LAURA COLOSI RACHEL DUNIFON EFFECTIVE PARENT EDUCATION PROGRAMS This brief provides a summary of features of successful targeted intervention programs for children with special parenting programs and a description of criteria needs or problems such as low literacy or learning researchers use to determine the effectiveness of such disabilities. programs. This report relies on materials from three sources: the Rand Organization’s Promising Practices PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS Network; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Effective programs vary in curriculum content, length Program’s (OJJDP) Family Strengthening Series; and of intervention, and target population. However, research the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect’s Emerging (Kumpfer and Alvarado 1998; Brown 2001) shows that Practices criteria for programs designed to prevent child some broad principles are common to effective parent abuse and neglect. The goal of this brief is to provide education programs: parent educators with information about components of successful parent education programs, and to highlight the v Program goals should be explicitly stated as ways in which researchers evaluate such programs. In measurable outcomes. particular, this brief shows that programs that are shown Ø For example, one program deemed “proven” to be effective follow rigorous evaluation standards and by the Promising Practices Network is the identify clearly-defined outcomes that are expected to Parents Fair Share (PFS) Demonstration result from the program. Program,1whose initial goals were to help Parent education programs provide an enormous unemployed, non-custodial parents (primarily breadth and depth of information to parents across the fathers) secure employment, pay child support, United States with the goals of enhancing parent-child and participate more fully in their children’s lives. relationships and strengthening families. There exist several The evaluation examined very specific outcomes: types of parent education programs designed to meet the child support payments, employment rates, and needs of various types of audiences; parents, teens or earnings, as well as formal and informal child entire families. The most common types of programs support, and fathers’ involvement in parenting involve efforts to increase participant knowledge about (including levels of conflict between custodial parenting-related matters and/or to strengthen parents’ and non-custodial parents). ability to identify and draw upon needed resources to support them with any challenges they face. Programs v The program is of sufficient length and intensity include: relative to severity of risk factors of the family. general parenting information to help all parents gain Ø OJJDP (1998) finds that “many programs fail additional knowledge or skills (e.g. Parenting Skills with high risk families because they are too short Workshops), sometimes referred to as “family skill to really reduce risk-producing processes and building;” behaviors and increase protective factors and parental support and information for specific groups 1The program ran from 1994 through 1996 and was designed by of parents (e.g., single mothers, pregnant or parenting the Manpower Demonstration and Research Corporation (MDRC) as an alternative to the local government-based child- teens); support enforcement system. The PFS program offered services targeted interventions for specific parenting issues such in four areas: employment and training, child-support compliance, as alcohol dependency, substance abuse; and peer support, and voluntary mediation services with the custodial parent. behaviors (p. 8).” Conversely, programs that then help educators identify ways to modify their are too long are likely to lose busy parents who views toward appropriate means of dealing with only have minor problems with their children. the issues they face with their children. One Thus, the appropriateness of intervention length possible approach is to develop parenting relative to the needs of families is an important programs specific to each race or ethnicity’s component in program design and effectiveness. parenting issues and/or cultural values. Another Kumpfer (1999) reports that “at least 30-40 is to derive “culturally relevant principles to contact hours are needed for a positive and long guide modifications of existing programs lasting impact of family programs, particularly (Kumpfer, 1999, p.36)” instead of developing because high risk families often miss sessions or specific programs by groups. have difficultly implemented the skills taught in their home ( p.35).”Many other interventions v Finally, effective programs incorporate an with lower risk families require less contact time. ecological approach to program content, which acknowledges the influence of neighborhoods, v The program targets a family rather than solely schools and employment on parenting. the children or their parents. Ø This allows for collaboration with community Ø The OJJDP found that this “family focus” organizations to provide additional services and includes interventions to address necessary issues support to parents. One review of different for both the child and the parents and thus, the parenting programs found that “interventions interactions that comprise the “family system.” attending to…improvements in all These programs frequently include parent skills environmental domains (i.e., society/culture, training, children’s social skills development, community/neighborhood, school, peer group, and parent/child activities to improve parent and family/extended family) naturally demonstrated child relationships. In addition, this “family an increased effectiveness on positive skills” approach also includes additional family developmental changes for youth (Kumpfer support services such as assistance with 1999, p. 34).” Implications for educators are transportation, food, child care, and crisis two-fold: first, at the program design or support (Kumpfer, 1999). curriculum development phase, input from school officials, local boards or community v The program is tailored to important organizations may be useful to designing a more developmental milestones or major transitions successful intervention; and second, delivering in family life (e.g., new parents, parents of pre- programs at sites within the community or at adolescents or after a divorce). schools may also increase the success of education programs. v Effective programs are comprised of a strength CRITERIA OF EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS based (asset) model, rather than focusing on Several large organizations have set forth criteria by parent’s weaknesses or deficits. which they classify the level of effectiveness of parent education programs. Table 1 summarizes specific criteria v The program content is designed to respect set forth by Rand Organization’s Promising Practices parental authority and appreciate individual Network and the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect’s differences among parents. Emerging Practices. Rand Corporation’s Promising Practices Network (PPN) highlights programs and Ø Understanding cultural values associated with practices that improve outcomes for children, youth and parenting practices is critical in designing families. A major portion of their work is devoted to the programs that can address issues of families from “evidence criteria” used to classify programs as “proven” varied backgrounds in a manner that is consistent or “promising.” The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect with their own underlying beliefs and principles. (OCAN) established a set of criteria for parent education In addition, basic understanding of how a programs designed to prevent child abuse and neglect. parent’s culture influences parenting choices can Table 1. Criteria Used to Determine Effectiveness of Parent Education Programs Promising Practices Network (RAND) Information Proven Promising Not Included Type Evaluation Comparison group used to Comparison group used that Study does not use a Quality and identify program impacts, may exhibit some weaknesses, convincing comparison Research including experimental or quasi- e.g., the groups lack group. Uses only a design experimental design. comparability on pre-existing treatment group before and variables. after comparisons. Sample Size Sample size of evaluation Sample size of evaluation has exceeds 30 in both treatment more than 10 in both treatment and comparison group. and comparison groups. Outcomes Program must directly impact a Program may impact an Program has an effect that Affected pre-determined targeted intermediary outcome for which is not related to a pre- outcome (e.g., increase percent there is evidence that it is determined target outcome. of children living above poverty associated with one of the line). desired outcomes. Emerging Practices: Office on Child Abuse and Neglect (OCAN) Demonstrated Effective Reported Effective Innovative Evaluation Rigorous evaluation Rigorous evaluation Programs that engage in Quality and evaluative activities Research Experimental design Experimental or quasi- design experimental design Program methods show some new approach to prevention Sample Size Not addressed Not addressed Not addressed Outcomes Evidence shows positive effect Available evidence shows Results not as clear as other Affected of program. positive effect of program. programs; inc onclusive outcomes due to a Outcomes are definitively stated Outcomes are not considered methodological concern. in program design. definitive because