Appendix A1 Extent of evidence
| Intervention name | Behavior | Knowledge, attitudes, and values | Academic achievement | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of studies | Sample size (schools/ students) | Extent of evidence | Number of studies | Sample size (schools/ students) | Extent of evidence | Number of studies | Sample size (schools/ students) | Extent of evidence | |
| Building Decision Skills + Service Learning | 0 | 0 | na | 1 | 1/283 | Small | 0 | 0 | na |
| Caring School Community™ | 2 | 16/2,336 | Medium/large | 2 | 10/2,303 | Medium/large | 2 | 16/3,000+ | Medium/large |
| Connect with Kids | 1 | 12/800 | Small | 0 | 0 | na | 0 | 0 | na |
| Facing History and Ourselves | 1 | 5/346 | Small | 1 | 5/346 | Small | 0 | 0 | na |
| Heartwood Ethics Curriculum | 1 | 4/870 | Small | 1 | 4/858 | Small | 0 | 0 | na |
| Lessons in Character | 1 | 7/141 | Small | 2 | 22/433 | Medium/large | 1 | 7/141 | Small |
| Positive Action | 2 | 56/4,000+ | Medium/large | 0 | 0 | na | 2 | 56/4,000+ | Medium/large |
| Skills for Action | 0 | 0 | na | 1 | 25/1,800 | Small | 0 | 0 | na |
| Skills for Adolescence | 1 | 34/7,426 | Small | 0 | 0 | na | 0 | 0 | na |
| Too Good for Drugs™ | 1 | 6/1,051 | Small | 2 | 12/1,995 | Medium/large | 0 | 0 | na |
| Too Good for Drugs & Violence | 0 | 0 | na | 2 | 27/504 | Medium/large | 0 | 0 | na |
| Too Good for Violence | 1 | 10/999 | Small | 1 | 10/999 | Small | 0 | 0 | na |
| Voices Literature and Character Education | 0 | 0 | na | 1 | 5/98 | Small | 0 | 0 | na |
|
na = not studied Note: All the programs that received a rating of medium/large had at least four schools in each of the studies reviewed. A rating of "medium to large" requires at least two studies and two schools across studies in one domain and a total sample size across studies of at least 350 students or 14 classrooms. Otherwise, the rating is "small." |
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Appendix A2 Targeted population
| Program name | Targeted students (grades) | Students in studies reviewed (grades) |
|---|---|---|
| Building Decision Skills + Service Learning | 7–12 | 12 |
| Caring School Community™ | K–6 | K–6 |
| Connect with Kids | 3–12 | 3–12 |
| Facing History and Ourselves | 6–12 | 8 |
| Heartwood Ethics Curriculum | K–6 | 1–6 |
| Lessons in Character | K–8 | 4–5 |
| Positive Action | K–12 | 1–6 |
| Skills for Action | 9–12 | 9–12 |
| Skills for Adolescence | 6–8 | 6–8 |
| Too Good for Drugs™ | K–8 | 3, 4, 6 |
| Too Good for Violence | K–8 | 3 |
| Too Good for Drugs and Violence | 9–12 | 9–12 |
| Voices Literature and Character Education Program | K–12 | 6–7 |
| Note: This table presents a comparison of targeted grade levels and the grade levels in the studies reviewed by the WWC. Grade levels are related to student age and may affect outcomes due to differences in the students' developmental stages as well as differences in school size and organization. | ||
Appendix A3 Summary of statistically significant1 or substantively important2 positive findings
| Behavior3 | Knowledge, attitudes, and values3 | Academic achievement3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statistically significant positive findings | Behavior across outcomes | Statistically significant positive findings | Knowledge across outcomes | Statistically significant positive findings | Academic achievement across outcomes | |
| Building Decision Skills + Service Learning | ||||||
| Leming 2001 (quasi-experimental design) |
na | na | Ethical perspective | ns, nsi |
na | na |
| Caring School Community | ||||||
| San Ramon Study (randomized controlled trial with confounding problems) |
Spontaneous prosocial behavior Supportive, friendly, & helpful behavior |
ns, Substantively important |
ns | ns, nsi |
ns | ns, nsi |
| The Six-District Study (quasi-experimental design) |
ns | ns, nsi |
ns | ns, nsi |
ns | ns, nsi |
| Connect with Kids | ||||||
| Page & D'Agostino 2005 (quasi-experimental design) |
Interpersonal behavior survey | Statistically significant, Substantively important |
na | na | na | na |
| Facing History and Ourselves | ||||||
| Schultz, Barr, & Selman 2001 (quasi-experimental design) |
ns | ns, nsi |
ns | ns, nsi |
na | na |
| Heartwood Ethics Curriculum | ||||||
| Leming 2000 (quasi-experimental design) |
ns | ns, nsi |
ns | ns, nsi |
na | na |
| Lessons in Character | ||||||
| Dietsch, Bayha, & Zheng 2005 (randomized controlled trial) |
ns | ns, nsi |
ns | ns, nsi |
Mathematics grades Attendance |
Statistically significant, Substantively important |
| Lions Quest–Skills for Action | ||||||
| Laird, Bradley, & Black 1998 (quasi-experimental design) |
na | na | ns | ns, nsi |
na | na |
| Lions Quest–Skills for Adolescence | ||||||
| Eisen, Zellman, & Murray 2003 (randomized controlled trial) |
Binge drinking | ns, nsi |
na | na | na | na |
| Positive Action | ||||||
| Flay et al. 2006 (randomized controlled trial) |
Suspensions Tobacco use Alcohol use Being drunk Illegal drug use Serious violence (boys) |
Statistically significant, Substantively important |
na | na | Grade retention | Statistically significant, Substantively important |
| Flay & Allred 2003 (quasi-experimental design) |
Violence rates Suspension rates |
Statistically significant, Substantively important |
na | na | The Florida Comprehensive Aptitude Test (FCAT) | Statistically significant, Substantively important |
| Too Good for Drugs™ | ||||||
| Bacon 2000 (randomized controlled trial) |
na | na | na | ns, nsi |
na | na |
| Bacon 2003 (randomized controlled trial) |
ns | Statistically significant, Substantively important |
na | ns, nsi |
na | na |
| Too Good for Drugs and Violence | ||||||
| Bacon 2001a (randomized controlled trial) |
na | na | Perceptions of social and resistance skills Perceptions of emotional competence |
ns, Substantively important |
na | na |
| Bacon 2001b (quasi-experimental design) |
na | na | Perceptions of social and resistance skills Perceptions of emotional competence Positive attitudes towards non-violence Perceptions of assertiveness/efficacy skills |
ns, Substantively important |
na | na |
| Too Good for Violence | ||||||
| Hall & Bacon 2005 (randomized controlled trial) |
Teacher checklist of student behaviors (20 week follow-up)–total score | Statistically significant, Substantively important |
ns | ns, Substantively important |
na | na |
| Voices Literature and Character Education | ||||||
| Demetriades-Guyette 2002 (quasi-experimental design) |
na | na | na | ns, nsi |
na | na |
|
na = not studied 2 For rating purposes, the WWC considered the statistical significance of the findings and the magnitude of the effect, also called the effect size. An average effect size is the sum of all the effect sizes of the student outcomes in a study in a single domain divided by the number of those outcomes. The WWC considers an average effect size across all student outcomes in one study in a given domain to be substantively important if it is equal to or greater than 0.25. 3 No studies showed statistically significant or substantively important negative findings in the domain. For a detailed description of the outcome measures, see Appendix A2 in the WWC intervention reports at www.whatworks.ed.gov. |
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