The US government’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention provides a Model Programs Guide (MPG) that is extensive, detailed, and searchable. The databbase covers more than thirty types of programs ranging from “academic skills enhancement” to “wraparound services” and classifies the individual programs as “expemplary,” “effective,” or “promising” depending on the quality of the evidence for the benefits of each.
The MPG includes information about scientifically proven prevention and intervention programs that target problem behaviors among youth. To be included in the guide, programs must focus on one of the following problem behaviors: delinquency, violence, youth gang involvement, alcohol, tobacco and drug use, academic difficulties, family functioning, trauma exposure or sexual activity/exploitation and accompanying mental health issues.
Because it is very broad and the standards are not quite as rigorous as some other projects (e.g., What Works Clearinghouse), MPG should serve only as an screening system for identifying effective models. However, it provides an excellent first cut and some of the model programs rated “exemplary” would be ones that would be recognized by experts employing demanding standards for evaluating programs.
Link to the home page and a link for a specific search (exemplary, prevention, academic skills enhancement, 6-12 years age) as an example of using the MPG data base.
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