Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 11:44:37 -0400 Reply-To: Prevention ED List <[log in to unmask]> From: "Quinlan, David" <[log in to unmask]> Subject: 4-27-06--OSDFS PREVENTION NEWS BULLETIN Content-Type: multipart/alternative; 4-27-06--OSDFS PREVENTION NEWS BULLETIN 1. VARIATION IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NONSCHOOL FACTORS AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENTS 2. PREVENTION TALK--METHAMPHETAMINE: AN UPDATE--# 24--CSAP'S WESTERN CENTER FOR THE APPLICATION OF PREVENTION TECHNOLOGIES 3. WHERE WE LEARN: URBAN SCHOOL CLIMATE REPORT FROM NSBA 4. INFLUENCE OF TEACHER APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL ON STUDENT BEHAVIOR 5. REDUX: CHOOSE RESPECT 6. CDC PRESENTS INSTITUTE TO TRAIN LEADERS TO PREVENT CHILD MALTREATMENT CONDUCTED BY PREVENT 7. PREVENTION WORKS! SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION RESOURCE KIT: METHAMPHETAMINE 8. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MAY PBS 'IN THE MIX' SCHEDULE VARIATION IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NONSCHOOL FACTORS AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENTS This report uses NCES data to describe differences in nonschool factors that are related to student achievement. The data are from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003, an international assessment of 15-year olds in reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy. The report focuses on data from 20 countries that are considered to be the most developed (based on the World Bank High Income Group). The report investigates six nonschool factors that are related to student achievement: highest level of education attained by either of the students ' parents; the highest occupational status of either of the students' parents; the number of books that students have access to in the home; whether students speak the native language of the country at home; students' immigrant status; and students' family structure. The PISA data indicate that the observed variation in the distribution of student characteristics across countries does not place the United States at a disadvantage in international assessments compared with other highly developed countries; students with high levels of socioeconomic status had an educational advantage over their low SES counterparts across all 20 countries, even after considering the differences in the percentage of students who are immigrants, from less-advantaged homes, non-native language speakers, and other factors. To download, view and print the publication as a PDF file, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006014 PREVENTION TALK--METHAMPHETAMINE: AN UPDATE--# 24--CSAP'S WESTERN CENTER FOR THE APPLICATION OF PREVENTION TECHNOLOGIES By Linda Kamerrer, Edited by Kris Gabrielsen and Jack Wilson Methamphetamine continues to be prominent in the news and is a concern for many parents. Trafficking and use of this drug gradually spread from the West Coast and Southwest to the Midwest and Eastern United States. Agricultural communities and geographically isolated areas were initially targeted by the producers, or "cooks." Now methamphetamine is affecting suburban, rural, and urban areas across the United States. A national youth survey notes the following changes between 2004 and 2005: lifetime use of methamphetamine rose .6 percent among 8th graders, fell 1.2 percent among 10th graders, and fell 1.7 percent among 12th graders. (1) Price is not a barrier and neither is access. Methamphetamine can be made almost anywhere with a few easy to obtain ingredients. At least 20 States have enacted or are considering laws restricting purchase of the readily available ingredients for making meth. Treatment centers, researchers, and criminal justice officials are hard at work developing and securing funding for effective treatment. (2) Drug enforcement agencies have allocated increased resources to eliminate imported drugs and ingredients, to find and safely dispose of drug producing labs, and to increase penalties for violators. Communities and entire States are collaborating with federal agencies on meth initiatives. Participants can organize and combine their efforts around prevention and intervention against methamphetamine; visit www.methwatchwa.com for examples. The Methamphetamine Awareness Project in Oregon is an innovative partnership among high schools, the film industry, and prevention education. For details visit: www.methawarenessproject.org. Think About: - It is important to understand the risk factors, use patterns, and unique characteristics surrounding the methamphetamine problem in your community when choosing prevention and education strategies. - Addressing methamphetamine through comprehensive prevention and education designed to prevent all forms of drug abuse will increase long-term effectiveness.(1) - Visit the new federally sponsored site for some of the most recent information on meth: www.methresources.gov Action Steps: - Actively participate in school, community, and family prevention and education programs with your child. - Have a frank talk with your family about meth; clearly articulate a no use policy. - Listen to concerns from your teens on a frequent basis. - Review and practice drug refusal skills; visit: http:family.samhsa.gov/teach/refusal.aspx for ideas. Remember: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."--Margaret Mead Sources: (1) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive, University of Michigan. New 2005 drug trends. Retrieved December 20, 2005 from http://monitoringthefuture.org/data/05data/pr05t1.pdf (2) National Institute of Drug Abuse. (2005, April 21). NIDA infoFacts: High school and youth trends. Retrieved August 14, 2005 from www.drugabuse.gov/Infofacts/HSYouthtrends.html (3) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/ (2004). Long-term abstinence brings partial recovery from methamphetamine damage (NIH Publication No. 05-3478). Bethesda, MD: Author (4) U.S. Department of Justice. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Education, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy/Methamphetamine Interagency Task Force-Final Report: Federal Advisory Committee. (2000). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. WHERE WE LEARN: URBAN SCHOOL CLIMATE REPORT FROM NSBA Students cannot learn well and are not likely to behave well in difficult school environments. Good student development and academic learning are inextricably linked. Students care about where they learn. They spend the better part of most days in class or on the playground, so they care very much about what it feels like to be at school. Is the school safe and clean? Can they trust their teachers? And do teachers believe in and respect them? These feelings influence how students feel about themselves -- how confident they are, what they think of themselves as learners, and what kind of future they see. School climate is the learning environment created through the interaction of human relationships, physical setting, and psychological atmosphere. Researchers and educators agree that school climate influences students, teachers, and staff members and affects student achievement. Yet many school improvement initiatives primarily address school structure and procedures and virtually ignore school climate. These initiatives may be prompted by concern over inadequate scores on state tests or national assessments or driven by a desire to improve on an already positive performance. Despite this focus on academic achievement, however, factors embedded in a school's functioning that directly influence performance may be overshadowed in these reform initiatives, finds a new report from the National School Boards Association's Council of Urban Boards of Education. http://www.nsba.org/cube/WhereWeLearn INFLUENCE OF TEACHER APPROVAL/DISAPPROVAL ON STUDENT BEHAVIOR How do the ways in which teachers express approval and disapproval of student actions bring about change in individual and group behaviors? The latest ASCD Research Brief highlights a study in which researchers designed a short-term program to help teachers examine their own use of praise and disapproval in the classroom and supplemented this information with a brief training presentation on managing student behavior. Relationships play a key role in classroom management and discipline. The way in which teachers interact with individual students -- as well as with groups of students and the entire class - -helps define acceptable (and unacceptable) academic and social behaviors, as well as desired learning outcomes. When reacting verbally to students, teachers may use a variety of management techniques, including praising desired behaviors, expressing disapproval of undesirable behaviors, or even ignoring student behaviors. Although historically many teachers have worked to control student outcomes by expressing disapproval for unacceptable actions, recent research has focused on the benefits of praising good behavior rather than focusing on unacceptable behavior. Expression of disapproval may have a short-term effect on student behaviors, but praise appears to have a longer-term effect and to be more generally effective at influencing student actions. http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/menuitem.bf94f2521501fd98dd1b2110d3108a0c/ REDUX: CHOOSE RESPECT According to recent research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one out of four 8th and 9th graders reports being a victim of dating violence. Even more startling, many adolescents do not grasp the seriousness of dating abuse. CDC research shows that a majority of young people think that emotional and verbal abuse are "normal" parts of relationships. To increase positive relationship behaviors and healthy relationships among young people ages 11-14, CDC's Division of Violence Prevention is launching a nationwide campaign entitled, "Choose Respect." For more information about the campaign and how you can help launch it in your community at no cost, visit www.chooserespect.org <http://www.chooserespect.org/> . The materials on the website include a Teacher's Guide, a Community Action Kit including a section for schools, a downloadable 13 minute video, sample radio and TV PSAs, and fact sheets, among others. Visit the DASH Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth. CDC PRESENTS INSTITUTE TO TRAIN LEADERS TO PREVENT CHILD MALTREATMENT CONDUCTED BY PREVENT Conducted by PREVENT <http://prevent.unc.edu/>, a component of the National Training Initiative for Injury and Violence Prevention <http://www.injuryed.org/>, the PREVENT Child Maltreatment Institute <http://prevent.unc.edu/education/CMT/cmt.htm> is designed to enhance leadership for child maltreatment prevention. Intended for multi-organizational teams <http://prevent.unc.edu/education/CMT/cmtTEAMS.htm> of 4-6 individuals with leadership experience in primary prevention of child maltreatment, the Institute consists of three parts: 3 days of coursework and team-based activities, an 8-month project back home with assistance from a coach, and 3 more days of courses and team presentations. (Classes will be held in Chapel Hill, NC.) With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <http://www.cdc.gov/>'s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control <http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/ncipchm.htm>, cost for participating <http://prevent.unc.edu/education/CMT/cmtCOST.htm> in the PREVENT Child Maltreatment Institute should be minimal. The application <http://prevent.unc.edu/education/CMT/cmtAPPLICATION.htm> deadline is April 30, 2006. Resources: To obtain additional information and register online, visit <http://prevent.unc.edu/education/CMT/cmt.htm>. Questions may be addressed to [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>. PREVENTION WORKS! SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION RESOURCE KIT: METHAMPHETAMINE The latest product from the joint CSAP-NPN Prevention Works! communications training initiative, Prevention Works! Substance Abuse Prevention Resource