that involve parents and families
•
Establish process and outcome performance measures (indicators) for the program and describe
methods for monitoring and evaluating program success against those measures
•
Collect and disseminate information about successful or model efforts for the purpose of project
replication, adoption, and adaptation
Contract funds can and are designed to support a range of initiatives, including the following types
(combinations are also anticipated):
•
New initiatives
: Programs that are newly launched in a local district, school, or non-profit organization
to utilize service as a strategy with the target population;
•
Existing initiatives
: Established programs that (1) already engage the target population in meaningful
service, (2) would be enlarged or enhanced, and (3) propose to develop/provide materials or technical
assistance to help others interested in program replication or adaptation; or
•
Adaptation initiatives
: Projects that expand existing programs to include additional elements (e.g.,
adding a community service element to an already effective program with the target population).
Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with external partners in the development of the contract proposal.
Such partners might include, but are not limited to, local volunteer agencies, law enforcement, juvenile
justice programs, teen court programs, service organizations that work with this student population, and
others. Proposals that include meaningful partnerships—with partners involved in project planning and
implementation—are more likely to be funded and to succeed. Contributions from partners could include
donations of funds, time, services, goods, expertise, space, equipment, transportation, or liability coverage.
Letters from partners should detail their commitment and contributions to the project.
Proposals must describe how this project will be developed within the context of existing alternative
education programs in the school district or other region to be served.
In order to receive funding, the applicant must have on file with the Department of Education, Office of the
Comptroller, a signed statement by the agency head certifying applicant adherence to the General Assurances
for Federal and State Participation in Programs. The complete text of the assurances may be found at
http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin00007/gbook.htm.
Project Narrative
: This is the key section of the grant application. In concise terms, the proposal narrative
provides answers to the following essential questions, which also serve as the review criteria:
1.
Needs
•
What student, school/district, and community needs will be addressed by the program?
•
How adequate and relevant are the baseline data provided on the needs of students who are
suspended or expelled, and on community needs the students will address?
2.
Activities (See attachment for sample service activities and ways a program might be structured.)
3
•
What service program(s) will be designed to address identified needs, and how will they support
academic and affective goals of the students?
•
How will students prepare/be prepared for service (i.e., training, counseling, research)? What will
the student reflection and demonstration activities be?
•
Where, when, and how often will service activities occur? Attach a timeline as an appendix.
•
What meaningful roles will the students have in project design and implementation?
•
How will the program help transition students back into school?
•
How will successful ideas and strategies be expanded, validated, and shared (e.g., training,
technical assistance, presentations, site visits, publications, web sites)?
•
Are there sufficient plans for project coordination, safety, and supervision?
3.
Collaboration and Parent Involvement
•
How will the program involve parents/legal guardians?
•
Who will project partners be, and how will partners contribute to project planning and
implementation, meeting project goals, and enabling the program to become self-sustaining?
•
How will project activities be developed within the context of existing alternative education
programs in the district or region?
4. Evaluation
•
What impacts (indicators) will the service have on identified needs of students and those served?
•
What are the program objectives, and which Sunshine State Standards will be addressed?
•
How will impacts be assessed?
5. Organizational Capacity
•
What are the mission, goals, and areas of expertise of the applicant organization(s)?
•
What experience and success does the applicant have with the target population and with engaging
youth in meaningful service projects?
•
Does the proposal include sufficient input and contributions from partners to meet its objectives
and address the needs of the target population?
•
To what degree does the organization and/or partner’s cultural diversity increase the chances for a
successful project?
6. Budget Narrative (maximum three pages, plus Budget Description Form/DOE 103)
•
What resources are needed to implement a program to address the identified needs?
•
Are budget items detailed and justified? Confine requests to what is needed to conduct proposed
activities to address identified needs.
•
Does the budget list and describe major contributions by the applicant and partners?
•
How complete are the budget descriptions of items going to the applicant and/or its partners?
