ED’s OSHS PREVENTION NEWS DIGEST OESE’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students NOVEMBER 17, 2011 VOLUME 6, NUMBER 52 | |
In This Issue 1. U.S. ED and DOD to Launch “Learning Registry” Tools and Community – Federal Agencies Release Research Project to Share Learning Resources and Policy Recommendations From the National Education Technology and Broadband Plans2. Justice Department Research Shows That School-Level Interventions Reduce Dating Violence by up to 50 Percent 3. HHS’ CDC Announces New Report--“Understanding Evidence Part 1: Best Available Research Evidence. A Guide to the Continuum of Evidence of Effectiveness”4. New Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire Released as a Supplemental Tool to the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence 5. New HHS’ CDC Report Shows that the Number of Prescription Painkiller Deaths More Than Tripled in Last 10 Years 6. HHS’ SAMHSA Announces and Seeks Help with Project Evolve: Transforming SAMHSA on the Web 7. HHS’ SAMHSA’s Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) has Opening for a Communications Specialist Supporting the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
-William T. Grant Foundation Investigator Initiated Grants -ARAMARK Building Community Innovation Awards The opinions expressed herein may not reflect the views of the Office of Safe and Healthy Students or the U.S. Department of Education. The availability of information from a variety of sources does not constitute and should not be considered as an endorsement of those sources by the U.S. Department of Education. We hope that you find this information to be useful. If you think ED’s OSHS PREVENTION NEWS DIGEST would be helpful to a friend or colleague, please send them to this website to: self enroll, change information, or unsubscribe. Contact Us: If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me at [log in to unmask]. David Quinlan Editor | U. S. ED and DOD to Launch “Learning Registry” Tools and Community – Federal Agencies Release Research Project to Share Learning Resources and Policy Recommendations From the National Education Technology and Broadband Plans The U.S. Departments of Education and Defense announced on November 7, the launch of “Learning Registry,” an open source community and technology designed to improve the quality and availability of learning resources in education. The launch is an important milestone in the effort to more effectively share information about learning resources among a broad set of stakeholders in the education community. “Learning Registry addresses a real problem in education, by bridging the silos that prevent educators from sharing valuable information and resources,” said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “The Registry also allows content developers, curriculum coordinators, principals, counselors, and everyone else who supports good teaching in the classroom to benefit from the combined knowledge of the field.” The project was made possible by a $2.6 million investment, with the Departments of Education and Defense contributing $1.3 million each to the effort. Rather than creating an alternative destination to existing websites, Learning Registry is a communication system that allows existing educational portals and online systems to publish, consume and share important information about learning resources with each other and the public, while respecting the privacy of individual users. Basic data about resources—grade level, subject area and author—can be shared through Learning Registry, as well as more complex data such as curricular standards alignment information. This platform for innovative data sharing also allows user activities to be shared anonymously, such as the types of educators who find a specific resource particularly useful (e.g., elementary teachers, or those focused on working with migrant students, etc.). The Learning Registry community and technology are intended to create opportunities for future innovation in areas that are just now starting to be explored. The project is an open, community–supported activity – any organization or individual can contribute to or use the technology. Learning Registry technology's open source license permits integration into other open projects, and in commercial applications. The project is a voluntary collaboration among many organizations that want to share more and new types of information about learning resources with one another and the public. Federal agencies participating in the Learning Registry community, in addition to U.S. Departments of Education and Defense, include National Archives and Records Administration, Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution. Private sector organizations collaborating on the project include PBS, National Science Digital Library, Agilix, Institute for Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), BetterLesson, Benetech, Booz Allen Hamilton, JISC UK, European Schoolnet, Achieve, and JES & Co. State and local governments involved in the project include the Florida Department of Education's CPALMS project and the California Department of Education's CTE Online and Brokers of Expertise projects supported by the Butte County Office of Education/CADRE in California. A recording of the event will be made available on the U.S. Department of Education's