Dr. Gilbert Botvin’s LifeSkills Training is a school-based prevention program that produces sustained reductions in substance abuse and violence. The CDC and others have given LST their approval and support for national replication. The promise of effective prevention programs is best realized when communities support school efforts and teachers are trained in optimal teaching strategies and provided with adequate time and space in which to work. Schools still face major challenges in these and other areas. The adoption of effective prevention strategies coincides with a national mandate to teach and test a limited profile of proficiencies, of which social and emotional competencies and other Health related skills are not a part. Cognitive-behavioral skill acquisition takes time and practice. Health Educators often have less than 10 weeks to achieve their objectives, while colleagues interested in teaching prevention are constrained by the demands of teaching to a test. Another challenge is in providing adequate training and resources to teachers, many of whom need time to develop new teaching strategies to engage students in dialogue and skill practice. A one or two-day workshop is not enough to change pedagogy. In the long run, institutions of higher education must prepare new teachers to recognize risk behaviors and respond with appropriate strategies. Effective programs will succeed when schools and teachers are rendered effective. As we discover what works, we must provide the professional training and find the political will to make it happen. The well being of our students demands no less. See www.lifeskillstraining.com
Learning Objectives: Participants will examine implementation variables for school-based prevention programs, and analyze challenges to effective replication
Keywords: Prevention, Curricula
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Life Skills Training, by Gilbert J. Botvin, PhD.
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employed by National Health Promotion Associates, affiliated with Dr. Botvin