Meaningful Service for Students at Risk—Making Service “Service learning”
The focus of contracts on community service for suspended and expelled students is both a challenge and an
opportunity. Service activities that are coercive, humiliating, poorly designed/planned, tedious, unrelated to
these students’ needs or interests, or not geared toward genuine community needs will not help either the
students or those who are supposedly being served. Yet these are the kinds of community service projects
that such students are typically required to do as punishment or retribution for offenses. Service experiences
of this type are unlikely to result in the students wanting to continue doing service later in life.
By contrast,
service learning
projects have these students apply the skills, behaviors, and attitudes that they
actually need to learn themselves. The application is hands-on and directed toward a real need the students
have learned about through investigation and discussion. In service learning projects, the service is both a
means and an application of learning. It is the combination of experiential learning and the personal
satisfaction students gain from helping others that makes service learning such an effective teaching and
learning tool. Well-designed service learning projects have the following elements:
1. Preparation/Planning/Design
•
Needs identification and assessment—those being served help define their needs and how to meet them
•
Learning the context for the need(s) to be addressed
•
Issue discussion and selection
4
•
Examining policies and systems that currently impact the needs
•
Project design
2. Action
•
Research and knowledge-based activities are identified
•
Students apply leadership in conducting the project
•
Activities evolve as the project progresses - some needs are addressed, and others are identified
•
Students collaborate with the “served” and partners
•
Multiple learning styles are utilized - including individual work, teamwork, using technology,
tactile/manual work, oral presentations, data collection and processing, etc.
3.
Demonstration
involves students educating others about the needs they are addressing. It takes various
forms—some of which are additional service learning projects—including the following:
•
Teaching others about the project and its issues
•
Conducting advocacy efforts
•
Putting on public forums and presentations
•
Performing (plays, skits, songs, puppet shows, news shows, etc.) on the issues addressed in the project
•
Creating films, portfolios, books, publications, web sites, works of art, etc., about the issues
4. Reflection
is ongoing in successful projects from beginning to end as students form and test opinions,
project outcomes, measure results and impacts, discuss actions and reactions, make improvements and
future plans. Reflective activities include:
•
Projecting impacts of their service
•
Journaling
•
Discussion
•
Conducting formative and summative evaluation
•
Making project refinements
•
Future planning
5. Recognition/Celebration.
Throughout the project but especially at the end, students should be recognized
for their efforts. In successful projects, all participants join together to reflect on successes and failures
and to contemplate future efforts. Suspended and expelled students rarely receive public recognition for
successes.
Motivating Students to Participate
The structure of service learning fits very well with suspended and expelled students. The students are
highly motivated to participate in the hands-on activities. Knowing that they can earn their way onto a
service trip, for example, helps focus their attention and energies. Staff make it clear that participating in
service activities is a privilege that must be earned. Students do not simply go out and do things.
The preparation elements of service learning projects are both instructive and give students opportunities to
show they can be trusted to participate in the project activities. They also serve as a preview to the project
itself and build student interest and anticipation. Conduct, attitude, and engagement are rated by staff, and
students prove they are ready for the hands-on activities by their effort and attitude leading up to the
activities. If they do not act appropriately, they cannot go on the service trip. When their peers return from a
trip and describe how fun it was, those who could not go usually get the message.
See Appendix 1 for many examples of meaningful community service projects that can involve youth who
are suspended, expelled, or in alternative programs in lieu of expulsion. Previous projects working with the
target population have focused activities in the following broad areas (the list is not prescriptive):
•
Violence prevention/conflict resolution
•
Work with elderly
•
Environment (work in parks, exotic plant removal, monitoring animals, recycling, etc.)
•
Literacy
•
Career exploration through service work at non-profit organizations
•
Disaster preparation and response
5
•
Work in hospitals, fire departments, police departments or churches
•
Helping community organizations/non-profits that serve community needs
Types of Programs that May Receive Contracts
The initiative is designed to support a range of programs using service as a strategy for students who are
suspended for least 10 days, expelled, or in alternative programs in lieu of expulsion. Therefore, it is
anticipated that a wide range of organizations and programs will receive support. Such programs might
include, but are not limited to the following:
•
Alternative schools for the target population (students referred for behavior)
•
Dropout prevention programs for the target population
•
Second Chance Schools
•
Community organizations and non-profits (including private schools and faith-based organizations)
that work with this population in partnership with the public school system
•
For-profit programs that work under contract with school districts with the target population
•
Alternative or pull-out programs within individual schools
•
Teen Court Programs
•
Volunteer agencies that provide community service placements
•
School- or community-based alternative programs for students in lieu of long-term suspensions
•
Juvenile boot camps
•
School-based programs that hold suspensions in abeyance in lieu of completion of service hours
Focusing Service to Address Specific Needs and Behaviors
Projects can take many forms, and different forms lead to different impacts on the students:
1.