website (www.ed.gov). For further details about Department of Education's involvement in Learning Registry and related initiatives, please contact the Department's Office of Education Technology. For further information and contact with collaborators using Learning Registry, visit the community website www.learningregistry.org. Justice Department Research Shows That School-Level Interventions Reduce Dating Violence by up to 50 Percent On November 9, The Department of Justice announced new research from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) that finds school-level interventions reduced dating violence among middle school students by up to 50 percent in 30 New York City public schools. This study was originally conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum and funded by the National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. The study used a multi-level, randomized control trial to find out what is effective in preventing dating violence and sexual harassment among over 2,500 sixth- and seventh-grade students. “The success of school-level interventions is particularly important because they can be implemented with very few extra costs to schools. The scientific methods in this study were rigorous,” said John H. Laub, Ph.D., Director of the National Institute of Justice. “They show the potential for science to support successful, cost-effective options.” School-level interventions include using temporary school-based restraining orders, higher levels of faculty and security presence in areas identified as “hot spots,” and posters to increase awareness and encourage reporting of incidents to school officials. Classroom-level interventions, when delivered alone, had no effect. The classroom-level curricula included sessions that addressed the consequences for perpetrators of dating violence and sexual harassment, state laws and penalties, and discussion of gender roles and healthy relationships. Other critical findings included: The combination of the classroom and the school-level intervention alone led to a 32-47 percent lower sexual violence victimization and perpetration six months after the intervention. Students receiving the school-level intervention were more likely to say they would intervene as a bystander six months after the intervention. Focus groups helped the researchers understand how the interventions were employed and received. The focus groups confirmed that interventions were straightforward to put in place, were implemented as planned, were supported by teachers, and reinforced positive survey results. This study was co-funded by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education. TITLE: Shifting Boundaries: Final Report on an Experimental Evaluation of a Youth Dating Violence Prevention Program in New York City Middle Schools AUTHORS: Bruce Taylor*, Ph.D., National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago; Nan D. Stein, Ed.D., Wellesley College, Center for Research on Women, Wellesley Centers for Women; Dan Woods, Ph.D., Police Executive Research Forum; Elizabeth Mumford, Ph.D., National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago WHERE: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/236175.pdf *Dr. Taylor began working as the Principal Investigator (PI) of this study while serving as the Director of Research at the Police Executive Research Forum. Dr. Taylor has since transferred to the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. SOURCE: The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has six bureaus and offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). More information about OJP and its components can be found at http://www.ojp.gov. HHS’ CDC Announces New Report--“Understanding Evidence Part 1: Best Available Research Evidence. A Guide to the Continuum of Evidence of Effectiveness” A new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Understanding Evidence, Part 1: Best Available Research Evidence, aims to explain the purpose and meaning of the Continuum of Evidence of Effectiveness, a tool that was developed to facilitate a common understanding of what the best available research evidence means in the field of violence prevention. This Continuum also serves to provide common language for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in discussing evidence-based decision making. Increasing emphasis has been placed on the importance of evidence-informed prevention strategies and evidence-based decision making. Definitions of what constitutes “evidence” have been debated, but most agree that evidence is extremely important for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers charged with the task of making decisions around the funding and implementation of violence prevention strategies. In this guidance document, CDC aims to explain the purpose and meaning of the Continuum of Evidence of Effectiveness, a tool that was developed to facilitate a common understanding of what the Best Available Research Evidence means in the field of violence prevention. This Continuum also serves to provide common language for researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers in discussing evidence-based decision making. The Best Available Research Evidence enables researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers to determine whether or not a prevention