Strengthening Family Relationships
Strengthening family relationships provides a better quality of life for people by enhancing health, safety, support, and a nurturing environment in which families can grow. CSREES supports family strengthening through national partnerships and multistate teams. Multistate team members include CSREES national program leaders and extension and research faculty at the land-grant universities.
For older articles, visit the archives.
eXtension Just in Time Parenting is on the move!
The first 12 months of Just in Time Parenting letters are now available on the eXtension Web site. Thanks to extension colleagues across the nation, we’re making steady progress on the issues up through 5 years of age; the prenatal issues are in the final editing stage. The subscription process is nearly ready for launch, allowing individuals to enroll and receive monthly notifications that their personalized newsletters are ready. An automated post-launch evaluation and reporting system will be pilot-tested to solicit parent feedback.
PDF versions of months 1–12 are also being developed. Parents will be able to print out and share a very attractive monthly newsletter. Extension staff will have a print-ready letter (with customizable space for your logo or masthead title) that you may distribute by mail.
Extension colleagues are invited to serve as reviewers, “experts” for the Ask the Expert feature, and to contribute articles. Contact Pat Nelson at ptnelson@ude.edu for more information.
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Strong Families, Strong Soldiers is an ongoing project funded by a cooperative agreement between CSREES and the U.S. Army
Strong Families, Strong Soldiers is an ongoing project funded by a cooperative agreement between CSREES and the U.S. Army. Cornell University serves as the land-grant university partner. Cornell collaborates with the Army’s Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Command family program staff to provide technical assistance (needs assessments, survey analysis, and outcome evaluation), evidence-based research briefs, and standardized training materials to enhance the delivery of support services to families of the active duty, National Guard, and Reserve soldiers, regardless of geographic location.
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New Research to Practice Brief is now available from the What Works, Wisconsin team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Wisconsin-Extension
"Evidence-based programs: An overview" reviews the definition of evidence-based programs, the research behind them, their advantages and disadvantages, and where they can be found. Visit the What Works Web site to learn more about the Research to Practice series and download any or all of the briefs.
Research to Practice Briefs
Research to Practice Briefs addresses issues related to juvenile delinquency prevention and evidence-based programs. In each brief, we synthesize relevant research to help practitioners understand a particular issue and make informed decisions about their own programming.
In "Evidence-based programs: An overview," we take a step back from implementation questions to cover the basics of what evidence-based programs are and why they merit consideration by program practitioners. We also include a list of evidence-based program registries. The brief is designed as a refresher for those who are familiar with the concept of evidence-based programs or a user-friendly introduction to the topic for those who are new to it.
Previous briefs have addressed questions that often arise in the understanding and implementation of evidence-based programs across a wide range of program types, as well as topics of particular interest to juvenile justice professionals. Titles include:
- Finding effective solutions to truancy
- Program fidelity and adaptation: Meeting community needs without compromising program effectiveness
- Guidelines for selecting an evidence-based program: Balancing community needs, program quality, and organizational resources
- Strategies for recruiting and retaining participants in prevention programs
- Culturally appropriate programming: What do we know about evidence-based programs for culturally and ethnically diverse youth and their families?
Background on What Works, Wisconsin
What Works, Wisconsin is a project of the University of Wisconsin–Madison's School of Human Ecology and the University of Wisconsin–Extension's Family Living Program. Initiated in 2004 with funding from the Governor's Juvenile Justice Commission, the What Works project focuses on distilling the latest scientific knowledge on effective policies, practices, and programs, including "evidence-based programs," for youth and their families, schools, and communities. In addition to disseminating this information to practitioners and policymakers, the What Works staff provides technical assistance on program design, improvement, and evaluation. Through publications, presentations, workshops, and individualized technical assistance, the What Works team provides practitioners and policymakers with the tools to develop effective programs and evaluate and improve existing programming based on state-of-the-art knowledge of what makes programs effective.
A larger report (What Works, Wisconsin: What science tells us about cost-effective programs for juvenile delinquency prevention, by Stephen A. Small, Arthur J. Reynolds, Cailin O’Connor, and Siobhan M. Cooney) is available for download. This 2005 report synthesizes the latest research on what works in preventing and reducing juvenile delinquency. The report highlights some of the most effective, proven programs in a number of areas ranging from home visiting for mothers and infants to community-based programs for juvenile offenders. In plain language, the authors synthesize three decades of original research, program evaluations, research reviews, and program registries to promote an understanding of evidence-based programs, the principles of effective programs, and cost-benefit analysis.
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