Direct Service Learning
(person-to-person, face-to-face service such as tutoring, conflict resolution,
performing, working with the sick or infirm or injured animals)—such projects have students directly
practice skills of caring for others, responsibility, patience, dependability, appreciating cultural
differences, and emotional control and response.
2.
Indirect Service Learning
(environmental, construction, restoration, food/clothing drives)—engages
students in cooperative work, being part of a team, playing different roles, organizing, prioritizing, and
project-specific skills that a classroom may never measure.
3.
Advocacy
(working, writing, acting, speaking, lobby
ing, presenting, etc., on topics in the public—and
students’—interest)—provide life experience in understanding rules, systems, and processes,
persuasion, perseverance, community involvement, and working with adults.
4.
Research
(conducting surveys, gathering information, conducting experiments, interviewing, testing
water, counting endangered species or exotics plants in a state park)—requires skills in finding
answers, learning how to learn, making discriminating judgments, working systematically, being
organized, assessing, and evaluating.
It makes sense to focus activities in ways that address inappropriate behaviors. Having students pick up trash
will not help them control their temper; having them help other students resolve conflict will. The skills
listed above are included in many areas of the Florida Sunshine State Standards, Goal Three Standards, and
Applied Technology Standards.
Service and Safe & Drug-Free Schools and Communities Requirements
Because this program is funded through the federal Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFS)
initiative, selection criteria adhere to SDFS guidelines and meet the U.S. Department of Education's
Principles of Effectiveness Requirements. See Appendix 2 for lists of proven strategies and programs
(including curricula) that employ SDFS Proven Programs and Strategies. Applicants may (but are not
required to) choose to utilize one of more of the Proven Programs and Strategies listed. Complete lists are
available on the Safe and Drug-Free Schools web site: http://www.unf.edu/dept/fie/sdfs/
6
The Center for Substance Abuse and Prevention (CSAP) has also compiled a list of model programs that
focus on substance abuse prevention and creating positive community change. Some of the model programs
incorporate student service—see http://modelprograms.samhsa.gov/ for the complete program list.
Research on the Effectiveness of Service Learning
There is a significant and growing body of research on the positive impacts of engaging students in
meaningful service that applies learning. Data from 382 Florida Learn & Serve projects involving 117,187
students showed that attendance of participating students rose in 70% of all reporting projects. The number
of discipline referrals of participating students declined in 74% of reporting projects. Recent national studies
show that students who participate in service learning projects show gains in a wide range of areas, including
academic performance, behavior, attendance, personal responsibility, civic engagement, appreciation for
different cultures, and respect for teachers. See the following web site for free copies of key research on
service learning: http://learningindeed.org/research/slresearch/
V. FISCAL
REQUIREMENTS
•
Grants to school districts and state agencies (including universities and community colleges) will be paid
on a cash advance basis. Grants to non-public entities, for profit and non-profit, will be paid on a
Reimbursement basis. Reimbursements will be made upon receipt of invoices with appropriate supporting
documentation. Reimbursements may be requested as frequently as monthly.
•
Project recipients are required to submit monthly expenditure reports and a final project disbursement
report to the DOE Comptroller's Office
•
Indirect costs are allowable expenses for school districts and state agencies (including universities and
community colleges). However, this allowance does not extend to non-public entities.
Projects awarded to public school systems, both K-12 and higher education, will receive funds via Electronic
Funds Transfer (EFT).