program, practice, or policy is actually achieving the outcomes it aims to and in the way it intends. The more rigorous a study’s research design, (e.g., randomized control trials, quasi-experimental designs), the more compelling the research evidence. The Best Available Research Evidence is widely accepted as the most commonly used type of evidence in fields ranging from medicine to psychology. Although increasingly, other forms of evidence related to clinical/practitioner experience/expertise and setting/contextual factors have been recognized as being crucial to the success of prevention efforts for many behavioral health problems, including violence. “Understanding Evidence Part 1: Best Available Research Evidence. A Guide to the Continuum of Evidence of Effectiveness” is a publication of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is available on-line by visiting: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/Understanding_Evidence-a.pdf SOURCE: U.S. ED’s OESE’s OSHS’ Higher Education Center/News e-Digest, November 4, 2011 New Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire Released as a Supplemental Tool to the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence As a supplemental tool to the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), the Crimes against Children Research Center has released the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire-2nd Edition (JVQ-R). The JVQ-R2 is free and available online at: http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/jvq/available_versions.html . .The questionnaire, which is the core of NatSCEV, attempts to document the full range of victimization that youth experience, including conventional crime, maltreatment, peer and sibling victimization, sexual victimization, witnessing, and other exposure to violence. Moreover, it can help practitioners determine youth’s needs, assess whether victimization programs are effective, raise awareness on youth victimization, and improve victimization research. Resources: For more information about the JVQ-R2, go to www.unh.edu/ccrc/jvq/index_new.html. To view and download publications from the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence series, visit www.ojjdp.gov/publications/PubResults.asp?sei=94 New HHS’ CDC Report Shows that the Number of Prescription Painkiller Deaths More Than Tripled in Last 10 Years The number of Americans who died from overdoses of prescription painkillers more than tripled in the past decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More people now die from painkillers than from heroin and cocaine combined. An estimated 14,800 people died in the United States from painkiller overdoses in 2008, a more than threefold jump from the 4,000 deaths recorded in 1999, the CDC said in a new report. Prescription and illegal drugs caused 36,450 deaths in 2008, compared with 39,973 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, according to the Associated Press. The CDC said painkiller abuse and deaths are rising because the drugs are easier than ever to obtain. They cited the growth of “pill mills,” clinics that prescribe opioids without first conducting medical exams, and “doctor shopping,” or receiving multiple prescriptions from different doctors. According to the CDC, enough painkillers were prescribed in 2010 to medicate every American adult around the clock for a month. “Right now, the system is awash in opioids—dangerous drugs that got people hooked and keep them hooked,” said CDC Director Thomas Frieden. “Prescription drug abuse is a silent epidemic that is stealing thousands of lives and tearing apart communities and families across America,” Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, said in a CDC news release (http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p1101_flu_pain_killer_overdose.html). He noted health care providers and patients should be educated on the risks of prescription painkillers. “Parents and grandparents should properly dispose of any unneeded or expired medications from the home and to talk to their kids about the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs,” he noted. For the complete CDC Report, please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6043a4.htm?s_cid=mm6043a4_w SOURCE: Join Together Daily News (the Partnership at Drugfree), November 4, 2011 HHS’ SAMHSA Announces and Seeks Help with Project Evolve: Transforming SAMHSA on the Web Several years ago, I listened to a keynote speech at the annual SXSW Interactive Festival (http://sxsw.com/interactive) where the presenter talked about how their corporate org chart had their customers located at the center of the diagram. This implied that customers were not only important to the organization but that customers had a role and a voice in shaping the organization and the way it conducted business. Not long ago, applying this philosophy to government websites would have seemed nearly impossible. However, sites like FCC.gov (http://www.fcc.gov/), ConsumerFinance.gov (http://www.consumerfinance.gov/) and FederalRegister.gov (http://www.federalregister.gov/) have shown that it is possible to re-imagine how the government engages with the public. Also, the current “.gov”reform effort (http://www.usa.gov/WebReform.shtml) clearly shows that a wave of positive change is coming to federal websites. As these efforts