Kit: Methamphetamine was mailed in printed format to NPN and NASADAD members, and to the CAPT directors, on April 3, 2006. The Kit includes a CD-ROM of its contents. Electronic files of the Kit are also available in the Backgrounders/Resource Kits section of the NPN-only password-protected Prevention Works! Web site, at: http:ncadi.samhsa.gov/pw4npn This Prevention Works! Substance Abuse Prevention Resource Kit: Methamphetamine is intended to help those involved in substance abuse prevention develop a balanced view of methamphetamine and how it fits into the overall substance abuse picture. It also offers basic information to help them feel confident in planning and implementing successful methamphetamine prevention efforts. The kit includes: * Prevention Works! A Joint CSAP-NPN Communications Training Initiative * SAMHSA's Matrix Priority Programs * SAMHSA's Strategic Prevention Framework * About Methamphetamine: Overview/Discussion * Talking Points * Preventing Methamphetamine Use/Abuse: Examples of Federal, National, State, and Community Efforts * Fact Sheets on Methamphetamine related to: Children;Adolescents/Young Adults/Adults; Women; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons; The Environment; Law Enforcement/Interdiction; Myths; * Selected Web-based Resources on Methamphetamine; Selected Web-based Resources on Prevention * Methamphetamine: A PowerPoint Presentation * Disk containing files of the resource kit contents HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MAY PBS 'IN THE MIX' SCHEDULE Week of: May 6th - 13th #416: ALCOHOL: WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW VHS/DVD w/Spanish subtitles It's true: What you don't know CAN hurt you! So In the Mix takes a hard look at drinking with hard facts. We meet some teens who are recovering alcoholics and a boy who paid a high price for drinking and driving: he was left partially brain damaged from an accident. In a powerful segment, two 21 year-olds test the real physical effects of alcohol on the body as they drink and drive under supervision of the police and a doctor. They dispel myths about alcohol and ways to sober up. In other segments we take a look at a high school program in which upperclassmen hold workshops on drinking for younger students; and we see what really goes on at a police sobriety checkpoint. "I saw the Alcohol show and it changed my outlook on drinking. I never knew it was that dangerous. Thank you so much for that show, it really made me think."-Meredith Foss, student May 13th - 20th #504: SELF-ESTEEM: BUILDING STRENGTHS VHS/DVD w/Spanish subtitles Both boys and girls face a drop in confidence as they enter puberty. This program helps teens develop self-esteem by focusing on physical, mental and emotional strengths. We follow teens as they participate in challenging activities and workshops given by psychologists and celebrity role models, including athletes Tiffeny Millbrett and Lisa Leslie. Along with an adolescent development expert, they answer questions and give specific advice on setting goals, coping with mistakes, negative thinking, bullying, choosing friends, dealing with emotions, problem solving and other critical issues. Boys and girls also speak out about the pressure to fit in and other stresses. Viewers see how these teens learn to create their own definitions of strength and self-esteem. The program is primarily directed towards middle school grades, but it is also relevant for high school use. "...combines interviews with teens, psychologists, and athletes with practical strategies. Recommended" - Video Librarian A wide range of ages and physical types of student participants are included in the discussions. Video and audio is well done and clear. This video could serve as an excellent starting point for class discussions or guidance program." - School Library Journal May 20th- 27th #431: TEEN IMMIGRANTS VHS This unique program explores the lives of teenagers from the Philippines, Russia, Namibia, Korea, Egypt, India and England. Through meeting teens from other countries, American teens learn about the differences and the common ground shared with their peers. We see them in their homes, in school, at work and just having fun. We hear about the uniqueness of each country's culture and the common issues teens face such as violence, substance abuse and relationships. The program provides insight into the ways teens of other cultures live, promoting tolerance and understanding of other cultures. "I'm always on the look-out for resources. I implement training for teachers on how to use effective teaching and support strategies for youngsters who are immigrating." -Melodee Zamudio, CA May 27th- June 3rd #429: DEPRESSION: ON THE EDGE VHS/DVD w/Spanish subtitles This program, co-hosted by popular music group Third Eye Blind, covers teen angst from normal "blues," to clinical depression, to suicide and shows when, how, and where teens can get help. In the Mix also visits Pierre, South Dakota, a small town with the highest per capita rate of teen suicide in the United States. Teen activists in Pierre have joined together to institute a program to help other teens deal with depression and prevent suicide in their community. Most importantly, the program breaks down the social stigma of depression that leads many teens to deny and hide their problem. Through information and dialogue teens will get the facts and be better able to help themselves and their peers battle this growing national epidemic. Winner of the 1999 National Mental Health Association's Award for Journalistic Excellence. NOTE: The material provided in this OSDFS PREVENTION NEWS BULLETIN is for informational purposes only. The opinions expressed herein may not always reflect the views of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools or the US Department of Education, nor do they imply an endorsement. We hope that you find this information to be useful. [text/html] Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main PREVENTIONED page

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