Contract funds must focus on engaging the target population in service activities—establishment or
expansion of such activities, their planning and development, preparing/training for activities, conducting
activities, evaluating them, etc. Therefore, allowable expenditures include project coordination and
supervision, planning time, training (including counseling), supplies, transportation, professional and
technical services, educational materials, software, raw materials for projects, relevant supplies, facilities
rent, and related costs.
Restrictions on expenditures include the following:
•
Travel/trips supported by grant funds can only be (1) to provide service, (2) to familiarize students
with service sites, (3) for instruction to directly prepare students for service learning activities, and (4)
to attend required regional or statewide sub-grantee meeting or other trainings—set aside $1,000 for
expenses associated with attending such meetings (per diem, hotel, tolls, mileage, substitutes).
•
Because the primary program focus is on service activities, and because future contracts are not
guaranteed, budget requests should not be weighted heavily on salaries and benefits.
•
Contracts to K-12 public school systems can support indirect or administrative costs at that district’s
established indirect rate. Other applicants can utilize up to 5% of their total budget for indirect costs.
•
Funds cannot be spent on stipends, allowances, or other financial incentives for student participants or
service beneficiaries except to reimburse transportation, meals for out-of county travel (see next item), or
other reasonable out-of-pocket expenses directly related to the project.
•
Funds may not be used to pay for food or refreshments other than those associated with
1. out-of-county travel (at state rate of $21 per day) or
2. training in remote locations that would be disrupted if participants had to travel to procure food.
7
•
A small portion of funds may be spent on identification items (such as T-shirts to be worn while
conducting service), recognition, and awards. Awards should be primarily symbolic in nature
(certificates, ribbons, etc.).
•
Funds cannot be used for capital improvements, plaques, entertainment, refreshments, “off-the-shelf”
gifts for service recipients (food, flowers, cards, etc.), landscaping on the site of the applicant
organization, reward trips, or decorative items.
The following criteria will be applied in reviewing all permanent or large budget items, including salary,
equipment, and materials:
1.
The item is critical to the project; i.e., the project cannot succeed without it.
2.
Evidence is provided that there is no other way to pay for, obtain, or borrow the item.
3.
The dedicated and permanent use of the item will be for service learning.
Applicants requesting such items need to make their importance clear in the main narrative and provide
additional justification in the budget narrative. Applicants seeking to establish positions with contract funds
need to be mindful that future funding is not assured.
There is no set requirement or percentage for cash or in-kind match contributions. However, all proposals
should include significant internal and external (partner) support and contributions and provide evidence that
they have successfully identified resources to help address identified needs.
VI. APPLICATION REVIEW CRITERIA
A cadre of trained reviewers, including peer reviewers and state-level staff, will read each proposal. Each
proposal will have at least three reviewers. Applications will be reviewed based on the criteria outlined
below. Reviewers will judge the quality, completeness of material submitted, and the likelihood of success.
The Title IV Administrative Group will then discuss proposals in order by average score, resolving
differences in reviewer scores and making recommendations by consensus. After all program and fiscal
criteria have been satisfied, funding recommendations will be submitted to the Secretary of Education for
approval. Applicants will receive official written notification upon completion of these steps.
The total narrative for parts 1-5 below may not exceed six pages. The budget narrative (part 6) may not
exceed three pages. One side of a sheet counts as one page, margins must be one inch on all sides, and the
font must be at least 10 or 12 point font.
8
CONTRACT REVIEW CRITERIA
Points
1.
Needs and Background
•
What student, school/district, and community needs will be addressed by the program?
•
How adequate and relevant are the baseline data provided on the needs of students who
are suspended or expelled, and on community needs the students will address?
15
2.
Proposed Activities
•
What service program(s) will be designed to address identified needs, and how will
they support academic and affective goals of the students?
•
How will students prepare/be prepared for service (i.e., training, counseling, research)?
What will the student reflection and demonstration activities be?
•
Where, when, and how often will service occur? Provide a timeline as one attachment.
•
What meaningful roles will students have in project design and implementation?
•
How will the program help transition students back into school?
•
How will successful ideas and strategies be expanded, validated, and shared (e.g.,
training, technical assistance, presentations, site visits, publications, web sites)?