continue to gain momentum, SAMHSA chooses to be out in front of this wave and, in fact, be part of the leading edge. To accomplish this, SAMHSA is initiating a website improvement project, Project Evolve, designed to ensure that stakeholder feedback is one of key elements driving improvements on SAMHSA.gov. SAMHSA has already demonstrated its leadership in using the principles of open government (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment/) with its online forums on agency Strategic Initiatives (http://blog.samhsa.gov/2010/10/29/thousands-comment-on-samhsas-plan-to-leading-change/) and the Definition of Recovery. As part the web redesign efforts, SAMHSA is committed to building on these efforts and that we use all of the tools at our disposal to gather meaningful feedback from our stakeholders. This project will take time. There are no quick fixes to complex problems. This is especially true when the desired outcome is a website that will not only serve the needs of today, but will have the flexibility and agility to respond as technology and priorities change. While some changes will be easy to spot, others are more structural in nature and thus will not have the same “wow” factor as a new design or layout. These invisible changes are nonetheless essential and are what will make the SAMSHA website the go-to destination for behavioral health information on the web. With the launch of Project Evolve, SAMHSA is adding a new category to this blog (http://blog.samhsa.gov/category/evolve/) where SAMHSA will post updates on progress, provide more insight into the web vision SAMHSA is developing and present ideas for discussion and feedback. As part of the first post, SAMHSA is not only announcing this project, they are also looking for help. One of the first tasks for the SAMHSA team is the development of a new Information Architecture (IA) for SAMHSA.gov. This new site organization will set the groundwork for many of the changes to come and SAMHSA needs your help in taking this important first step. They are asking anyone interested to choose the most appropriate link from the two below to help us better understand how information should be categorized and organized on the SAMHSA.gov. The “card sort” exercise is very intuitive and expertise in web design is NOT needed. This activity should only take 15-20 minutes, so please consider participating.\ Behavioral Health Professionals Card Sort-- https://aquilentux.optimalworkshop.com/optimalsort/samhsa-categories General Public Card Sort-- https://aquilentux.optimalworkshop.com/optimalsort/samhsa For full information, please go to: http://blog.samhsa.gov/2011/11/14/project-evolve-transforming-samhsa-on-the-web/ SOURCE: Blog-- Written By: Andrew Wilson , SAMHSA’s Office of Communications, November 14, 2011 HHS’ SAMHSA’s Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) has Opening for a Communications Specialist Supporting the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention SOURCE: Suicide Prevention Resource Center, The Weekly Spark, November 11, 2011 Foundation Funding Opportunities William T. Grant Foundation Investigator Initiated Grants The William T. Grant Foundation supports research to understand and improve the everyday settings of youth between the ages of 8 and 25 in the United States. The grant program is designed to support high-quality research projects that increase the understanding of how youth social settings work, how they affect youth development, and how they can be improved. Multiple grants averaging from $100,000-600,000 over 2 to 3 years will be awarded. Eligible applicants must be employed at a nonprofit institution, and proposed projects must be consistent with the foundation's current research interests and address issues that have relevance for theory, policy, and/or practice affecting the settings of youth ages 8 to 25 in the US. Deadline: January 5, 2012 (Letters of Inquiry)
Please contact the William T. Grant Foundation for more information and to apply for this funding: http://www.wtgrantfoundation.org/funding_opportunities/research_grants/investigator_initiated_grants ARAMARK Building Community Innovation Awards ARAMARK Building Community is ARAMARK's signature philanthropic and volunteer program designed to enrich the lives of disadvantaged families by strengthening community centers’ ability to engage residents and community leaders to create neighborhood change and lasting opportunity. The Building Community Innovation Awards recognize excellence in innovation and programming by local community centers. Three $20,000 grants will be awarded to innovative programs that demonstrate an effective way to increase efficiency, impact or scale within their community. Additionally, one $40,000 grant will be awarded to an outstanding executive that demonstrates an active voice on behalf of community centers. Ideal candidates will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of local underserved populations, support services, innovative program components, and strong community partnerships. Deadline: November 30, 2011 (Executive Grant) & January 12, 2012 (Program Grants)
Please contact ARAMARK Building Community for more information and to apply for this funding: http://www.aramarkbuildingcommunity.com/ SOURCE: The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS), The Weekly Insider, November 10, 2011 |