Technical report: Evaluation of the Too Good for Drugs Elementary School Prevention Program.
Bacon, T. P. (2003). A report produced for Florida Department of Education Department of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. Tallahassee, FL. Available from: The Mendez Foundation, 601 S. Magnolia Avenue, Tampa, FL 33606.
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examining1,050Students, grades3-4
Too Good for Drugs (TGFD) Intervention Report - Character Education
Review Details
Reviewed: September 2006
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Please see the WWC summary of evidence for Too Good for Drugs (TGFD).
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Prosocial behaviors |
Too Good for Drugs (TGFD) vs. None |
Follow-up |
Grades 3-4;
|
3.82 |
3.46 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Personal and social skills |
Too Good for Drugs (TGFD) vs. None |
Follow-up |
Grades 3-4;
|
3.75 |
3.51 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Inappropriate behaviors |
Too Good for Drugs (TGFD) vs. None |
Follow-up |
Grades 3-4;
|
4.04 |
4.04 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Goal setting and decision making skills |
Too Good for Drugs (TGFD) vs. None |
Posttest |
Grades 3-4;
|
4.33 |
4.21 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Emotional competency skills (follow-up) |
Too Good for Drugs (TGFD) vs. None |
Posttest |
Grades 3-4;
|
4.00 |
3.95 |
No |
-- | |
|
Social and resistance skills |
Too Good for Drugs (TGFD) vs. None |
Follow-up |
Grades 3-4;
|
3.59 |
3.54 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 49%
Male: 51% -
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Florida
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Race Black 17% Other or unknown 2% White 71% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 10% Not Hispanic or Latino 90%
Study Details
Setting
The school district was in Lake County, Florida.
Study sample
The study comparison included 1,142 third- and fourth-grade students from six elementary schools. About 45% of the sample was eligible to participate in the free or reduced lunch program. Of the sample, 49% were females, 71% Caucasian, 17% African-American, 10% Hispanic, and 2% other race (Asian; American Indian; multicultural).
Intervention Group
The program was implemented during the first half of the school year. Classroom teachers delivered 10 lesson units averaging 45 minutes in length to students in grades 3 and 4. Students were also encouraged to participate in “Home Workouts” with their family members to reinforce the lessons.
Comparison Group
The comparison group was drawn from matched schools in the same school district. Comparison group students did not participate in the Too Good for Drugs™ program at the time of the study but received it in the fourth quarter of the school year.
Outcome descriptions
Students responded to two sets of survey items. Three items were used to gauge students’ intentions to drink alcohol and use marijuana within the next 12 months. Nineteen additional items were used to assess protective factors associated with youth susceptibility to illicit drugs. The 19 items were grouped into such protective factor subscales as perceptions of peer resistance skills, prosocial peer relationships, and locus of control. (See Appendices A2.1 and A2.2 for a more detailed description of outcome measures.)
Support for implementation
No training information was given other than that in small groups or individually teachers received a brief training refresher.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).