•
Are there sufficient plans for project coordination, safety, and supervision?
30
3.
Collaboration and Parent Involvement
•
How will the program involve parents/legal guardians?
•
Who will project partners be, and how will partners contribute to project planning and
implementation, meeting project goals, and enabling the program to become self-
sustaining? Include letters of commitment from primary partners, detailing their
20
Format
•
The narrative portion (Contract Review Criteria sections 1-5, not including the budget narrative) may not
exceed a total of 6 pages. Additional pages will be removed prior to review.
•
The budget narrative may not exceed 3 pages. Additional pages will be removed prior to review.
•
Attachments (timeline, letters of collaboration, back-up data on student needs in district, related support
materials) may not exceed 6 pages. Additional pages will be removed prior to review.
10
•
The application should consist of single-sided pages, stapled in the upper left corner with the
DOE 100A
form used as the cover page, followed by the
DOE 103
Budget Description Form, and the Budget
Narrative. The applicant should use 10- or 12-point fonts and 1” margins on all sides. Do not submit the
application and copies in folders, binders, or other presentation formats.
Appendix 1
Samples of Meaningful Community Service Activities
with Suspended and Expelled Students
As noted in the application, service projects with suspended and expelled students are much more likely to
succeed (and be awarded a contract) if they include the elements of effective service—preparation, action,
demonstration, reflection, and recognition—and have students apply the skills and behaviors they need to
learn through hands-on service activities. The list below provides samples of some of the ways in which the
target student population can engage in meaningful service that helps others as well as the students:
•
Receiving training in conflict resolution, then helping younger students resolve conflict or teaching
other students refusal skills, or how to make smart choices
•
Receiving training and then tutoring younger students in reading
•
Creating books for younger students who have few books
•
Creating, writing, planning, scheduling, and performing skits, plays, songs, raps, etc., on drug
prevention, making good choices, avoiding conflict and teen pregnancy, making good use of free
time, preparing healthy and inexpensive snacks, etc.
•
Making specialized toys for disabled children
•
Conducting restoration on buildings or doing simple home repairs for people in subsidized housing
•
Working with organizations that build homes for poor residents
•
Designing and presenting public information campaigns and PSAs on prevention issues
•
Building outdoor classrooms
•
Creating murals on buildings with positive messages or on local history
•
Removing non-native vegetation from along public roads, parks, etc., and planting native species
they have propagated
•
Creating compost bins of leftover lunch food; use the mulch for gardens for food for the needy
•
Repairing cars, bicycles, toys, etc., that have been donated and then give them to needy families
•
Creating and tending gardens of food for the hungry
•
Writing letters for/to sick children or seniors
•
Caring for and tending animals at the local shelter, or having a satellite shelter at the students’
facility
•
Teaching academic subjects or about service needs they have addressed
•
Creating performances on Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD) or violence
prevention/intervention
•
Organizing after-school sports or mentoring programs for children
•
Organizing and conducting activities to collect items (books, school supplies, clothing) for children
with backgrounds that involve drug abuse or violence
•
Publishing a guide on available community prevention services, translating it into foreign languages
•
Conducting and sharing information from studies or surveys of student and community perceptions
of issues related to ATOD and violence prevention or intervention
•
Conducting an oral history that culminates in a booklet or video on local “heroes” who overcame
great odds and risks to be successful
•
Serving on juries or otherwise assisting with Teen Court or similar court programs
•
Creating web sites, brochures, or videos for non-profit prevention organizations
•
Planning and putting on public forums on ATOD or violence prevention
•
Working with elected officials on legislation or ordinances to make communities safer
•
Writing and publishing a newspaper insert on prevention issues
More information on service learning can be found on the Florida Learn & Serve web site:
11
www.fsu.edu/~flserve
Appendix 2
Community Service and Research-Based Prevention Programs
Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
Serving others is one of the approved and proven strategies that districts and their schools can employ
under Safe & Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFS) for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug and
violence prevention/intervention. Linkages with SDFS can support the engagement of students in
service that addresses violence and ATOD abuse prevention and which adheres to SDFS guidelines as
detailed in a list of Proven Prevention Programs and Strategies that meet the U.S. Department of
Education's Principles of Effectiveness Requirements. Complete lists are available on the Safe and
Drug-Free Schools web site: http://www.unf.edu/dept/fie/sdfs/ .
The lists include several research-based strategies and proven programs that employ service, particularly
student-to-student activities:
Research-Based Strategies Database
(strategies shown to be effective that integrate elements of
service and service learning, particularly student-to-student)
Substance Abuse/Prevention Strategies
•
Refusal/Resilience Skills Training
•
Social Skills Training
•
Peer Leaders
•
Mentoring
•
Social Influences
Violence/Antisocial Behaviors Strategies
•
Conflict Resolution/Peer Mediation
•
Role Play
•
Mentoring
Proven Prevention Programs Inventory
(published/packaged/copyrighted programs that may be
purchased--descriptions from web site)
ATOD Prevention Programs
Lion's Quest Skills for Adolescence
(6-8)--Skills for Adolescence is a comprehensive youth development
program that brings together educators, parents, and members of the community to support the
development of life and citizenship skills in young adolescents in Grades 6-8. The program comprises
five key components that address different aspects of young people's lives: (1) school curriculum; (2)
parent involvement; (3) positive school climate; (4) community involvement; and (5) school staff
training and follow-up supports. The program is school-based and intended for use in a variety of school
settings with youth of diverse ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
ALPHA
(middle and high school)--ALPHA is a peer-led substance use prevention program than enlists
socially prominent, drug-free 11th and 12th grade youth to introduce communication techniques, refusal
skills, assertiveness skills, and decision making skills to 7th, 8th, and 9th grade youth. Peer leaders are
selected by the student body, faculty, and school administrators and are trained in methods of classroom
management and group facilitation.
12
Violence Prevention Programs
Lions-Quest Working Toward Peace
(elementary school)--Working Toward Peace is a school-based,
comprehensive program designed to teach and reinforce a repertoire of anger management and conflict
resolution skills. It brings together the school, the family, peers, community, and the media in a network
of support to teach and reinforce anger and conflict management skills. The major goals of the program
are to help students understand the value of peaceful conflict resolution; to adopt peaceful student role
models; and to learn ways to manage anger and resolve conflicts peacefully.
Peers Making Peace
(K-12)--Peers Making Peace is a peer-mediation program that uses a preventive
approach for handling conflicts both in and out of school. The program's goal is to improve school
environments by reducing violence, assaults, discipline referrals, and increasing academic performance.
This is accomplished by training teams of students to act as peer mediators on their school campuses.
Peer Mediation Program
(6-12)--In this program, students are selected on nominations by faculty, staff,
and students to receive peer mediation training, preparing them to serve as neutral mediators who assist
other students in resolving conflict situations. The suggested basic peer mediation training takes
approximately 12 to 15 hours over two days and includes activities related to understanding conflict,
responses to conflict, origins of conflict, communications skills, the role of the mediator, and the
mediation process.
Other SDFS Programs
Mentoring
Let Each One Teach One Mentor Program
is a mentoring program specifically for at-risk, Black male
adolescents. The goals of the program center on increasing academic success of students. The program
measures its effectiveness by monitoring improved grades, enhanced self-efficacy, improved behavioral
conduct, improved self-perceptions, fewer office referrals, fewer suspension, and improved attendance.
Service Learning
The
Leadership and Resiliency
program is a prevention and intervention program affiliated with the
Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, Alcohol and Drug Services. The program focuses on
enhancing the internal strengths and resiliency in youth, while preventing involvement in substance
abuse and violence, using a three-tiered approach that involves clinical process groups, alternative
activities, and community service projects.
Center for Substance Abuse and Prevention
Effective substance Abuse and Mental Health Programs for Every Community
The Center for Substance Abuse and Prevention (CSAP) has also compiled a list of model programs that
focus on substance abuse prevention and creating positive community change. The majority of the
model programs focus on providing service to students. Some of the programs, however, such as “Peers
for Peace,” incorporate service by students as a major or fundamental element—see
http://modelprograms.samhsa.gov/ for the complete program list.
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